Passing of a friend

It has taken me a little while to get it together to submit this blip as on this day we lost a great friend.

We met up with friends Dick and Carol who had driven over from Inverness for lunch in Applecross on the west coast and afterwards had a short walk on the coast down to a coral beach opposite the isle of Raasay. On the way back along the footpath from the beach Dick suddenly collapsed and died of a sudden heart attack. We called the emergency services and kept at CPR for over an hour but despite all our efforts and those of a passing nurse and the local services he didn't respond at all. The emergency services were rather slow to respond but we were in quite a remote region. The local doctor with some helpful lifeboat first aiders were the first to arrive after about 40 mins and then we were joined by an ambulance crew and Police from Skye, the air ambulance from Inverness and lastly the Mountain Rescue team from Torridon to carry poor Dick back the kilometre to the road. Everybody did all that they could but to no avail.

For Dick the end was sudden and completely without warning. I like to think he wouldn't have had it any other way - it was just a good deal too soon. We had been discussing plans for dinghy sailing in the summer and alpine skiing for the winter only minutes beforehand. For us it was a bolt from the blue on a lovely west coast evening that has left us reeling. He was literally there one minute and gone the next, right by our side without a glimmer of complaint. 

At least I hope that in time the shock should fade and the long history of cheerful memories will remain. Dick will be sorely missed.