Saying Goodbye to Nigel

It's been one of those strange days full of deep sadness punctuated with laughter and story telling and renewing old friendships.  Today it was the funeral of our friend Nigel, taken too soon by two dreadful conditions.

Nigel became our friend back in the seventies at teacher training college.  He and Tony were two of the christened 'Mounties' who arrived to do Outdoor Education.  They were soon humping kayaks about the place, abseiling from the Student Union building and leaving giant rucksacks wherever they went.  Nigel has always been a great caver and it was wonderful that members of his caving club arrived today in all their caving gear to form a guard of honour at the Crematorium.   There was standing room only inside, a testament to how highly he was respected in the many walks of his life.

Afterwards we drove to Nigel's home village in the Hope Valley (my blip) in the Peak District to gather and share stories and memories.  It was lovely to re connect with Rob, another Mountie and we exchanged contact details and promises to visit.  Rob had a great story, never before heard, of how he and Nigel climbed the old water tower on the College campus.  (Our College had previously been an RAF base.)  It was the night before the College was due to close for good in the rationalisation that happened at the end of the seventies, and the two headed out at midnight with the plan to climb the tower, spray paint 'The Mounties were here!' on it, take photos of themselves mooning and abseil down!  However, they reached the top of the very rusted ladder on the very rusted tower and were too terrified to step off, so they climbed back down!!

Sleep well Nigel xx