tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30131409164878533622024-03-13T17:01:42.095-07:00The Late BachelorLearning to Live with MemoriesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-32509922514152876732011-04-26T02:39:00.000-07:002011-09-09T10:58:49.874-07:00Tiger Lady<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monday, 25 April</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My Darling E</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">'A waste of ink and paper' you used to say about the Telegraph's colour supplement each Saturday. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And, generally, that's still the case.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This week though one article was worth the read.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a profile of Judith Kerr. She's the lady who wrote the lovely story, <em>'The Tiger who Came to</em> <em>Tea</em>' over 40 years ago. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Drew the illustrations as well, the article reminded me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">She followed that up with a series about '<em>Mog, the Forgetful Cat.' </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Even though there were 17 books in all it's a set of storied I am not familiar with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was <em>'The Tiger who Came to Tea' </em>that was a big hit with Charlotte and Adrian back then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remember how it was always one of the ones regularly requested at bedtime - especially with the inevitable side-order for 'funny voices'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, you'll be delighted to know it is still a popular read with our 'next' generation at bedtime - and I'm sure it will still be required reading when Harriet and Felix are a little older.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It appears a stage version of 'Tiger' will open in London this summer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ho-hum?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suppose a straight-forward read - even with the benefit of 'funny voices' - is less appealing to today's little ones, who are more sophisticated and have access to a wealth of wonderful and imaginative animated stories on television.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Just wish - as I'm sure you do - that that choice was around when A was going through his long 'no-sleep' period.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Judith Kerr is now 86 and still writing and drawing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Her latest book, <em>Mr Henry, </em>features overweight cats and a tiger who drinks from the tea pot. It is about an old lady who goes off on fantasy adventures with her dead husband. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">They hunt lions, ride dinosaurs and chat with the Sphinx. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">She lost her husband, Tom, in October 2006, leaving her bereft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>'The book isn't about Tom and me,' she says. </em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">'It's anyone who has been happily married. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We had a special time but a life can be quite ordinary and the best thing in the world.</span></em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><em>We had such fun doing the things we did, bringing up the children. He always thought of the titles of my books.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><em> </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>The four years before he died were</em> difficult.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>He had heart troubles and suffered a number of small strokes. There were times when a lack of blood to the brain meant he could not think properly.</em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>But, in some ways, you love someone more when they need you.</em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>I remember telling his specialist that I didn't know whether to remember him before or after he was ill.</em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>The specialist said 'both'. </em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><em>If you've been very happy, it stays with you.'</em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's so true.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I miss the good times - and the 'bad' days too. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">They weren't much fun but at least we were together. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But, above all, I so miss you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will love you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Forever.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Trevor xxx </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-1889378442379242472011-03-29T00:45:00.000-07:002011-03-29T00:47:13.460-07:00Seasons in the Sun<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday, 20 March</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My Lovely Lady </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Adrian, Nikki and the girls are on holiday at the moment.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">They flew off to Fuerteventura last Wednesday and I got a text from Nikki that evening to say they had arrived safely.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">They are staying in Jandia, quite a bit further down the coast from where we stayed in Calleta, almost twenty years ago, in 1993.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I imagine Fuertaventura is a lot more developed now than it was back then. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But for us it provided the laid back setting for the type of holiday we were looking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Both Charlotte and Adrian were off at Uni and we decided it was time the two of us should start to enjoy a few seasons in the sun.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Seem to recall you were the prime mover, putting aside a regular amount from each month's salary into a separate bank account for holidays. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You would pay for us getting there and where we stayed. I would be responsible our 'splashing-out' spending money.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nothing fancy we agreed. Just somewhere quiet and laid back where we could take things easy and go as we pleased. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a pattern we followed virtually every year for over a dozen years. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">What's more it was a pattern that worked and gave us some truly memorable memories.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And Fuerteventura was the first.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our apartment was on a quiet road overlooking the sea and a short walk from what counted then as the 'centre' of Calleta. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We spent our days on the beach by the little marina and and in the evenings it was an easy walk to one of the two or three restaurants that were there.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">During the second week we hired a car and began to explore the island, landing up mainly at really long secluded beaches where there was hardly anyone around.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We did some sightseeing but not much. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just enough to let us see a bit of the the island and maybe discover a new restaurant for lunch.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Like the day we landed up in Gran Tarajal just to see if it was actually all that 'Gran'.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It wasn't. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But but on the way out we followed a little side road. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It led to a tiny fishing village called Las Playitas.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We watched the local children diving and playing in the harbour, and then breaking off to swim out to meet a little fishing boat that was returning with that morning's catch.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When we saw all the fresh fish it its nets, it was clear it was time for lunch.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The little restaurant right by the harbour welcomed us in to its cool interior.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When we enquired what was on the menu, the chef went out to the boat and came back with a platter for us to chose from.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Fish straight from the sea, cooked beautifully, and a chilled bottle of crisp, dry Spanish wine. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pure happenstance and simply perfect. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a freewheeling approach that was to work out for us wherever we went.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And when our time was up, we handed the car back and headed for the airport.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But not before taking the first of our 'last night of the holidays' photograph.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Which became something of a tradition on all the holidays that followed.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sadly our 'seasons in the sun' together are now nothing but memories. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But such good ones and so typical of the wonderful times we shared.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So difficult, so very difficult, to accept that's how it now is. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will love and miss my lovely girl</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Forever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">xxx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-8936500105014648732011-03-15T12:19:00.001-07:002011-03-27T08:58:13.433-07:00A Close Resemblance<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesday, 15 March</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My Lovely E</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Charlotte and Ivan brought Caitlin, Reuben and Felix over for the weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Roped Ivan in to helping me sort the garage out a bit.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It gave them both a chance to check-up on some of their things that we have been storing for them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It also gave me the opportunity to sort out some boxes of slides, photographs and negatives that I haven't been through for ages.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I was doing this, Ivan came across this one from back in 1974...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdptLmgFbN_kD2rsv9pu84VP5suHgaCKzFYqxsiZKU-PAHoIGtrCVmG14H0jVrnNEtZeZJr2j2AziOnc-f44YVFEd2uPNIauvU22SDpQNvSX2ksQUAI9xM6cvtaJWC-lzw7wWp4xn6vo/s1600/Golden+Wedding+1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdptLmgFbN_kD2rsv9pu84VP5suHgaCKzFYqxsiZKU-PAHoIGtrCVmG14H0jVrnNEtZeZJr2j2AziOnc-f44YVFEd2uPNIauvU22SDpQNvSX2ksQUAI9xM6cvtaJWC-lzw7wWp4xn6vo/s320/Golden+Wedding+1974.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial;">It was taken at the family celebration to Granny and Grandpa's Golden Wedding Anniversary in July that year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">He immediately spotted a strong resemblance between Charlotte as she looked then and Felix.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Charlotte was delighted about this as up to then she hadn't spotted it herself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After they had gone home I continued looking through the 'archives' and came across these photos of her when she was just two weeks old.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I think they will be really struck by, what is to me, an even greater similarity.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnRL3IP0GtN4wcw1ox8XpICKbCxTegVgeVDNWZdKyA8Z0YqqQf9AwcvDzhx-T08sYK3zXFCH43OjNP7oEi65HUq6Bu6Fq8cAVc8nIkahgzOgiXpeoOni4TxZuDt-mFpM8Cxemgq8kgPA/s1600/Charlotte+%25282+months%2529+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnRL3IP0GtN4wcw1ox8XpICKbCxTegVgeVDNWZdKyA8Z0YqqQf9AwcvDzhx-T08sYK3zXFCH43OjNP7oEi65HUq6Bu6Fq8cAVc8nIkahgzOgiXpeoOni4TxZuDt-mFpM8Cxemgq8kgPA/s320/Charlotte+%25282+months%2529+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjLgowyaBP1R-asP_mvtztOYksyKPpBymQz8bPa6PTCBzUVHIYULH6uknwXOu7z8m_-qERNyivVPx5bEMBPiwgFE5EnL3UTWzIjqNEwsS8jAU10eFCaq3oqELVI3YWtB9N1ajdBvqtdE/s1600/Charlotte+%25282+months%2529+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjLgowyaBP1R-asP_mvtztOYksyKPpBymQz8bPa6PTCBzUVHIYULH6uknwXOu7z8m_-qERNyivVPx5bEMBPiwgFE5EnL3UTWzIjqNEwsS8jAU10eFCaq3oqELVI3YWtB9N1ajdBvqtdE/s320/Charlotte+%25282+months%2529+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, for reference, here's one of Felix taken that same weekend...</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HVo60QCFn1TZgbmZrfFJqEy0thox6ltxvDW7tVwulLhW5BBsyOVUs8eqmEouXH9DZrLxfc-JoPtNsE9xIfa7G7VK-886IVOJxvjLFcRTcPWwQEvI5rCmeVQOXIi3YwIuyyLIr3a-2uQ/s1600/Felix+%2540+Billericay+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HVo60QCFn1TZgbmZrfFJqEy0thox6ltxvDW7tVwulLhW5BBsyOVUs8eqmEouXH9DZrLxfc-JoPtNsE9xIfa7G7VK-886IVOJxvjLFcRTcPWwQEvI5rCmeVQOXIi3YwIuyyLIr3a-2uQ/s320/Felix+%2540+Billericay+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You were always much better than me at this type and it would be so nice to know what you would have thought.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Just really sad that you are not around for him to get to know you and see what a lovely Oma he has. </span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Miss you so much my lovely girl.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cannot tell how flat things can seem at times without you or that lovely smile of yours to brighten my life.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will love you, </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Forever.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Trevor</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial;">xxx</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-16316082433690090542011-03-06T12:49:00.001-08:002011-03-29T00:35:41.521-07:00Minstrel of the Dawn<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday, 6 March </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Darling E</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watched a programme tonight, which I had recorded on BBC4 a couple of days ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took me back all of 40 years or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Originally transmitted in 1972</span> it featured a studio concert by Gordon Lightfoot. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The slightly soft early-days colour images - no high-definition colour then - and the songs he sang made me think immediately of what was then our last year or so in Wilton Court.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Can't for the life me of the number of our flat there. Was it 29? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I do remember that the early years weren't always easy for us as money was often tight. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But we made it our home and we had such fun there is spite of that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">1970, things were a little more comfortable and my student days were over. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I had graduated - helped in no small measure by your support and ruthlessness when it came to me revising - and had been able to cut myself a much better deal at work as a result.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, after several years of sacrifice, we were able to begin to enjoying ourselves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gordon Lightfoot's 'Minstrel of the Dawn' album was released that year and I remember the LP was seldom of the turntable in the flat at weekends. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For us it became a favourite LP and the soundtrack to a summer of fun, laughter and new-found freedom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We never did get to see Gordon Lightfoot perform live, but he was introduced to the audience during a Rod McKuen concert we were at in the Albert Hall.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Even when we moved to Parkway, that LP still got a lot of plays.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then, when cassettes took over, our 'Minstrel of the Dawn' LP somehow got lost along the way.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, fast forward thirty-five years.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We were in Vancouver celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBgOGqX-hHrRBUaPzNnRUN5XUT4t3o_oc-U8N8TLN93oMV-4eh8NiREW_DOlAcHWkerJ5YumxjguNqzu-CnjR0PymmLqIOx465ndFtY84Uin3ADILYb9STteR1I2F11VxVfGu_WG2pts/s1600/IMG_4766+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBgOGqX-hHrRBUaPzNnRUN5XUT4t3o_oc-U8N8TLN93oMV-4eh8NiREW_DOlAcHWkerJ5YumxjguNqzu-CnjR0PymmLqIOx465ndFtY84Uin3ADILYb9STteR1I2F11VxVfGu_WG2pts/s320/IMG_4766+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On our last full day of a wonderful and memorable holiday, we were walking up Robson Street heading back to the Pacific Palisades Hotel when we passed a large music store.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Inside we soon found the Gordon Lightfoot section and there it was - </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">'Minstrel of the Dawn'.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Only now titled 'If You Could Read My Mind' in recognition of the 'hit' single that Gordon Lightfoot had with that track from the album all those years ago.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Didn't have anything to play it on there in Vancouver. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But as soon as we were home those old familiar favourite songs were filling the house.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Still do from time to time - as they are now as I write - even though you are no longer here to share them with me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Or sing along together to ones like 'Me and Bobby McGee' just as we did way back then. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Funny how a grainy, black and white programme from the archives - or snatches from a long-forgotten song - can bring so many memories flooding back.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And tear at your heart at the same time. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But that's the way it is with so many of my memories now.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Miss you so much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will love you, forever.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Trevor </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">xxx</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-72407745254960919542011-02-23T02:09:00.000-08:002011-03-27T08:55:05.652-07:00A Long Time Ago<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday, 23 February</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Darling Eileen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's the anniversary of my father' death. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fifty years ago today - to the day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a day and a date which, like a much more recent day and date, will forever be part of me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I have clear memories of that day and the funeral that followed, my memories of the previous Saturday - the 18th February - are just as vivid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was playing rugby for London Irish that Saturday afternoon. Quins away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was in the dressing room getting changing after the game, when one of their officials popped his head around the door.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Is there anyone called Trevor Kane here?' he asked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I said it was me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">'We've had a phone call saying you're to go home immediately. Your father is seriously ill.'</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I can still recall the next couple of hours as if it was yesterday.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Rushing to the station; the train to Waterloo that took for ever to get there; the mad dash down the escalator to the Northern Line platform; the inevitable wait for a Barnet train; coming out of Highgate station and racing down through Queen's Wood and back to 72 Onslow Gardens. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It seems George and Belle, my uncle and aunt, had got the message around 11.00 that morning but I had already left for the game by then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was only when they thought to ask you that they learned I was playing rugby.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But you didn't know where, only that I was coming home after the game and planning to take you out that evening. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">They had eventually tracked me down after ringing round all the grounds where a London Irish team was playing that day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remember this was long before mobile phones. Your mother and father didn't have a land line then, only the Bebbs downstairs at 72 did.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I got their permission and rang home. I spoke to my mother and told her I was on my way.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">She said there was already a seat booked for me on the 9.30pm (and last plane) to Belfast that evening and a ticket waiting at the BEA (as it was then) desk at Heathrow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By then it was after 7.00. How on earth was I going to catch it? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">That's where you stepped in.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You had already spoken to Cedric, your family's friend from up the road.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In minutes I had packed a bag and you and I were piling into the front bench seat of Cedric's large American car.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We set off on on what, recalling it now, was </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">one of the hairiest drives of my life - and yours too I should imaging.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Even back then, Saturday nights were always busy on the North Circular Road and this was long before it was widened, or further on, before the M4 was built. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But using his knowledge of all the back doubles and short-cuts from his day job as a goods-vehicle driver with BRS - and, I must confess, by driving like a maniac - Cedric got us there..</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Leaving Cedric parked in front of the terminal you and I raced in and up to the BEA desk.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As soon as I mentioned my name, a stewardess said, 'Mr Kane, we've been holding the plane for you. It's just about to depart. We'll need to hurry.' </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There was only a moment for you and I to have a quick 'goodbye' kiss before she whisked me away.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As I ran down the corridor alongside her, I remember glancing back and seeing you still standing there, a bewildered tearful look on your face.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Can only imaging what thoughts were going through you mind just then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Concern for me, obviously, and what I would face when I reached home later that evening.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But was there something more.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We hadn't know each other long but we both felt there was something - something much longer-lasting - there.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Did you wonder, just then, if this would change things between us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Would I even be coming back to London or would I be staying at home?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Would we ever see each other again?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, as you know, I did come back.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And things worked out just as we hoped and knew they would.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But that's another story.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One best left for another time and another place for the telling.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So miss not having you around - to talk to or to hold.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will love you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For ever.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">xxx</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-56283964892256103812011-02-16T11:19:00.003-08:002011-03-27T08:53:26.615-07:00Moments Like This<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday, 16 February</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Darling Girl</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was Valentine's Day on Monday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Know that we hadn't made a big deal of it for quite some time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too commercialised we both felt agreed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And we didn't need to be carried along on the flood of 'hype' that it has now become, to confirm what we knew was there between us from the start and always would be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year I was very aware for the first time that we were not together to even make a token nod in its direction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't know what happened last year. Think it just got lost in the sea of raw emotion that immediately followed you leaving us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well on Sunday morning I was listening to John Pizzarelli's programme from my favourite Toronto jazz station in the background.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Naturally, being so close to Valentine's Day, he was playing a nice mix of tracks around that particular theme.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just as he was coming to the end of the programme, he played a super Tony Bennett track.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was called 'Moments like This' and came from his album 'The Art of Excellence'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a track and an album I was unfamiliar with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not unsurprising really because, when I went looking for it on Amazon, I discovered it was one he had released way back in 1987.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't know how we missed it at the time, but as a reviewer on Amazon says </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'This is hands down, one of the most beautiful, artful albums ever recorded by any artist in the world, EVER!!! From first track to last, I have rarely heard more effortless, emotional singing from Mr B.' </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I listened to a few sample tracks I knew I had to have it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I downloaded it immediately. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(No more CDs cluttering up the place you'll be pleased to know.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reviewer on Amazon got it absolutely right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No-one does this type of gently-swinging love songs better than Bennett.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has those soft 'dancing' arrangements that encourage a dimming of the lights and a gentle smooth around the floor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My regret is that we missed it the first time around and that you are not here now to do that with me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what Valentine's Day should really be all about. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have to say that when I listened to it in full for the first time there was more than a little moisture at the corner of my eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was even more reason for this than just the lovely music and you not being here for us to share it together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Track three is a song called 'Come a Little Closer' and it immediately brought to mind that first warm summer evening we met and I was saying 'Good Night' to you on the front doorstep at 74.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mind you I wasn't quite sure enough of myself to put it quite as confidently like that, after we had shared our first gentle kiss.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I remember, I said 'You could come a little closer' giving you a little room for to decline the invitation if you wished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which I sincerely hoped you wouldn't. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you did come closer - a lot closer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's how it stayed for virtually the next fifty years, my lovely Valentine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's what you always were and always will be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love and miss you so much.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yours, forever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">xxx</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-59406960861040148252011-01-31T13:25:00.001-08:002011-03-14T12:24:01.079-07:00Be Lucky;Stay Lucky<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Lovely Girl</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Just know you will be delighted to meet Felix, our latest grandchild.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihJrTLNJRoHKNBQ9K5qFkqNRAZ47JlfBagUV2sWBocdKu0wjv_INe9u0sw_xbUF3Fbe1s2LdQB1gDFMiJMZ6PwIttvKbMkRgu0bQcqvPCDy1wMqOUp9VHvkLDhiqkSHbEQ90e0ZFXFlM/s1600/Felix+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihJrTLNJRoHKNBQ9K5qFkqNRAZ47JlfBagUV2sWBocdKu0wjv_INe9u0sw_xbUF3Fbe1s2LdQB1gDFMiJMZ6PwIttvKbMkRgu0bQcqvPCDy1wMqOUp9VHvkLDhiqkSHbEQ90e0ZFXFlM/s320/Felix+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Felix arrived safe and sound - if a little ahead of schedule - at 9.25 on Wednesday, January 19.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We were all geared to an early February birth but events transpired to a date a little earlier than that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It all kicked of at an appointment Charlotte had with the midwife on January 4th. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nothing too serious, but the midwife felt that, as the baby was still breech, it would be best if Charlotte was admitted overnight to check everything with the baby was OK.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">was able to come home the next day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Her next appointment with the specialist - one that had been booked before Christmas - was on Friday January 14. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So once again I went across to look after Caitlin and Reuben while she and Ivan kept the appointment with the specialist.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hadn't heard from them until I got a phone call from Ivan towards 12 o'clock, asking if I could rustle up some lunch for Caitlin and Reuben.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The consultant was recommending that Charlotte had a C-section on the following Wednesday as the baby was breech and they were a little concerned over the position of the placenta.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were then in the queue waiting to see the midwife and were then going to see the anaesthetist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When they returned it was clear timescales had shortened. and that here was a lot to do before Wednesday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the weekend, I made </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">arrangements for Cali to go into the cattery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although Ivan had paternity leave and could work from home some days, clearly I would be needed to help look after C and R while Charlotte was in hospital and after she came out. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">No lifting and no driving for six weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well before 7.00am on the 19th, Charlotte and Ivan were up and moving around and left for the hospital a few minutes after 7.30, a</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> sure sign Charlotte was at the top of the queue for theatre that day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wasn't surprised when Ivan rang to tell me Charlotte had had a baby boy weighing 7lb 6oz at 9.25am and that both Charlotte and the baby were doing fine.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVDB_EOwkb1GMPYnf7Ysb-crF0Bx1_D_zn5aaVkXaGxlD7-vfoMCp_VtC5OmQ_O98EWkUkjZ5zi1TP4NMFXydtJk18E3ykFcUz2kc8yjsmYyiuqYg-1VdPhoB-d027TvEdwg54ApCPaU/s1600/Felix+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVDB_EOwkb1GMPYnf7Ysb-crF0Bx1_D_zn5aaVkXaGxlD7-vfoMCp_VtC5OmQ_O98EWkUkjZ5zi1TP4NMFXydtJk18E3ykFcUz2kc8yjsmYyiuqYg-1VdPhoB-d027TvEdwg54ApCPaU/s320/Felix+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because of the risks from swine flu and other 'bugs', nobody but Ivan was allowed to visit Charlotte and Felix in hospital. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kEyHPabcNKUy79FfHOtWvENE2aI58YQxmHQPHVHNHjzHCbhEedDsTpWE6lyxWE179nNHf0ayhPWfeD6MX76dC0HV96ANK1qrNmTdU5wZrQNs1WJkVZsjOVxRkG9e2qr2_uI_Ew4AarQ/s1600/Felix+-+oma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kEyHPabcNKUy79FfHOtWvENE2aI58YQxmHQPHVHNHjzHCbhEedDsTpWE6lyxWE179nNHf0ayhPWfeD6MX76dC0HV96ANK1qrNmTdU5wZrQNs1WJkVZsjOVxRkG9e2qr2_uI_Ew4AarQ/s320/Felix+-+oma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But, as you can see, you were with him from the first moments of his life. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1hOhi5mIyI2XDHX1KUAexbp-jwDgGZK_Mx4si0WMzLKnUsQm3bVN3H0HHUhUY-JnsUn-U6VI7lEhC4dL5PTVRi0F94iaPLHn4zOLEhYlQ_XHhxwODWqBH6Gm2kyVobP0uYBV9LPLspQ/s1600/Felix+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1hOhi5mIyI2XDHX1KUAexbp-jwDgGZK_Mx4si0WMzLKnUsQm3bVN3H0HHUhUY-JnsUn-U6VI7lEhC4dL5PTVRi0F94iaPLHn4zOLEhYlQ_XHhxwODWqBH6Gm2kyVobP0uYBV9LPLspQ/s320/Felix+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eOY-IasT-4jJwxvybqmgmt3AH5uLCK74pIcHFZj9qxeA4mJ-3BVUW9YJOfF8Hh5puBLKWuFw4vUjGxeDyClpD6lx13k51_WujBRDve89XzES4mmG7b00lHN-ZCIANI4HVEtGcZFrdh4/s1600/Felix+-+Boring%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eOY-IasT-4jJwxvybqmgmt3AH5uLCK74pIcHFZj9qxeA4mJ-3BVUW9YJOfF8Hh5puBLKWuFw4vUjGxeDyClpD6lx13k51_WujBRDve89XzES4mmG7b00lHN-ZCIANI4HVEtGcZFrdh4/s320/Felix+-+Boring%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlotte and Ivan had some ideas about names for him but wished to have a little time before finally deciding.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the baby had been a girl they had already picked the names Phoebe Elinor (a nod in your direction) Rose (your favourite flower).</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the time Charlotte was able to come home the following Friday they had decided on Felix Gabriel Quinn.</span></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6hDEIZzKlDidDHGy8hF_07QQHTGnMELspe5XTtS9n5ljHNk7Cv-41c1S64eA1nKpPU7kULXk7GXJA-y9-XUvMKllKNAyVFDrE3ngfVAmOvDl-fY2akxHrAju9yJs5Z1aaoyYddtrLyE/s1600/Felix+-+cosy+here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6hDEIZzKlDidDHGy8hF_07QQHTGnMELspe5XTtS9n5ljHNk7Cv-41c1S64eA1nKpPU7kULXk7GXJA-y9-XUvMKllKNAyVFDrE3ngfVAmOvDl-fY2akxHrAju9yJs5Z1aaoyYddtrLyE/s320/Felix+-+cosy+here.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">They decided to wait until Caitlin and Reuben were asleep before Charlotte and Felix came home, as they thought the excitement would be too much for them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning was rather special. Not only was 'Mummy' home but they got to meet their new baby brother for the first time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-mt8URS7a3GmGw-QsdMUURHT1suTyWrWKaKaJXlKkGGYblhyphenhyphen6eOZhHq5trtFYU4y68HTqIitKzM6REneQigEmn7bg-HVoLjIgzrN0q0nr3AQ9eGZAz8EL-ZkWMTSOg7udYFAojA9hqE/s1600/Felix+-+Caitlin+and+Reuben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-mt8URS7a3GmGw-QsdMUURHT1suTyWrWKaKaJXlKkGGYblhyphenhyphen6eOZhHq5trtFYU4y68HTqIitKzM6REneQigEmn7bg-HVoLjIgzrN0q0nr3AQ9eGZAz8EL-ZkWMTSOg7udYFAojA9hqE/s320/Felix+-+Caitlin+and+Reuben.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1ouuWfy6sMAgck0mric9yiGBms2ihs4Lmnu_2Lq5hRwq7TrD4tXDs9rnL3osYg5IoC0CexQ-ICz5DXcI5BPDtYMKyWkD3WeCyDkQsI2LIKm8H0CAgufoMcwOFdzlq-1Ti9ws1ZTP-tY/s1600/Felix+-+Caitlin+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1ouuWfy6sMAgck0mric9yiGBms2ihs4Lmnu_2Lq5hRwq7TrD4tXDs9rnL3osYg5IoC0CexQ-ICz5DXcI5BPDtYMKyWkD3WeCyDkQsI2LIKm8H0CAgufoMcwOFdzlq-1Ti9ws1ZTP-tY/s320/Felix+-+Caitlin+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2ga2BzdS3dd5omckoSIPo9k_53viofy1K7RDMgfZtEP264GUhyphenhyphen47iGLfvSEHAgX8OsXMicxhHaWoNDsfRyYdnOvVHkSrA-ZqHkS6M6TxgUx1ihe_RcTNFWmoQubrcMW92PpsnkTuSTI/s1600/Felix+-+Reuben+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2ga2BzdS3dd5omckoSIPo9k_53viofy1K7RDMgfZtEP264GUhyphenhyphen47iGLfvSEHAgX8OsXMicxhHaWoNDsfRyYdnOvVHkSrA-ZqHkS6M6TxgUx1ihe_RcTNFWmoQubrcMW92PpsnkTuSTI/s320/Felix+-+Reuben+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Opa got</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to hold his new 'kleinzoon' too.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEZ1yf4Zw2f_UyoEZkg_jnEwa4k9X7tA96LThRIoKa-fTwa3MjdabC4BbvaXgCQKOnz9IiaYw-bSQA4eLDobuuAZeVapVZIHxdzDIdpbOegOrm7m-Mm3k5xe-ob97JcmMW9UnouEK-uI/s1600/Felix+-+Opa+gives+good+cuddles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEZ1yf4Zw2f_UyoEZkg_jnEwa4k9X7tA96LThRIoKa-fTwa3MjdabC4BbvaXgCQKOnz9IiaYw-bSQA4eLDobuuAZeVapVZIHxdzDIdpbOegOrm7m-Mm3k5xe-ob97JcmMW9UnouEK-uI/s320/Felix+-+Opa+gives+good+cuddles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Felix' is Latin for 'happy' and 'lucky' and I hope sincerely he will always be that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Gabriel' is, again, a nod in your direction. As the story goes, that is how you were to be called Gabrielle until your father got a change of mind on the way to the Registrar. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And earned the considerable wrath of your mother.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Quinn' reflects Charlotte's desire for there to be a Gaelic names in there somewhere.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't think she was aware that<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he name is derived from the Irish '<em>Ó Cuinn'</em> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and </span>means '<i>descendants of Conn</i>.' and means '<i>wisdom'</i> or '<i>chief</i>.' </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A nice touch that, you'll agree, even if was happenstance.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But then Felix does mean '<em>lucky'.</em> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTWa3AU9PHtB6IrmdmVXnNzmpXx3SuhYF-kHP2kgaEOzZpwRKKwaWyXfvj8QPQkb5j7nY2hGwjhFppyauBNt2Nmko6lgG3LrsbeMfs90pwNHy1PbGWYR1IqCIAIS1tPW9l5Z1JWbCZwM/s1600/Felix+-+sleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTWa3AU9PHtB6IrmdmVXnNzmpXx3SuhYF-kHP2kgaEOzZpwRKKwaWyXfvj8QPQkb5j7nY2hGwjhFppyauBNt2Nmko6lgG3LrsbeMfs90pwNHy1PbGWYR1IqCIAIS1tPW9l5Z1JWbCZwM/s320/Felix+-+sleep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Just know you will always 'look out' for him as he goes through life.<br />
<br />
As you do for all of us who are left behind - and who miss you so much.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will love you </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For eve</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">r</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-47615420977379006912011-01-30T10:51:00.000-08:002011-03-26T11:38:03.109-07:00Reflections in the Rain<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">31 January</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Darling Eileen </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Early January can be a bleak, cold grey month at any time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But never more so than this year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wasn't looking forward to the 12th in particular - the first anniversary of the day you left us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But life has to go on...</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can imagine it was a sad and emotional day - with miserable weather to match my mood.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Got some nice cards with lovely messages in the post, and some phone calls too, underlining just how much you are missed by so many people.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A sad and emotional day - with miserable weather to match.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the rain had eased a little I headed out and drove to Hanningfield.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hadn't been back there since the last time we were there together in September 2009. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last time, in fact, you were able to leave the house, so I felt it was a good place as any to go and sit and remember, on this day of days. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I drove into the car park, switched the engine off and sat there, totally alone, while the rain fell and heavy grey clouds hung low over the surface of the reservoir.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few bedraggled geese and ducks came around the car but then gave up and waddled off when they realised there was nothing for them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They looked as miserable as I felt.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would have been miserable company for anybody that day. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Only one person could have lifted the gloom - and my mood.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And she wasn't around.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No other cars came, just a few vans heading down the lane to the cafe.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remained there until it was almost dark and it was only when I was leaving that I noticed the sign saying the car park closed at 3.30pm.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A good twenty minutes earlier. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luckily they hadn't closed the gates.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I drove slowly up the lane and turned for home along those once-familiar roads.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And spent the evening alone with my thoughts, a glass or two of wine, some of our favourite music and a host of precious memories.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will love and miss you </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Forever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xxx </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-92096090287630946952011-01-11T10:59:00.000-08:002011-03-29T00:49:53.448-07:00"After You've Gone"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday, 11 January 2011</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Lovely Girl</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Listened to a moving and inspiring programme on Radio 4 on New Year's Eve.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Apt too, coming on the last day of 2010, that bleakest of years in my life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was called 'Widower's Tales'.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Beautifully produced, it featured four men who were left alone after the death of their partner and how they went on to find a new identity late in life. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">No annoying interviewer to come between them and the listener. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">ust their voices relating their stories. Punctuated</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> with brief snatches of the song 'After You've Gone'. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Guy, now in his eighties, had lost his wife Daphne.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'(Her) death had been so clearly coming for so long. I didn't expect death to be a shock, but it turned out to be a much greater shock that I had expected. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I suddenly felt distraught and alone without my 'prop'. I would walk around in the garden with tears streaming down my face, just missing her.'</span></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barry had lost his wife, Noreen, 11 years ago.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'She had lung cancer but it wasn't diagnosed for a long time. She died within three weeks of the diagnosis.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I'm very close to crying all the time. I only have to hear the plaintive call of a bird in the garden and I start filling up.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">We were married 31 years. She suffered from arthritis and I worked from home so we were together most of that time living in the same house.'</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peter, now 80, has been widowed for 40 years.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'She died in Bart's Hospital giving birth. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Life has been pretty terrible. It comes to you in bursts. The more distractions there are the better. Bringing up the children and working.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Then you get the grief and it doesn't go away. There I was a grown man, constantly struggling against bursting out crying in public. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">That went on for five or ten years.'</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bob, now 68, lost his wife, Chris, three years ago, suddenly and avoidably through want of antibiotics.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'I'm now a sad old man who walks around with carrier bags, talking to people in charity shops and buying stuff. Simply for someone to talk to.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I was planning to retire. For years we had saved hard to build a nest egg. Our 40th anniversary was approaching and we had lots of plans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I miss looking up and seeing her.'</span></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Barry has given up watching TV.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span> <br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'It wasn't the same without her. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">After a few months I realised it was time to do something interesting. Something new.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Noreen would be amazed at the things I am doing now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">There I was approaching 60 and could not drive or swim.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Now I can. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Although the driving took me three years and cost me the equivalent of a small new car. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The swimming took a year.'</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Guy admitted that, when Daphne was alive, they didn't do much entertaining.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'She didn't like mixing with people or having them in the house.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I've always been keen in cooking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Even in Burma, fighting the Japanese, I would heat up the supplies we were dropped by air, using an old kettle over the fire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When she did die, I said to myself, "Buck up Guy. Don't mope. Get on and do things."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Now I entertain and have even written two cookbooks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">You have to adjust; you have to cope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">No point in thinking 'I wish she hadn't died', because she was obviously going to die.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">You have to get used to it and used to the idea and make the most of things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">If you don't make a new life, you're wasting yourself and making a complete mess of things.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">You have to get out and do things.' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></blockquote></span></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">***** </div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'So how are you coping?' I can hear you asking, as I sit here on the eve of the first anniversary of the day you slipped away from us for good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'I'm doing OK', which is what I think you would hope you would hear me say.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It hasn't been an easy year. But both of us knew it was never going to be.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am able to cook and care for myself. But then I had a good tutor. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I now even have a new cookbook - 'Solo in the Kitchen' - to help me broaden my repertoire.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unlike Guy in the programme, however, I don't see myself getting into entertaining on a grand scale. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The children have been really supportive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There when I need them to talk to but respecting my need for solitude and space.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fill the house with music - old favourites and some new ones - when I need a lift.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's an easy chair on the landing where 'your' armchair used to be.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sit there and read a lot. Or sit in quiet contemplation and let the memories flood in.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And what of this second year without you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, these 'letters' to you will continue. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They have been a great source of comfort to me, knowing we can still 'talk' and share things, just as we always did.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But I sense the need for them to be more outward-looking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">More exploratory. More adventuresome. Just as my life now needs to be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Guy in the programme advoctes, I will get out and do things.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gifts this Christmas of sketching pads, pencils and notebooks have given me the motivation and encouragement to do that and look at things through fresh eyes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At last I am getting to grips with writing my family 'memoir'. I am now comfortable with the form and structure I want it to take. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These, like the research I have done so far, have raised more questions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I need to go back and ask those questions and do some more 'digging.' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above all, I want to spend more time with our four lovely - soon to be five - grandchildren. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's such a delight watching them them grow and develop - and so rewarding to be with them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I know that the thought of missing out on all that was devastating for you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I want to be there for them as much as I can, to make up for them not having you to share things with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will travel too. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">To places we never got to see together and some that we did and thought special.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wherever I am - or whatever I'm doing - I know you will never be far away, just as you were for the last 50 years. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And will be for the rest of my life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Miss you so much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Will love you,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-68390317814534530072010-12-19T12:03:00.000-08:002010-12-19T12:04:34.610-08:00Gene Junction<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 19 December </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling Girl</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thought Oma would love to see this lovely Christmas Card for 2010 that Nikki has created featuring Darcy and Harriett.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCaj9tLRTQ5D6WRrpw-GA10FtO4U9TNI15LEWeDxuUAJ2WYxvCs5Ql6CdeQvgl2cKA_58KGKcC1jdQ-vvFFhHe1B-uS0ZyjLI2L8DA0Y4IHhgFJu1zUGARkUw1p6MPSQuK4-cylnUcgQ/s1600/Gene+Junction+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCaj9tLRTQ5D6WRrpw-GA10FtO4U9TNI15LEWeDxuUAJ2WYxvCs5Ql6CdeQvgl2cKA_58KGKcC1jdQ-vvFFhHe1B-uS0ZyjLI2L8DA0Y4IHhgFJu1zUGARkUw1p6MPSQuK4-cylnUcgQ/s400/Gene+Junction+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">They look lovely and I'm sure you will notice a big change in them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Darcy has 'grown up' such a lot this last year and is such fun to be with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She still goes to Nursery next door and has now progressed to the 'Rabbits Room' upstairs.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She also goes to Pre-school' several days a week which, she tells me, is much further away.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">From time to time Opa refers to 'Pre-school' as 'Nursery' and 'Nursery' as 'Pre-school' - and gets firmly corrected.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hints of things to come I expect. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Harriett is very laid-back and giggles a lot.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She can 'roar' like a lion, 'moo' like a cow and 'miaow' like a cat. Her vocabulary is growing rapidly and she can crawl like a good one. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But as yet there is little sign of her walking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Darcy is very 'into' Father Christmas this year and knows what it's all about! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At the children's party at Adrian's office, she managed to work her way back to see him a second time - and came away with another present.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Things were a rather more 'iffy' at her Nursery Christmas party last Friday, on Darcy's normal Nursery 'day'.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Like last year, they had asked Adrian to play 'Father Christmas'.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thanks to a pretty good costume, a very full wig and beard, a pair of specs on his nose and a change of voice, they think 'he' got away with it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Although Nikki said that 'he' received one or two odd looks from Darcy when she got up close to him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Still...nothing was said. Was she fooled or was she being cute.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Who knows?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nikki also sent me this lovely of photo of Darcy looking forward to Christmas.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50K2uNhwDqNMHSydBrsd5BefYFt6IeKuGGSb4hK1czx8tQTebZarBRQVcb-as4zzRBguUh243N3YSRIDCtEbbkWi1LlvUPTEmTTTQ9jUI5fnGpkyxEqB_VvqCa7az177FVkuLyhIMO4c/s1600/Gene+Junction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50K2uNhwDqNMHSydBrsd5BefYFt6IeKuGGSb4hK1czx8tQTebZarBRQVcb-as4zzRBguUh243N3YSRIDCtEbbkWi1LlvUPTEmTTTQ9jUI5fnGpkyxEqB_VvqCa7az177FVkuLyhIMO4c/s400/Gene+Junction.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nikki also send me this photo she took of Darcy at the same time as she was taking the shot of the two of them for their Christmas card.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, as you know, I was never a great one for spotting family resemblances.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But this photograph had me digging back among our photo archives.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And guess what I came up with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">This one of you...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsOSKYTy0eDW-oUv12U37LtFu-Ro8IYpFcgrKz1KGR6oosEyqRC2FJicGEm1mi2Az7kG1cxbGV4qkd2Fuy6-cGjfFPEv1925HxDw3B-vuAAoyglUBGTrrFbgWS20jAQEYKoEixQpwi3Y/s1600/Gene+Junction+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsOSKYTy0eDW-oUv12U37LtFu-Ro8IYpFcgrKz1KGR6oosEyqRC2FJicGEm1mi2Az7kG1cxbGV4qkd2Fuy6-cGjfFPEv1925HxDw3B-vuAAoyglUBGTrrFbgWS20jAQEYKoEixQpwi3Y/s400/Gene+Junction+2.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">If the date in your father's handwriting on the back - May 1947 - is correct, it's you at almost exactly the same age as Darcy is right now</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a close look. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know what I think. But I'll leave you, and others, to make up their own mind.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would be lovely to think those genes of yours are still very much to the fore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will love you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For ever </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xxx</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-73121567941997108692010-12-19T10:19:00.000-08:002010-12-19T10:19:16.846-08:00This Time of Year<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 19 December </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling E</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In spite of everything, we still managed to have a traditional 'Linehan Family' get together this year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thought you would be pleased - and gratified - to know that we haven't allowed the tradition to lapse.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had left it quite late and it wasn't really until the 'girls' got together when they all met up here on the '25th' that plans began to be put in place.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, the 5th December, your 'birthday', seemed a most appropriate day and so it turned out. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to Andy P, those of us who could make it met up for lunch at the Bakers Arms on the road out of Stock.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not everyone could be there. Like last year, winter now seems to have got into the habit of turning up before Christmas and it was quite snowy. Others had prior engagements.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nevertheless, there were well over twenty of us: Maggi and Peter; Claudia, Andy, Chloe and Thomas; Alex, Ellen, Robert and Andrew; Matt, Liz, Isobel and Yvie; and us of course.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Food was good and the service was excellent. We had the restaurant section pretty well to ourselves. Only slight problem was that we had to be out by three or so to let another party in.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By this time the main part of the pub was in full session so there was nowhere to sit and chat, or let the little ones run around.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And with the weather closing in again, most people wished to be on their way.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was pleasant, if a little low key. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But I suppose that was always going to be inevitable this year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And a far cry from the early days of getting together at '74', or the later sequence of high-spirited annual 'house' parties that moved each year from Barnet to Bury, Norwich to Newbury, Hindlesham to Guiseley to Henstridge, then back to Barnet again, before finding a more or less regular 'home' somewhere in and around Billericay. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But at least we have kept the tradition going.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Know you will be pleased with that, as keeping it alive meant so much to you when you were here. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wasn't quite the same without you. But things are never going to be the same ever again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> that's something we are all having to adapt to.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Do wish we didn't have to as we m</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">iss you so much. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Will love you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-12395625779599165052010-12-19T08:45:00.000-08:002010-12-19T08:49:21.486-08:00Thinking of You<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 19 December </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Lovely E</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Forgot to tell you that I had another card in the post on the Monday following your 'birthday' on the fifth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was from Sarah and Ben. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhag_TSpzI7ILJ3Td2cczIEvLghvpS4D4MMbdkw8h1AjAV-Yec_YL1xqCd1KN7zYSJFMIyM_ocjhsEn3iXp6kq950r_xe10lgYKacTBcEZNYRlNTxfd13xuT077hFKhWacYsqTb9mCqwiU/s1600/Sarah%2527s+Card+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhag_TSpzI7ILJ3Td2cczIEvLghvpS4D4MMbdkw8h1AjAV-Yec_YL1xqCd1KN7zYSJFMIyM_ocjhsEn3iXp6kq950r_xe10lgYKacTBcEZNYRlNTxfd13xuT077hFKhWacYsqTb9mCqwiU/s400/Sarah%2527s+Card+1.jpg" width="385" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> In it Sarah had written this message...</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1cnbo6KxAjdkoeHcdE4ix5ZLMudxEWcIQs9er6DYT4_2DjPndXt-l1NFn2AnozmZ3wD7G4qNVcrSajjgjdpXuIGLVlXByxW4tIaUdeaFX7C5Z7OgyWcpdwuTrJ1ORmIG477F5h8DhMk/s1600/Sarah%2527s+Card+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1cnbo6KxAjdkoeHcdE4ix5ZLMudxEWcIQs9er6DYT4_2DjPndXt-l1NFn2AnozmZ3wD7G4qNVcrSajjgjdpXuIGLVlXByxW4tIaUdeaFX7C5Z7OgyWcpdwuTrJ1ORmIG477F5h8DhMk/s320/Sarah%2527s+Card+2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When she and Ben were here the 25th September, Sarah told me she had been in touch with Steven B, from your time together at Lexicon in Shipley. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She said Steve was going to send her some words reminiscing about those days.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, he has and here they are...</span></div><br />
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'<em>When I think of Eileen, it makes me smile.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She was helpful, articulate, warm hearted with a good sense of humour.</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eileen was a shoulder to cry on, someone who could be relied upon to offer words of encouragement when needed and a voice of reason in tiomes of chaos.</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She had a unique way of bringing humour to a situation without diverting attention from what needed to be done.</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Whilst Eileen was happy to help those with less natural ability than herself, she did not suffer fools gladly (and of those there were a few!) </em> </span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Eileen's ability to articulate her opinion in a firm but fair manner, with a cheeky glint in her and, at times, her tongue planted firmly in her cheek, used to make me laugh.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Eileen had the ability to despatch well meaning but misguided middle management back to their desks like naughty children returning from a dressing sown from the Head Teacher.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>We spend so much of our life at work, so it is important to get something from the time we spend employed.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>As I get older I realise that the enjoyment we gain from working with people whose company we enjoy is often the most valuable reward of all.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Eileen helped turn what could have been a disastrous chapter of my working into one which I cherish very dearly.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>She was a special lady and one for whem I have the fondest memories.'</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's gratifying - and so consoling - when people share their lovely memories of you in this way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So many people miss you in so many ways.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Especially me.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love you</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-45170524704161440792010-12-05T15:37:00.000-08:002010-12-05T15:39:06.905-08:00Many Happy Returns<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 5 December 2010</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling E</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's the Fifth of December and it would have been your birthday today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Still is, I suppose, because none of us can choose - or change - the day we come into this world. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And that's how it stays forever.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Even though I didn't get to know you until some years later, I'm very glad you were born that day, because my life would have been immeasurably poorer if we had never met.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am very aware it's the first time in exactly fifty years that we haven't been together to celebrate your birthday. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So today has been particularly tough remembering what has been - and can never be again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Charlotte and Ivan, Adrian and Nikki, and Darcy, Caitlin, Reuben and Harriet came over yesterday and stayed overnight, so that we could all be together. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Darcy, Caitlin and Reuben were very aware that today was your birthday. And I know that is something they will now never forget. Harriet, too, when she is a couple of more years older.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The three of them have not forgotten Oma and can recognise you in photographs taken even quite a few years ago.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Darcy has her own special framed photograph of you in her bedroom.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And she packed it in her case herself when she knew she was coming here this weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Others have been thinking of you too on this special day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mary rang twice to say she wanted me to know that you and I were both very much in her thoughts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">'The first one is the worst one,' she said in another context, speaking of her own experience. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sitting here in the quiet of the evening after everyone has gone, I understand what she means.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There were two lovely cards in the post yesterday morning. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Inside one the message was... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'Dear Trevor</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">We're thinking of you especially at this time - the weekend of dear Eileen's birthday.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Our love.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marilyn and Richard xxx'</span></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the other</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">one</span> read<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">... </span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'</span>Trevor</blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Just wanted to let you know I'll be thinking of you and Eileen tomorrow and remembering many Happy Birthdays we sha</span>red.</blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Much love xx</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Christine'</span></blockquote><br />
<div align="center">*****</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You never were very happy with being the centre of attention on your birthday, or a lot of fuss being made of you.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That was especially so this time last year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But let me pick out a birthday memory on a lighter note, which you may well have forgotten about.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was early in our relationship. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do remember I was still living at '72' and so was still 'the boy next door.'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That cold, dark Fifth of December evening, as I left '72' to come to see you, I was aware of music come from just up the road.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was the local Salvation Army and they were making their way down Onslow Gardens, playing carols and knocking on doors with their collection tins.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well it was just a few weeks to Christmas.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, instead of going straight into '74' I walked up and had a chat with the person in charge.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the time they reached the gate of '74' I was already inside and had kissed the birthday girl and wished her 'Happy Birthday'. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When one of the collectors knocked on the door, your mother and father (as if on cue) insisted we went to the front door with them to listen to the carols.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When the band had finished the carol they were playing, the leader called for silence and asked if there was anyone there called 'Eileen'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you said that it was you, they immediately launched into a rousing rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It had already cost me a ten shilling contribution to their collecting tin - a lot of money in those day - but the look on your face was priceless. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You did make me pay for it by playing hard to get for the rest of the evening.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, for half-an-hour at least.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*****</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">You always said, my love, that you hated being born at the dark miserable end of the year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And that if you ever came back to this world, you wanted your birthday to be at the height of summer, when the sky was blue, the sun was warm and there was colour everywhere. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well would that you could - and that your wish would come true.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Because no-one deserves it more - in return for all sunshine, laughter and sparkle you brought to our lives.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">A lot of people have been thinking about you today - and missing you.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Me especially.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">A</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">ll my love</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-91250398571959992842010-11-26T03:48:00.000-08:002010-11-26T03:53:30.495-08:00Change of Plans<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday, 26 November</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Lovely Girl</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As you know, June and Geoff were not able to make it down on the '25th' as they had a lot on in September, including three weddings to attend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">June sent me a lovely letter saying how sorry they had to miss it - and how much she misses being able to chat to you on the phone.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">'Eileen always called me 'Pet' and I think about her every day,' she said.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With her letter June sent me these two lovely photographs... </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gdMzWZVljoL3Bz261xT8RDUjFRPckekhWBvaOlL7uvwrRgUOT39OPhQXulvNz23ttQfodEuRQalra8cfcwNe23lfNRtCYU2XEqRXcIQFnmnOeDBLvbh-uUYqFAnCz4gwsS-vCM1ROf0/s1600/Andrews+Wedding+July+2006+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gdMzWZVljoL3Bz261xT8RDUjFRPckekhWBvaOlL7uvwrRgUOT39OPhQXulvNz23ttQfodEuRQalra8cfcwNe23lfNRtCYU2XEqRXcIQFnmnOeDBLvbh-uUYqFAnCz4gwsS-vCM1ROf0/s400/Andrews+Wedding+July+2006+one.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQok11sMVjFOdiQGDnMXjLrjrDkuA-G4YZY1QdAEUFWWfTBraHPQ0EiACeAp14AypWF6WKyqAK4uvtUDMQSfuTdc2caUAg9lOmA3YEo7PXxDNaPE2PgMw8p_A867G70aamqC3ceruZyc/s1600/Andrew%2527s+Wedding+July+2006+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQok11sMVjFOdiQGDnMXjLrjrDkuA-G4YZY1QdAEUFWWfTBraHPQ0EiACeAp14AypWF6WKyqAK4uvtUDMQSfuTdc2caUAg9lOmA3YEo7PXxDNaPE2PgMw8p_A867G70aamqC3ceruZyc/s400/Andrew%2527s+Wedding+July+2006+two.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were ones June had taken of us together at Andrew's Wedding.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was so good of her to send them particularly as I had not seen them before.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You looked so radiant and happy - as did Nicola and Geoff.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Geoff especially so in his pink tie and waistcoat.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Remember how we ribbed him about that. And, as you teased him, 'You will never be able to live it down when 'Pinkie' hears about it - and I'll make sure she knows!' </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And you did.</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spoke to both of them one evening last week.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">They were off to Australia on Saturday evening. For the 'Ashes' Test Matches naturally.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">They were flying out via Singapore and I wanted to wish them 'Good Luck' for the trip, which lasts over four weeks.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">From Singapore they are flying on to Brisbane; taking in the Great Barrier Reef before heading to Adelaide for the second Test. Then they are spending some days in Sydney (just sightseeing; no cricket) and then on to Perth for the third Test, before flying back and getting home just before Christmas.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in Springtime I had put my name down to go. I thought it would be good for me as something to look forward to - and a way of missing out some of the 'dark days' at the end of the year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, once I learned about Charlotte's pregnancy I just knew I didn't want to be that far away from home for such a long time.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Won't be anywhere near as good at helping out as you would have been. But at least I'm close at hand and 'on call' when they - or Nikki and Adrian - need me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were other reasons as well. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wasn't sure if I am up yet - physically or emotionally - to all the 'moving on', ' living out of a suitcase routine the trip would involve.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More importantly, Australia was something we wanted to do together. New Zealand too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Know that will never be possible now. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I will do them both when I'm ready - and in that freewheeling, 'make it up as you go along' way that you and I enjoyed so much.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">When I do, I know you will be with me all the way.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Do miss you so.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">You are never far away from me - and never ever will be.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love you</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-83442362100336419372010-11-14T10:39:00.000-08:002010-11-14T11:09:27.472-08:00Moments Like These<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 14 November </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Lovely Eileen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's late afternoon on Remembrance Sunday. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The light has all but gone now, on what has been a typical November day - grey, wet and thoroughly miserable. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, this Remembrance Sunday has been so much more emotional. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been impossible not to think back to this same day last year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pretty close to the same time of day too.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We were sitting together on the landing. You in your armchair; me sitting facing you, as close to you as I could get.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We were listening to the radio which was on in the bedroom, behind us. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was Paul O'Grady.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Because of the significance of the day he chose to play a particular record - a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vera Lynn one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Although neither was much aware of the war at time - we were both war 'babies' - we became familiar with this song through our parents.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was, of course, 'We'll meet again.'</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In virtual darkness, we lent in to each other until our foreheads touched, looked into each other's eyes, held hands tightly and, tears streaming down our faces, sang along with the record...</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>'We'll meet again.</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><strong>Don't know where,don't know when.</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>But I know we'll meet again, </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>Some sunny day.</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><strong>Keep smiling through</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><strong>As you always do </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>'Til the blue skies chase those dark clouds</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>Far away.' </strong></span></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And when it was finished, we continued to sit there together like that for a very long time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Neither of us wished to break the moment by moving. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We didn't say anything.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We didn't need to.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We both knew exactly what the other was thinking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The tears said it all.</span><br />
<blockquote><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*****</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, my Love, has been one of the darkest days since you went away.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew it was going to be, because of those memories.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And it has been.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But recalling them, and setting them down here, has helped.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> *****</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Losing you</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was tough.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Knowing I was losing you was tougher.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But knowing you were losing everything was heartbreaking.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And still is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">*****</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memories and photographs are good.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But they are no substitute for the real thing. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nothing is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As the song says, 'We'll meet again some sunny day'. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And we will. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love and miss you so much with every day that passes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yours, for ever</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-87412568514673852972010-11-14T08:09:00.000-08:002010-11-14T09:02:09.074-08:00Record Numbers<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 14 November</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling Eileen</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm sure you will be pleased to learn that Adrian is now a Guinness world record holder.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And here's the certificate he received to prove it...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VfpNW44up5G3YW1IyB1ECVBXLySUhBYtU2XWCD8x6Heu6pOxhIui27q5R6LtUsP5dg8QfWFsSurdrwGVwYCRQhs_2V-CTyxt9_3KBocnqjl6sejqRNKQRhGb_hvffLx42MAy48dKdEo/s1600/WR+Certificate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VfpNW44up5G3YW1IyB1ECVBXLySUhBYtU2XWCD8x6Heu6pOxhIui27q5R6LtUsP5dg8QfWFsSurdrwGVwYCRQhs_2V-CTyxt9_3KBocnqjl6sejqRNKQRhGb_hvffLx42MAy48dKdEo/s400/WR+Certificate.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">His effort, back at the end of July, in pushing a car the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles has now been confirmed as the NEW world record.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAFn3blY4HypzXtc1tJlX-bYh_8Q8ATM9atDxh1mAX5X-NNMid4N2BaWoAVZHq9LT49Yhm02iYK7P3kPflrx3fncoXXuumJUbcCSz4QDbSl9RWIbKSxaAvA-WtXalySAsHZUT4zt1Nqs/s1600/CAR+PUSH+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAFn3blY4HypzXtc1tJlX-bYh_8Q8ATM9atDxh1mAX5X-NNMid4N2BaWoAVZHq9LT49Yhm02iYK7P3kPflrx3fncoXXuumJUbcCSz4QDbSl9RWIbKSxaAvA-WtXalySAsHZUT4zt1Nqs/s400/CAR+PUSH+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's taken a while for Guinness to confirm it as they had to go through all the evidence - the video, all the witness reports etc - but at last they have done it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">He rang me from Heathrow - on his way to Hungary for a PWC seminar in Budapest - as he wanted me to be the first to know.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am sure you will be as delighted with the news, as I was. Particularly as he has raised over £7000 for the two charities.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thanks to their PR efforts he received a lot of publicity before and after the attempt, including being interviewed on local radio the Monday afterwards, before going to work.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One bit of coverage really stood out even if it was a bit OTT.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was in a woman's magazine that wished to approach it more from Nikki's perspective.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7i-k1asqeyDEXjZWPLMY6yi-vI0sjmssM1XHcbNKpSur7Aj3HiOZzMAH5WasgB4NhLHDCI-VIxn-0yQCbTRpCaEAOmk-9WVqbsAaUeBpU-b2c1xGfOElhyEfT0PFT9x8zb2CWHULotI/s1600/WR+-+article.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7i-k1asqeyDEXjZWPLMY6yi-vI0sjmssM1XHcbNKpSur7Aj3HiOZzMAH5WasgB4NhLHDCI-VIxn-0yQCbTRpCaEAOmk-9WVqbsAaUeBpU-b2c1xGfOElhyEfT0PFT9x8zb2CWHULotI/s400/WR+-+article.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I say the writer overdosed a little on the drama and, as you will see, seems to 'do it by numbers'.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Know you love this type of 'PR article'. So just think of Victoria Wood's friend 'Kim-ber-lee' and enjoy. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">'Stood in black cycling shorts and a running T-shirt, my hubby bent his knees, let out a deep sigh and placed his hands against the boot of the lime green Smart car.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Ready?" asked the adjudicator.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Yes," Adrian, 35, nodded.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">As the 50-strong crowd cheered and whooped in the schoolyard, our three-year-old daughter, Darcy, tapped my hand.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Is Daddy really going to push it 26 miles?2 she asked.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Yes, sweetheart," I smiled.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">It was July 2010 and my hubby of four yaers was about to compete in a feat of immense strength, pushing a car 26.2 miles - the length of a marathon.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Fit and active, he'd already competed in two London Marathon's, so wanted to really push himself.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"It had to be something really gruelling," he told me. "I want to raise as much as I can in memory of Mum."</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">His friend Mark, 35, a gym instructor, designed a training programme for him.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">So every week, around his work as a tax advisor, Adrian fitted in 1,600 squats and lunges, a seven mile run, hill-running and pushing a Ford Focus.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">He guzzled mountains of carbs, too!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Now, at St Johns the Baptist Primary School, Adrian was ready to push the car atround the track.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Come on Adrian!" I screamed, as my 15st hubby edged the 740kg (116st) vehicle forward.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">As the hours ticked by, Adrian ate 10 bananas and two meatloaves [<em>malt, actually</em>] and drank a dozen energy drinks and gallons of water.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote> <span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"You did it!' I shouted, beaming.</span></span> </blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">When the clock hit five hours and 45 minutes, the crowd went mad as the adjudicator told Adrian he'd hit the 17.6-mile mark and beaten the (then current) world record.</span></blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">But Adrian gritted his teeth and carried on - and after nine hours and 20 minutes, and 391 laps, he finished.</span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">His sweaty, exhausted body fell into my arms.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"I'm so proud of you," I cried, popping open the champers.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"And your Mum would be, too."</span></blockquote><blockquote> <span style="font-family: Courier New;">In total Adrain raised more than £7000 for the World Cancer Research Fund and The Stroke Association.'</span></blockquote><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thought you would enjoy reading it - even if it erred a little towards the 'purple' end of the spectrum in places.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The crucial thing for Adrian was that he did something special for you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Like all of us, he misses you so much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cannot tell you what a large gap you have left in my life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All my love</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"> </span> </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-35348583065131802582010-10-26T15:23:00.000-07:002010-10-28T03:39:36.977-07:00Extra Cover<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday, 26 October</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling Eileen</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When she came over to our gathering last month on the '25th', Sarah told me a lovely story that she has remembered about your days at Lexicon - one concerning John Lilley.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">First though. let me go back to something John else said about you when he wrote to me the day he heard you had left us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana;">'</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">You don't need me to tell you what a wonderful, caring, thoughtful person Eileen was. You have had a lifetime of experiencing that.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But let me tell you of another side to Eileen you may not know of.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When I went to work at Lexicon - as a temporary scheduler and then in Client Services - I joined a team where Eileen was a Senior Account Manager.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">She was knowledgeable, experienced, very 'bottom-line' aware, approachable, clever and willing to share.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Which was just as well. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Within a few days she had sussed me out.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"Right John," she said to me.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"Client-facing skills? Good.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Translation to production requirements? No problem!</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But you must stop trying to circumvent the system!"</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">There was no point in me denying it.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">For the previous seven years I had been in sales. Hadn't touched a computer in all that time.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Was this the afternoon I went back on the scrap heap?</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Not a bit of it.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Right John! I have cleared my desk and this afternoon we are going to go through the system step-by-step. By close of play you will know the system as well as I do."</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">And I did.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">The real benefit came six months later when I became Production Director.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Without Eileen's tuition I would not have survived, let alone thrived.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Finally, bless her, I went to see her, let her know my feelings and thanks her.</span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">This was two weeks before it went public. As ever she retained the confidence.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">As I've said before about Eileen...totally, reliable.' </span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> *****</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the other story Sarah recalled...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">'One of our colleagues <em>(John, obviously)</em> used to volunteer as a Samaritan.</span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">He often did this during the night. As a result he was sometimes late getting into work.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="background-color: white;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="background-color: white;">One </span>morning Eileen desperately needed to speak to him urgently.</span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">She was getting hassle from a customer and was trying to cover for John.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">As the minutes passed without John appearing at work, she became more and more stressed.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Eventually she picked up the phone and called the Samaritans.</span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Can I speak to John Lilley", she asked when a lady answered.</span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"Are you feeling suicidal? the lady asked Eileen.</span><br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"No, I'm not feeling bloody suicidal. P</span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">ut John Lilley on the phone...NOW!' </span></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's my girl. That's the girl I loved and admired so much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Would love to know what you said to John when he came on the phone. Or, more importantly, when he arrived at work. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bet you made him pay for it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Do miss your passion and determination so much. It never faltered even when you were not well at all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our lives are so much poorer now you are not around.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Will love you</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For Ever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-53015268002011615102010-10-25T15:02:00.000-07:002010-10-25T15:08:12.993-07:00A Pair's Two<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 24 October</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Lovely Eileen</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last week wasn't an easy one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On Tuesday there was only one item of post - a small white envelope. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Inside was a card from Lindsay and Roger, to say that Barbara had died the previous Sunday.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She was 88 and hadn't been well recently, Lindsay said. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I sat in the lounge in the sunshine, the card in my hand, my mind went back to the first time we met Barbara and Ken.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a Friday evening sometimes towards the end of 1977.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the vast majority of people were heading home for the weekend, the small group of us - who were moving to the new 'international' office in the Hague - had been invited, along with our wives, to a 'getting-to-know you' reception in the penthouse suite at Moore House.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ken, I already knew as a colleague, but from within minutes of being introduced to each other, the four of us were chatting away like old friends. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like us, they were excited, if just a mite little apprehensive, about the challenges facing us. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though it wasn't the other side of the world, for the four of us it meant moving away from family and friends and an established way of life. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking back now, we need not have worried. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our stay in Wassenaar - even though it only lasted five years - became something of a high-point in our life together and one we would look back on with pleasure as the years went by.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once settled in our house on Deijlerweg, we and the children took to life there with relish. We loved the Dutch environment and our time 'abroad' gave the two of us and the children a broader perspective we would never ever lose. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a really special time in our lives - and Barbara and Ken had much to do with making it so special. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They became the best of friends. They adopted Charlotte and Adrian as stand-in grandchildren. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They taught us how to play 'Crib' - and we enjoyed many long, hilarious and often raucous 'card' evenings at 'Storm' or '144' playing Crib, Newmarket, Noses, Pontoon, Pit, Yahtzee and Bulls**t.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And if Ken could not be found he was usually upstairs in the Den watching 'Tom and Jerry' with Adrian.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They mixed and melded with our friends and relatives - as we did with theirs - when they came to Holland. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You and Barbara spent many happy hours together: playing tennis and coffee mornings at the British Women's Club; shopping at the Beijenkorf or, more mundanely, at Albert Heijn; as well as swapping ideas and inspirations for your roles as tourist guides when visitors came.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With them, we walked in the Meijendel; enjoyed 'coffee and gebak' in the restaurant there; rode 'op de fiets' to the Whitte Brug to collect the Sunday papers; and discovered delectable 'kleine tong' at the beach restaurant in Katwijk. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All these memories, thoughts and more came flooding back as I drove down to Barbara's Memorial Service last Friday morning.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was the sort of day I know Barbara - and you - loved so much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A sunny crisp morning, high blue skies and the leaves taking on their Autumn colours.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have to say 'goodbye' to someone it was as good day as it could be for doing so.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">*****</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a lovely service.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Inside the Order of Service Barbara's grandchildren - Kate, Jo, Rich, Lizzie and Ellie - had written a lovely tribute to 'Our Nan'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here are just a few of things they said. Things you and I will recognise immediately, remembering Barbara as we do.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></div><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'Think of a lady who is kind, caring, loving and fun, whose first question is always "<em>Hello dear, how are you?",</em> who listens to and is genuinely interested in the answer</span>.</blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'Gramps (Ken) cheating at cards and Nan's (Barbara)response of <em>"Oh Kenneth!"</em>...(and)the tut and raised eyes behind Gramps's back as he made silly comments!'</span> </blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'(On)pouring her a glass of sherry or wine</span>: <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>"Just a small one dear ...Don't you have a larger glass?... Better fill it up then!"</em>'</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I read these lines and others, I could clearly hear Barbara's lovely voice and that soaring chuckling laugh of hers. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">*****</span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the reception afterwards there was a long display of photographs covering Barbara's life. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">One caught my eye, particularly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was obviously taken at a wedding and there is Ken in his tails hamming it up for Barbara, both of them laughing uproariously at their shared enjoyment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">In the middle of the displays were two photograph albums.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">In the 'Holland' one I was taken aback to discover this page of photographs of us enjoying lunch with them at 'Storm' one day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA2d6vY4KfhMZW9DfDkGr2sHgPt0nfu_Nj2r9Xp3098tL7-XRZt-py0O4-bLVXw-MOD5yGraOfc2mVgc8M6OtmxXIX9923cP6Hi9ljmxpP7_1o_t2AhzIv5Gois0U_4oD_CRDvd9E2Mw/s1600/B&K++Lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA2d6vY4KfhMZW9DfDkGr2sHgPt0nfu_Nj2r9Xp3098tL7-XRZt-py0O4-bLVXw-MOD5yGraOfc2mVgc8M6OtmxXIX9923cP6Hi9ljmxpP7_1o_t2AhzIv5Gois0U_4oD_CRDvd9E2Mw/s400/B&K++Lunch.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Gratifying to know that we were as much a part of their memories of Holland as they are of ours.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Haven't been through all my files but did come across these photos, which I thought you would like to see again...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz3ivY-FvBqkaWSx0_EtZiBCIXaINiOIwaem8xel3pNQ_GvOZgbQqd064NK_Ic4fNdhzKB4X8kwkV5MkTMZHdannf40gokXPb1ZqE3q5H9IkBydCB-SMJP1v_U9bZoWMSngakoxaZfNk/s1600/B&K+-+Guiseley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz3ivY-FvBqkaWSx0_EtZiBCIXaINiOIwaem8xel3pNQ_GvOZgbQqd064NK_Ic4fNdhzKB4X8kwkV5MkTMZHdannf40gokXPb1ZqE3q5H9IkBydCB-SMJP1v_U9bZoWMSngakoxaZfNk/s400/B&K+-+Guiseley.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Walking </span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">near the Golf Course, when </span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Barbara </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">and </span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Ken came to visit us in Guiseley.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Several years later we visited them when they had moved to their new house in Crowborough...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDy6WQKfDPdZf21wixa-Msv6jTnl3cGqU1TH-lVaO31f90tmozkVcAkGTBOukakiOhURLOyW3ofpD1AJ9npfvrzcuc2TwplFqbi-GIX54Q4ao4gxBDzCkhS6P_4-gELxxIrftAavUdSSA/s1600/B&K+-+Crowborough+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDy6WQKfDPdZf21wixa-Msv6jTnl3cGqU1TH-lVaO31f90tmozkVcAkGTBOukakiOhURLOyW3ofpD1AJ9npfvrzcuc2TwplFqbi-GIX54Q4ao4gxBDzCkhS6P_4-gELxxIrftAavUdSSA/s400/B&K+-+Crowborough+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzttF7xEioTyLfRcm42LOCRJtriqetzZt0_9f9iopcnX0AqWIEW2tiImTISSa-IYeTnB7cLPLYfrOD2lW2npAYbiLxoePepm3mcgl7u0OcQGKUNZjngNpKV4xxqSSGU_DiJ9kI5x7BCl4/s1600/B&K+-+Crowborough+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzttF7xEioTyLfRcm42LOCRJtriqetzZt0_9f9iopcnX0AqWIEW2tiImTISSa-IYeTnB7cLPLYfrOD2lW2npAYbiLxoePepm3mcgl7u0OcQGKUNZjngNpKV4xxqSSGU_DiJ9kI5x7BCl4/s400/B&K+-+Crowborough+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHPyk5FIWlDMGWZaJMPdhh3AWU_EkE2ufRZQhZBMOg8u7dUsyNR2oiajsyX9t2K_BqI0O6dDaV8AWdeRdeEnifPXeunyf3S1gZDrAfUrGrlVb7S4UmwqvX_2xTccNQKe7NcLT2Zwb5sY/s1600/B&K+-+Crowborough+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHPyk5FIWlDMGWZaJMPdhh3AWU_EkE2ufRZQhZBMOg8u7dUsyNR2oiajsyX9t2K_BqI0O6dDaV8AWdeRdeEnifPXeunyf3S1gZDrAfUrGrlVb7S4UmwqvX_2xTccNQKe7NcLT2Zwb5sY/s400/B&K+-+Crowborough+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*****</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the reception afterwards, I spoke to Lindsay.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She said that when she was going through Barbara's papers a few days earlier, she came across the cards and letters I had sent Barbara in the last two years, telling her about what had happened to you.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As she read them, Lindsay said it brought everything back and how sad they both had been.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, sadly, Barbara has gone too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">*****</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other album on display was the one they had compiled celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This photograph was one of the many taken that day that were in the album...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN-DxrNE7yIXYbRRDUOT18iQ25rcjGG5WPc9ySNXjgfzDV5MX8OUF2gUCmmIjAPNAxjCxtQ9E1hmaD06nHv1CRKSbjNUrT3lHxZfKznUWpqgENdC2ZGMx5hqWbLuTnBaN4O4KcPfbEww/s1600/B&K+-+Golden+Wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN-DxrNE7yIXYbRRDUOT18iQ25rcjGG5WPc9ySNXjgfzDV5MX8OUF2gUCmmIjAPNAxjCxtQ9E1hmaD06nHv1CRKSbjNUrT3lHxZfKznUWpqgENdC2ZGMx5hqWbLuTnBaN4O4KcPfbEww/s400/B&K+-+Golden+Wedding.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once there were four very good friends who shared many happy moments, lots of laughter and a very special relationship.</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now three are gone and the phrase in the title at the top of the page -'Learning to live with Memories' - has taken on even more poignancy.</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At moments like these, I miss you more than I can say.</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love you so much.</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever,</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span> </div><div align="left" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-16158423877989191212010-10-17T11:03:00.000-07:002010-10-17T11:46:46.652-07:00Mother Superior<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 17 October </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Lovely Eileen</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the '25th', Sarah also handed me some notes Lynn had put together, also remembering your time at Lexicon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is what she recalled...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">'Well what can I say about 'Auntie Eileen, as we always called her with affection.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I met Eileen for the first time, when she came for interview at Lexicon.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I was on reception and being so young - I was just 21 then - I was taken aback by her. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">She reminded me of my old head mistress and that made me feel really nervous.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">After she joined Lexicon we became really good frie</span>nds.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">She took me under her wing. She was like a second Mum to me.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I worked very closely with her and she gave me so much of her time and her expertise.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span> <br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">As a result my confidence grew, both at work and in my own life.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">She was second to none!</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When my Dad died when I was just 23, Auntie Eileen was there for me. She was a shoulder to cry on and a really good listener.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"Work can wait" she always said. "There are more important things in life."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">How right she was.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">On a lighter note, Auntie Eileen used to tell us stories about her convent education. And how the nuns used to rule the pupils with an iron rod.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I loved to listen to her stories. Particularly the one about the nuns not allowing the pupils to eat in public on the streets - and what punishment they would get if they were caught.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I always think of Auntie Eileen if we go to the seaside and have fish and chips while walking along the front.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I can hear her saying, "the nuns will </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">get you!"</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Courier New;">I loved Auntie Eileen like a mother and miss her with all my heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Lynn xxx'</span></blockquote><div align="center"></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Lovely Eileen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trust these memories from Sarah and Lynn have made you smile.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember you were in your last few weeks at Manor House when we first met.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You could not wait to get away and out of school uniform.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You were much more in your element once you switched to Hendon Tech.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Playing cards at lunch-time and your short 'pencil-slim' skirts soon revealed the real, fun-loving mischievous you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Those are among the thousands of memories I'll remember. </span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For ever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-1607513008871304162010-10-17T10:33:00.000-07:002010-10-17T10:38:18.925-07:00Enter The Dragon<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, 17 October</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling Eileen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When she came along with Ben on the '25th', Sarah brought me some lovely 'gifts'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A bunch of freshly picked beans from their garden - which were delicious - and some notes recalling the time when you worked together at Lexicon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is what she wrote...</span><br />
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<blockquote>' <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">My memories of Eileen date from the day she arrived at Lexicon.</span></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">At that time, the company was split on two sites. We were in different buildings so I didn't see her much.</span></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I sometimes covered on receptions back then. When I had to put calls through to Eileen, I always thought how rude and abrupt she was. </span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">A real Dragon!</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When the company amalgamated on a new site in Shipley, I was - to my horror - told I would be sitting next to Eileen. </span></blockquote></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">If I am honest, I was terrified of her and really worried she would not be easy to get along with.</span> </blockquote><blockquote>How wrong could I have been! </blockquote><blockquote>Eileen was the warmest, funniest, most encouraging and loveliest woman to know.</blockquote><blockquote>I learned a great deal from her - not just about work but about life.</blockquote><blockquote>Eileen was always there for me. </blockquote><blockquote>I went through some difficult times myself back then. I had an illness that meant I had to take three months off work.</blockquote><blockquote>I took Chinese medicine to help my recovery. It tasted awful and I hated taking it.</blockquote><blockquote>When I came back to work Eileen made this concoction up for me religiously and MADE me take it twice a day.</blockquote><blockquote>She cared enough to do this for me - and I will always be very grateful for that. </blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Even though Eileen and I never met up again after she left Lexicon, we still stayed in touch by letter and by e-mail. </div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Looking back through these, this is one of her e-mails that I found particularly funny...</div></blockquote><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>"This weekend we have been decorating the lounge - and it has been disastrous!</em></span></span></span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Had to paint the ceiling three times 'cos each time we found streaks</span>.</em></span></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em><blockquote><em>I then emulsioned the walls finishing the first pot of matt paint. Started on the second tin.</em></blockquote><em><blockquote><em>Two walls later found it was a tin of silk finish NOT matt!</em></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>So quick trip to Homebase was needed.</em></span></blockquote></em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em></em></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Cali then walked along the window sill which I had just undercoated, leaving a trail of little pussy cat paw marks.</em></span></blockquote></em></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Trevor came home from work last night and, while having a cup of tea, lent against the radiator I had just glossed.</em></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>But today I think has been the bee's knees.</em></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Glossing the skirting board, looked back and there was an army of ants stuck to the paint right along the skirting board."</em></span></blockquote><div align="center"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eileen was a wonderful combination of a Mum and a best friend<em>.</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: left;">That's how I'll remember her - and why I'll always miss her' </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we all will.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thought the 'paint episode' would bring back memories and a smile to your face.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love and miss you so much 'my lovely dragon'.</span> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yours - for ever</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trevor xxx</span></div><div align="left"><em><br />
</em></div></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-35241533023287181562010-10-17T06:05:00.000-07:002010-10-17T06:08:50.797-07:00Dream Maker, You Heart Breaker<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday, 5 October </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Darling Eileen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I mentioned we put up a number of photographs for people to look at when they came on the 25th, for our anniversary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you know, some of these were taken on earlier 'anniversary' trips.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Others were just favourite ones of mine from the past.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought it would be nice to post some of these here, especially for those who could not be with us on the 25th.</span><br />
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I<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> can hear you say</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ing, 'Not too many'; so I promise I won't.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepm1l44P3KUlSvkwDQAuxRJL4TI6QFJYQUxZxHQlKTYra6bHnOvCv1MCrwGaqeSDhJcJgI3yJM30Jm5pCu6LonEBxJhKR4QbPHckhyphenhyphenn6T6T7FAq7EoJownPxEQz4lWN6oUUUphvLRpno/s1600/Portrait+%23+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepm1l44P3KUlSvkwDQAuxRJL4TI6QFJYQUxZxHQlKTYra6bHnOvCv1MCrwGaqeSDhJcJgI3yJM30Jm5pCu6LonEBxJhKR4QbPHckhyphenhyphenn6T6T7FAq7EoJownPxEQz4lWN6oUUUphvLRpno/s400/Portrait+%23+001.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESdYqO9AMA-STQ94LQGy6nrdSqSSVPzqQIP7N_63N2nq-SpqzW4FJgyZ_bJ0BE7Pp6DQYIshtc20L_mzhxT4NTSPiOTjuSDDPI50HmQrb1T5ZhI042CzfwHEq4-9x8o8agIkN-MwF_ps/s1600/Girl+in+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESdYqO9AMA-STQ94LQGy6nrdSqSSVPzqQIP7N_63N2nq-SpqzW4FJgyZ_bJ0BE7Pp6DQYIshtc20L_mzhxT4NTSPiOTjuSDDPI50HmQrb1T5ZhI042CzfwHEq4-9x8o8agIkN-MwF_ps/s1600/Girl+in+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Majorca 1973</span></div><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESdYqO9AMA-STQ94LQGy6nrdSqSSVPzqQIP7N_63N2nq-SpqzW4FJgyZ_bJ0BE7Pp6DQYIshtc20L_mzhxT4NTSPiOTjuSDDPI50HmQrb1T5ZhI042CzfwHEq4-9x8o8agIkN-MwF_ps/s1600/Girl+in+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESdYqO9AMA-STQ94LQGy6nrdSqSSVPzqQIP7N_63N2nq-SpqzW4FJgyZ_bJ0BE7Pp6DQYIshtc20L_mzhxT4NTSPiOTjuSDDPI50HmQrb1T5ZhI042CzfwHEq4-9x8o8agIkN-MwF_ps/s400/Girl+in+Blue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">London 1977</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiramGxgZ613ND1foBDCz0CvJUirrBwsY-fz44-BnY1NY2t6Jlk36KYuwSVKln24PAp_rpbMLrv0YHjv4SY0wsxWm19cSrX7-dngRkSezw7GvkZF2w85R-12d98BhKjQ2ZZ3Ql2BerWJZ4/s1600/Mull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiramGxgZ613ND1foBDCz0CvJUirrBwsY-fz44-BnY1NY2t6Jlk36KYuwSVKln24PAp_rpbMLrv0YHjv4SY0wsxWm19cSrX7-dngRkSezw7GvkZF2w85R-12d98BhKjQ2ZZ3Ql2BerWJZ4/s400/Mull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Mull 1984</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiLQbk2PLXCyNuATwza_xnL5UjdGtbSsdOAIv4QS7e3IQAMdJZKBq3EMmQEq29wyLDg9LTmPknZNsZI-D54io_Mk7Y4FNLNW9Mmz72T2pGuhopDiVm2jkXPh7Ar0EvnDh3uDqe_B-3zg/s1600/Silver+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiLQbk2PLXCyNuATwza_xnL5UjdGtbSsdOAIv4QS7e3IQAMdJZKBq3EMmQEq29wyLDg9LTmPknZNsZI-D54io_Mk7Y4FNLNW9Mmz72T2pGuhopDiVm2jkXPh7Ar0EvnDh3uDqe_B-3zg/s400/Silver+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Paris 1990</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YNNox4QZhzPZlIKDNm5QrHHMEAz6tNhAbLLreeb4QzIkHlc2FyoeVaASofz0KwjbSfUMAq-ObPELjk3D_-kgQOqzZ5pLLqtQB0HPReZJlvsH7YBLhKYY4go_MJyuVB-1brUCcTKUYlE/s1600/Menorca+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YNNox4QZhzPZlIKDNm5QrHHMEAz6tNhAbLLreeb4QzIkHlc2FyoeVaASofz0KwjbSfUMAq-ObPELjk3D_-kgQOqzZ5pLLqtQB0HPReZJlvsH7YBLhKYY4go_MJyuVB-1brUCcTKUYlE/s400/Menorca+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Menorca 1995</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiF8hSGuvi8Tuw2yIH1Mj5dwFFWIs_kKpOJy1PqnTtqXSIxO6obCbhm42qzRrsGbqcW0Ipi2ZJJ1OrC205W822YcFt5uGUJVC3aIvz74aujVpj_EuteuHQmpw31shvGcN2ZZW2TkunvQ/s1600/L1000001+copyq+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiF8hSGuvi8Tuw2yIH1Mj5dwFFWIs_kKpOJy1PqnTtqXSIxO6obCbhm42qzRrsGbqcW0Ipi2ZJJ1OrC205W822YcFt5uGUJVC3aIvz74aujVpj_EuteuHQmpw31shvGcN2ZZW2TkunvQ/s400/L1000001+copyq+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Billericay 2004</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxc6_AjEXucBssV7sGhNaw4ToZhcIomEVJRHgbJzikphgK1ORk3rg9woHm2MgXb4V7XbwEgNGR-Eacv0tY29rYd18JcyBfPSgxTeeDQw92fCmmYZX3y2P66yx8dJf0eKtzBOvx8y4Cuw/s1600/L1000093+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxc6_AjEXucBssV7sGhNaw4ToZhcIomEVJRHgbJzikphgK1ORk3rg9woHm2MgXb4V7XbwEgNGR-Eacv0tY29rYd18JcyBfPSgxTeeDQw92fCmmYZX3y2P66yx8dJf0eKtzBOvx8y4Cuw/s400/L1000093+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Brugge 2004</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5tVsIVAP-XjVGT7RqUef38PwNTmijNdbb61V-auhIxEtPLCr75wh4pY2BsKDpjVITSFNjDyAd6cKhN77730w0A-8GgX6VxYWlGEapo0uZSLtekojR-Ct3csS-4653W9j0OEM0Px4FDs/s1600/IMG_4744+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5tVsIVAP-XjVGT7RqUef38PwNTmijNdbb61V-auhIxEtPLCr75wh4pY2BsKDpjVITSFNjDyAd6cKhN77730w0A-8GgX6VxYWlGEapo0uZSLtekojR-Ct3csS-4653W9j0OEM0Px4FDs/s400/IMG_4744+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Vancouver 2005</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr0BmuHmxmp5cdh8_IsPbsXKhX9jjn_7G-QNuG5-dqA6De7kgIoNLfyh9yOjKOWlxIGd70-13n3hh5ssl3P_nJz6pppmIKiuGz5fvT1GItMWr3_G_aLxQ7N8oXafJsLQmJPqyZvXJKW0/s1600/IMG_4590+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr0BmuHmxmp5cdh8_IsPbsXKhX9jjn_7G-QNuG5-dqA6De7kgIoNLfyh9yOjKOWlxIGd70-13n3hh5ssl3P_nJz6pppmIKiuGz5fvT1GItMWr3_G_aLxQ7N8oXafJsLQmJPqyZvXJKW0/s400/IMG_4590+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Vancouver 2005 </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95vK_6NC6g5d-etql-T-PRDOjGuEyrqFeqQCrolmn9Ga7kQPWNXfzUR0wA2_L1DJePKTdY69_vUnmea7-sigGyIbfkDYoUlOvmQb0x7tWFKM5_jxliAAR9DwVBT33J73uWOm_A9lID0c/s1600/IMG_6666+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95vK_6NC6g5d-etql-T-PRDOjGuEyrqFeqQCrolmn9Ga7kQPWNXfzUR0wA2_L1DJePKTdY69_vUnmea7-sigGyIbfkDYoUlOvmQb0x7tWFKM5_jxliAAR9DwVBT33J73uWOm_A9lID0c/s400/IMG_6666+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Etretat 2007</span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's it - except for another lovely 'coincidence'...</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I've been picking out these images I have been listened to a Canadian internet radio station (Jazz.FM91) in the background.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's my type of music and great - if you make allowances for the fact they are 5 hours behind us and the traffic bulletins all relate to Toronto.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And guess what has just been playing? </span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A rather lovely version of the theme from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We saw it during our first months together - and have loved it ever since. </span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although I seem to remember you did get very upset at the scene near the end, where she stopped the taxi and shoved the poor cat out in the pouring rain.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, she did go back to find it...</span></div><div align="left"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Moon River, wider than a mile, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I'm crossing you in style some day. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">wherever you're going I'm going your way. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Two drifters off to see the world. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">There's such a lot of world to see. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">We're after the same rainbow's end-- </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">waiting 'round the bend, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">my huckleberry friend, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Moon River and me.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, we were 'two drifters' and we did see the world together - some of it, at least, if not all of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More would have been so good - but it wasn't to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, my lovely, lovely huckleberry friend, if you have found your own rainbow's end please wait for me there - just 'round the bend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For ever</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-19832143290642836452010-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:002010-10-07T12:08:41.675-07:00Embraceable You<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thursday, 7 October</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Darling Eileen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I got a little 'spooked' this morning.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After breakfast, I began taking down the pictures from the photo wall we had created for the 25th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was comforting to have had them around me since then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But I felt it was time now to think about putting them somewhere more private, such as in an album. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had used little dots of adhesive on the backs to help them stay up. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I took each print off the wall, I had to lay it face down on the table, to remove the little bits of adhesive on the back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was slow going. I was being exceedingly careful, as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I didn't want to crease or damage the photographs while removing the adhesive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some music would be nice, I thought to myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nothing on the radio suited my mood, so I picked out a CD of quiet reflective piano music and pressed the button to release the tray.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As it came out, I hesitated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There was a CD already in the tray.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was a Rod Stewart 'Great American Song Book' album.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of yours. One you liked so much. O</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">ne of several we would have playing in the evenings, while we ate and talked.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I guess it must have been in the machine ever since the last time we ate in there together. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am not ready to eat in there yet. At least not on my own.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's easier when there's family here. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I wasn't ready for the Rod Stewart either, just yet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I put the CD back in its case and got on with removing spots of adhesive.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Even though I was really careful taking them off the wall, I could not help pulling off tiny bits of emulsion paint here and there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">They're not too noticeable. Nothing that a skim of filler and some new paint won't hide.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have been thinking of doing some decorating come Springtime anyway.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nothing too radical, I promise. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I just need to freshen things up. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And it will keep me busy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I've been writing this, there's some Gershwin playing in the background. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The track just finished was 'Our Love is Here To Stay'</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And now it's 'Embraceable You'.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What could be more appropriate? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love you so much,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For Ever</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-82619086582572655912010-10-05T09:52:00.000-07:002010-10-05T09:52:54.884-07:00Among Friends<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Darling Girl</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 25th September wasn't an easy day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the first time</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in forty-five years, we were not together to celebrate our wedding anniversary.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But it was easier than it might have been.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had made it an 'Open House' that afternoon, so I was soon surrounded by family and friends.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had ordered the food and wine from Waitrose and Charlotte, Nikki, Adrian Ivan came over late morning to help me lay it out and prepare the bits that needed warming up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As it was 'our day' we were remembering, there were photographs from over the years - in the hall, the dining room and on the stairs.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkSvdtpQKay1t69apwQXNUtBsq75TZ1BOZ3cLGWGt7Xai9zLt7TyBHKJ0CJMyKA3rseqtUGsnc0ZVq0ZHCmUBkF8nVOgiQKIyUcs-BDrJPEFB4yhg340YUNZYk5R_NSRLnXrPrL7i1r8/s1600/Photowall+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkSvdtpQKay1t69apwQXNUtBsq75TZ1BOZ3cLGWGt7Xai9zLt7TyBHKJ0CJMyKA3rseqtUGsnc0ZVq0ZHCmUBkF8nVOgiQKIyUcs-BDrJPEFB4yhg340YUNZYk5R_NSRLnXrPrL7i1r8/s400/Photowall+4.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BC3fQztSZcA7CLSt2CgyvtThdDtEE8L1Dn4Ws5mLAEEXOV1hvtVDIZn0EJlMLGa_e9GFPgAGtw9_kmfTeAXAclnV53DFN2RsQQHTZkiY3Vlcp8rdGkS2ci_BPrdiB-ZkrwWOQtTXedY/s1600/Photowall+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BC3fQztSZcA7CLSt2CgyvtThdDtEE8L1Dn4Ws5mLAEEXOV1hvtVDIZn0EJlMLGa_e9GFPgAGtw9_kmfTeAXAclnV53DFN2RsQQHTZkiY3Vlcp8rdGkS2ci_BPrdiB-ZkrwWOQtTXedY/s400/Photowall+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Claudia, Andy and Chloe dropped in, followed later by Alex and Jane. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marilyn and Richard were here, of course, as were Pat and Fred.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jill and Trevor popped across also.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sarah and Ben came all the way up from Charlton to be with us, because of what you meant to her. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sarah had some more memories and stories for me, from when you worked together at Lexicon. I'll save these for another time. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Carol and Phyllis made it also. On the way down they had dropped Liam off at Uni in Nottingham for his first year there.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some could not make it because of holiday or other arrangements. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Maggi and Peter were on holiday; Kathy and Paddy too.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">June and Geoff had something else on; as had Sue and Andy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was a long way for Christine and Mary to come but, like everyone else, they sent their good wishes and said we would be in their thoughts.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Towards the end of the afternoon, we opened a large bottle of your favourite pink 'fizzy' stuff, and those who were still here raised their glasses in your memory.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">On such a day it was good to be among so many close friends.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Even so, it's still unbearable to think I'll never see you walk into a room again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or see that lovely smile; o</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">r hear your laugh.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or hold you close - ever again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do miss you so, so much my lovely one.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Will love you, for ever,</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor xxx</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-55424953747453663212010-09-25T01:53:00.000-07:002010-09-25T02:00:27.987-07:00Lucky Boy<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday, 25 September 2010</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Darling E</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was a quiet and laid-back morning that Saturday, forty-five years ago today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had stayed at Maggi's overnight and slept very well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">No nerves at all, considering we were getting married at one o'clock that afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My 'tails' and top hat were there ready, hanging behind the bedroom door. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I read Claudia a couple of stories, then shaved and showered before going down to breakfast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Later in the morning, I popped up to Barnet to send 'that' telegram.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At mid-day I dressed and was driven to the church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As one o'clock approached, I took up my position in the front pew, my best man, Leslie beside me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A few minutes later, my mother, sitting in the pew behind, reached forward tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, 'Eileen's arrived.'</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGSPBcH7PaHJcI9NXKbpo2qXnxB3hUVqX-nnsAv_P_mWxvhbpcI352NZKVr8pCpHYlf5uHntofo_Yc1n9fJR486o2eaitWMxQZn-sTXPUrPyjMcjtIeQhyphenhyphenAa2xzAE51V_X6HghLX5Tdk/s1600/Wedding+Day+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGSPBcH7PaHJcI9NXKbpo2qXnxB3hUVqX-nnsAv_P_mWxvhbpcI352NZKVr8pCpHYlf5uHntofo_Yc1n9fJR486o2eaitWMxQZn-sTXPUrPyjMcjtIeQhyphenhyphenAa2xzAE51V_X6HghLX5Tdk/s400/Wedding+Day+4.jpg" width="285" /></a></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctXJXO5QoGZ15ATMXOWRlfzJQRKsis0HnpBPMiSnGuGZNXA5DVhmybb4lbJwHxZdD5WwtXZ5QbCJDSkoo9kalB94scRRxtru6iqUNMaDoMWfJwbZeXDoLGfl_NZx2t1Edhc5AK-nQT7o/s1600/Wedding+Day+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctXJXO5QoGZ15ATMXOWRlfzJQRKsis0HnpBPMiSnGuGZNXA5DVhmybb4lbJwHxZdD5WwtXZ5QbCJDSkoo9kalB94scRRxtru6iqUNMaDoMWfJwbZeXDoLGfl_NZx2t1Edhc5AK-nQT7o/s400/Wedding+Day+3.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I knew you were in the church and getting ready for the walk up that long aisle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn't look around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted my first sight of you in your wedding dress to be really special.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Again my mother tapped me on the shoulder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">'You're a very lucky boy,' she said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Just then the organ started. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This time I did look around.</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">What I saw took my breath away.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">You looked so beautiful and so radiant. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The nearer you came up the aisle, the more your eyes locked on mine, as mine did on yours. </span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The smile on your face mirrored the one on mine.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Those smiles and the those looks said what we both realised since the moment we met.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We were meant for each other. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">*****</div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">That was then. This is now.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's our forty-fifth wedding anniversary today. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And, for the first time ever, we will not be together to celebrate it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But let's not be sad; let's be glad we shared the years we did. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The fun, the laughter, the ups and downs, the highs and the odd tear - particularly at the end. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Over the years, I have never forgotten what my mother said to me on my wedding day, as I waited for you to walk up the aisle to be by my side. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or how right she was.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lucky to met you the way I did. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lucky we realised instantly there was something there between us.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And lucky we were able to work so hard together to turn it into something really special.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We meant everything to each other. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Husband and wife obviously. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But so much more than that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">F</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">riends, soul-mates, partners in everything we did. Trusted confidants for all our secret thoughts, ambitions, fears and pleasures.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You were such a part of my life. How could I not miss you now the way I do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As the song - 'our' song - says:</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>When I fall in love </strong></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>It will be forever,</strong></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>Or I'll never fall</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>In love.</strong> </span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, we </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">did fall in love all those years ago.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And it will be forever, my lovely girl.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Do love you so.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For Ever</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013140916487853362.post-79643073415286707092010-09-24T15:01:00.000-07:002010-09-25T01:57:12.578-07:00A Little Detour...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">24 September 2010</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My Lovely Girl</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's late on a dull and windy Friday afternoon. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Looking through the television listings for tonight I spotted something that took my mind racing back to another Friday afternoon. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One exactly 45 years ago today - almost to the minute.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Back then, on that long-ago Friday, you and I were busy with final preparations for our wedding the following day. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Everything was pretty well under control - for the wedding and our honeymoon abroad. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wedding dress and outfits ready, car and flowers ordered, suitcases packed, travellers cheques and foreign currency bought, and your 'new' passport with the registrar, ready for handing over after the ceremony. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All the last minute things were nicely in place. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Or so it seemed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">W and P were bringing my mother over with them. They had said they would be with us in Muswell Hill around three to three-thirty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All I had to do then was follow W and P up to town, get them checked into their hotel, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">and then run W round to Moss Bros to pick up his suit.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After that, it was back to your place to pick up my mother and take her down to Chislehurst, where she was staying with B and T. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then it was back to Barnet where I was to spend the night.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">No chance of seeing my lovely bride-to-be until we met at the alter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Neither of us would ever forgot that afternoon.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Three o'clock came and went. As did three-thirty. Then four o'clock.. and four thirty. It was fast approaching five when they eventually turned up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Knowing that Moss Bros closed at six, I raced W and P up to town and got there just as they were shutting the doors. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the way driving down to Chislehurst, I quietly queried my mother on why they were so late arriving. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Was it traffic or a breakdown? Or did they get lost somewhere?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It turned out to be none of these things.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the way down they had seen signs for the then, newly-opened Coventry Cathedral and just thought it would be nice to go and see it as they were passing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By then it was dark. She never got to see the reaction on my face. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well, as you know, I got her to Chislehurst and made my way back to Barnet, much later than expected.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Still, everything turned out fine the next day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And the programme tonight?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's called 'Climbing Great Buildings'. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It involves someone climbing the outside of well-known buildings and talking about their architecture.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tonight it features - you've guessed it - Coventry Cathedral.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I doubt it's something we would have watched together. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I won't either.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Too many memories to think about tonight, from the last wonderful forty-five years. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Miss you so, my love.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yours, for ever.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trevor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">xxx</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com