After the funeral but still dressed up

The boys in the family rented black suits for the funeral

Adam in his 

Chloe and Adam resting

Rosie in her black dress and Charles in his suit

Charlie

Rachel

Funeral

Shay's funeral was on Wednesday. It was a fitting sendoff for a wonderful man. The little stone church at the end of Binsey Lane was full to bursting with friends and family and many more were standing outside under umbrellas. It rained on and off, mostly on, for all the day. Had the day been fine, my plan was to park at the farm and walk down Binsey Lane to the church but I had to abandon that idea. Rachel had warned me to arrive early if I wanted to be inside and in a seat for the service. She was right. The service itself was simple and appropriate. Rachel and Charlie each read a poem and one of Shay's old friends delivered the eulogy, a beautiful tribute to this much loved man. Then we went out to the churchyard for the burial. Shay's wife, Barbara, died 14 years ago and was buried in the churchyard and now Shay rests beside her. I was doing fine until they lowered the coffin and then I lost it. He had a very good life and a good end to that life but it is the end of an era. We stood in the rain under our umbrellas and cried and then we went back to the farm to celebrate his life.

Shay's funeral

Yesterday was the funeral.

Easter

Rachel did Easter lunch for all seven of us. I say seven because, of course, Shay wasn't there. I sat in the place at the table where he always sits. It was very sad. I know that he was an old man (89) and it was better that he not linger in a vegetative state, blah, blah, blah. But he was a wonderful man and we will miss him; I will miss him. Being at the farm and knowing that he will not come out the door with a cheerful greeting, Millie coming along behind limping a bit and trying to wag her tail, leaves an empty feeling that is not going to go away any time soon. And what about his bicycle? One of the iconic sights of Binsey was Shay cycling along with Millie running behind. The funeral is next week, 18th at the little ancient stone church at the end of Binsey Lane. He will be buried in the churchyard beside Barbara.  

I passed

Got home from Ikea this afternoon to find the passport had arrived. The lady who interviewed me on Wednesday must have rushed out of the room when I left and said, "We gotta have her, we gotta have her." Anyway, here it is and I am mucho pleased.

Luton

I had my passport interview on Wednesday. Did it take place in Oxford or London? Of course not. I had to drive to Luton. Getting to the outskirts was no problem. Driving inside the town was a nightmare. I had given myself plenty of time and I needed it to find the car park and from there to find the building. The purpose of the interview is to make sure you are who you say you are. I was expecting questions about my parents and I had carefully memorized their dates. She also wanted to know where I did my shopping and what kind of house I live in. I told her Waitrose was my corner shop and I live in an 18th century stone cottage. That shut her up. The only thing I might have got wrong is my signature. I have been practicing the new one but I couldn't remember exactly how I wrote it on the application form. I should hear pretty soon whether I passed. At least I now have my Canadian passport back so I can travel on a whim if I want to.

Terrible Tuesdays

I know it is a long time since I have posted. Apologies but I have been busy being a citizen.

The title of this post refers to the fact that on Tuesdays I go to Weight Watchers and Staying Well After Depression. WW is at mid day and SW at 6PM. This means that I have lunch with fat people and supper with depressed people. The good thing about WW is that I have lost 13lbs. The good thing about SW is that I have learned to breathe and stay in the moment (whatever that means). SW finishes tonight and I won't miss it. WW goes on until I have lost 20lbs. total. I have also been going to the gym three times a week plus walking and I feel a lot better. The good weather has arrived. Lots of sun and warmth. Of course the downside of that is a hosepipe ban coming into effect next week. I will have to soak the hell out of the garden before it starts.

JF and Daniel are arriving this weekend and we are having a little party celebration of the citizenship (I'm milking this one for all it's worth) on Monday evening. It will be great to see them. I go to Luton tomorrow for my passport interview.