JFK moment

Because I was only 6 I'm not sure I really remember the "JFK moment" rather than remembering what I've picked up since

But because I was 9 and at school when it happened I do remember Aberfan.  I grew up in Fife and my minds-eye picture of coal waste looked like this!! dirty but non-threatening.

So the thought of the spoil heaps in Wales big enough to kill so many was so alien a concept in my young life.  Coupled with the fact that my grandad had died that summer - but he was old (69!) so that was OK in my mind but 9 year olds don't die - that was a difficult thought to process.

Somewhere in my mind I remember taking 6d (2.5p) for a collection after the half-term break...I was questioning that because that means the school only raised about £10 but then the BBC announcer today talked about Coventry sending £4000 as a city collection so may be I'm not mistaken.

The live concert of this is here (all announcements are in Welsh) - it's moving (although I'm a little ambivalent about Karl Jenkins' works - a curate's egg for me)

Busy weekend after Daisy's death yesterday - Graham had just finished emptying out her flat 2 hours before it happened so he had gone home to clean himself up and he didn't make it in time - which adds to me thinking how awful it was for all those parents who never got to say goodbye to their children that morning 50 years ago today