I have just been reminded

yet again of a good friend - someone I never actually met in real life. Over the 'net though she was a friend - not just a casual acquaintance. 
Almost every day she would email me a little comment - and sometimes a much longer one - after reading my blog posts. How she found the time to do it was a mystery. She was an incredibly busy person and she lived a very full life.
    "When you come back to London you must spend at least a night with me," she wrote more than once, "We will have so much to talk about."
It never happened. She died far too soon. I know her authors still miss her, indeed the publishing world misses her. It was a post by one of them that hit me a short time ago.
But it made me think about other "friendships" too - those in politics.  The new Prime Minister had his arm around the old Prime Minister this last week - they were "good mates" then. Are they still "good mates"? 
I imagine there are other "friendships" under strain right now...while the Leader of the Opposition smiles, a smile that does not reach his eyes, and says nice things about the previous Prime Minister. (Does anyone actually believe what he said?) 
When I was living in the nation's capital there was an unlikely friendship - and I think it must have been a friendship because it was not one most people would have expected.  I know that, away from the floor of the House, politicians on opposite sides can be perfectly civil to one another. They can stop and chat. They will have coffee together or meet for lunch. They will work together on things.  That is usually about as far as it goes. In the nation's capital though there were two who rented a flat together - and they were from opposite sides of the house at a very tense time.  (I need to explain here that many of Downunder's federal politicians really do need to live away from their homes during the week when parliament is sitting as they can be not just hundreds but thousands of kilometres from their electorates.)   Their relationship outside the house appeared to be perfectly amicable. Neither man is there now and I wonder what they would make of the present shenanigans.
After her partner died a friend of mine wrote to his penfriends to let them know of his death. She had never had contact with them before. One did not reply. The other did with the words, "Please keep writing. I don't like to think I will lose you as well."
Friendship is a strange thing. It can cross strange boundaries. It can be found in unexpected places.