Bye bye, Brucie: Sir Bruce Forsyth 1928-2017

"Nice to see you. To see you nice!" our dear departed Aunt Margaret would say, with the sweetest of smiles, even in the grip of pernicious dementia. It was Brucie's catch-phrase. A legacy of his seventy years as an entertainer.  Today, aged 89, Bruce Forsyth, the last of the great all-round British entertainers has died.
I am of an age where I remember him from The Generation Game, good wholesome Saturday evening entertainment. My parents would have remembered him from Saturday Night at the London Palladium when he took over from Val Parnell. Our children remember him from Strictly Come Dancing. His career spanned all generations, keeping us entertained, until he gave up Strictly, only a couple of years ago because of ill-health.
I feel a sadness for his passing. Not for him; despite his increasing frailness, he managed to retain a sharp mind and wit. No, I am swamped by nostalgia. And an incipient longing for a bygone era that looks simpler and more rosy with each passing day.

"Didn't he do well?"