I came home from Poland to a few days of lovely weather, which even saw me having breakfast in the garden one morning. The clouds are back now but I just made it to the cliff tops at Seaham in time to catch a few wild orchids to add to Jude’s collection of Wildflowers.
Christine and Stuart, happy on their holidays
Like many of you, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach, reading Stuart’s brave post this morning. His lovely wife, Christine, ended their 45 years together in his arms. Tears are not far away but I need to write this post. Losing a friend is terrible, but losing a partner, thankfully, is unimaginable till it happens to you.
I know that Christine would want us to celebrate her life, and I’m doing that in the only way I know how. This morning I took a walk in our English countryside, with Christine looking over my shoulder. So often she has done just that, here on my blog. She loved the beauty of nature.
The sheep were indulging their usual antics
And against a garden wall, the sweet peas were climbing
I followed the footpath out of the village
And down the lane, peering in the hedgerows
For little beauties such as this
And this
And gossamer drifts, like these
The elder flowers have been prolific this year
There’s a farmyard smell or two
And it’s not always pretty when you look over the farmer’s wall
But there’s beauty enough if you look for it
And, like Christine, I always do
The insects always seem to find it, too
It comes in all shapes and sizes
And is not always so easy to capture
However could I have imagined, when I woke up this morning, that I’d be writing this post? Was it only Monday we last exchanged greetings and she left me a link to Glastonbury Tor? I can only be thankful for her friendship, and regret that we missed each other by just a day on her recent holiday. I’m so glad that she had that happy time.
Such a wealth of memories Stuart has to look back on. I know him very little, and of his drawings, only through Christine. But what a thoughtful and amazing partner to have said goodbye, on her behalf, as he did this morning. My thoughts are with him and the family she so loved. She was a warm and caring person, who touched my life and that of many others. Whenever I take this English walk now, I know who I’ll be thinking of.
Just one last English rose, for Christine
