A Bookcase full of Treasure 2- Gary Barlow My Take

October 2006. 



Me and Jenny, 14.2.1994

My very best friend and I have been Take That fans for 14 years by this point.  We'd seen them live.  We'd bought the tshirts (and hats, scarves, badges, keyrings, necklaces, books, cushions.  You name it, we had it).  We'd made scrapbooks filled with pictures cut from magazine and newspapers, literally tens of hours spent with a Pritt Stick and a pair of scissors to preserve pictures of our boys.  We'd listened to the albums hundreds of times, broken our videos from the constant rewinding, written 'imagines' about what life would be like if we ever happened to meet them and they fell in love with us.  But we'd never met any of them.  Until now.



Living the dream, Oct 2006

We woke up about 5am to travel across the Pennines to Manchester.  An early start, but so worth it with the hope of meeting Mr Barlow filling our heads.  Jenny in particular was excited-Gary was(and is) her favourite member of the band (mine was (and is) Howard, for anyone wondering).  First a train, and then a bus, but then we were there, joining a throng of people queuing outside WH Smiths. 

We sat on the cold, hard floor and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Probably about four or five hours in total.  But then there he was infront of us.  Beautiful, charming and most importantly REAL.  When you have loved someone so long from a distance you forget that they actually have the capacity to touch and be touched.  He placed his arm around me for a photo and with my hand on his back I thought 'this is the moment you've been waiting for'.  He signed my book and then kissed my cheek.  GARY BARLOW KISSED ME!

With Jen at The Circus tour, 2009

My Take itself is an insightful read and it had been a long time coming, but the reason that this is one of my most treasured books is because of the memories it holds of a wonderful day with my very best friend and the realisation of a dream I had been harbouring for more than half my life. 

I'm still a Take That fan now (22 years and counting).  I probably always will be. 

I couldn't take a photo of the book as I have left my camera at work!  Doh!