Village

This is our village between showers taken from our back bedroom and our vantage point up on the hill. We attended two village funerals today. The first in the parish church was of one of our neighbours, a village elder, a generous, knowledgeable gentleman, a respected teacher who owned a small holding at the end of our street and, before he became too infirm, a small herd of pedigree Charolais cattle. When we first moved onto our street, some 30+ years ago, P was one of the first people to welcome us . He was still teaching then and would sometimes bring his more challenging students up to work on his small holding. You wouldn't be allowed to do that these days but the kids loved it. P would knock on the door when he had extra eggs or just pass the time of day or chew over the state of education or politics. His presence on the street and in the village will be missed.

The second funeral was an emotionally charged hour. R was a contemporary and classmate of our eldest daughter Becky so just thirty years old. Can it be any tougher on parents to lose a child? This service was held in the Congregational Church so many villagers crossed from one church to the other. I do not have a religious faith but I have a great respect for those who do and for Robert who led the service. He is a powerful speaker, sincere and humorous. He spoke very well and had obviously spent time with the family to ensure that the tone of the service was right. Emotions and grief were raw but there were also moments to smile and to share R's life with the family. A tough day.