The day of Helen's funeral

It has been a very sad day for us. My old friend Ian came down from London to join us for the car journey to Milverton in Somerset. As I have told before, our wonderful friend Helen died in January after a short illness and we went to celebrate with her two sons and all her countless friends who gathered in the local church to share the goodness of her life, and the sadness of her departing. She chose exactly what would happen in the church, the gathering for tea in the village hall and the party that was to follow at their house.

We had to return to Stroud before the party, but I don't think I would have coped if we had stayed. At the gathering I met many mutual friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a very long time. Hopefully we will keep in contact with some of them, and we will definitely return to see Oscar and Barnaby and their dad, Darren, who will look after them.

We had just enough time after we got home early in the evening to refresh ourselves before going to Kitty's big birthday party, where she laid on a magnificent three course dinner for a group of her friends, old and new. I was tired and emotionally drained but I managed to have a good time and to talk with fellow guests and even have some laughs.

These flowers were removed from the dining table before we started our meal. Before the dessert course, I moved a candle from the dining table to the small side table where the flowers were seated, and thought of Helen as I took this picture. She will be with us for as long as we remember her bright shining infectious spirit, which captivated all who knew her.

Woodpeckers has written a haiku for Helen which you can read here.