Another One of the Gang is Gone

 Another of our much-loved 'Gang of Eight' has left us.

Sue may have had many skills and loves, but one thing is for sure, she could talk the hind legs of several donkeys at the same time. (Hmm, it’ll be interesting to see how that translates.) This propensity for chatter made it even an even more cruel blow that her long illness first chose to steal her voice, a long year before it stole her life.

There are many phrases used in this kind of situation, ranging from 'blessed relief' to 'a life well lived'. I’d just like to add how bloody awful it is to lose another one of us.

We’ve been close for a long time, our Gang. 

(Note: I wasn't in the photo because I took it, and Roger wasn't there because he was working. Again.)

Here’s a list of random memories in no particular order:

• When she redecorated the front of her house with a Mongolian meal after a heavy night out.
• Although, as noted above, she did used to chatter a lot, much of what she said used the phrase 'To be honest' repeatedly.
• Any answer to a question would entail a very long trail of vaguely related subjects before finally (with a gentle reminder from Tony) getting to the point. If she could remember what the point was...
• Although she would dance non-stop to Gangnam Style, it seems that she most loved doing the dusting to Phantom of the Opera.
• Her ability to eat was world renowned. Her highlight was demolishing an entire 'Death by Chocolate' after already having gorged on a large meal. We could only look on in admiration.
• When she visited us over here in the south of France, her greatest delight was searching for duck eggs. Her face would shine when she found one.

Er, that may not be from a duck Sue...

In her memory, we’ve added yet another statue to our garden. The obvious choice:

I’ve revisited a video I made a year or so ago, so as to include Sue. This is a video you really don't want to be in.

I, too, have recently had a close encounter of the terminal kind. This has led my ever-loving wife to urge me to get into print all the details of things she would need to know and do if I ‘ended up in hospital’ (a metaphor for shuffling off my mortal coil - erm, another tricky translation). I guess that now has to include how to edit videos so as to get my ugly mug into it.

There were happier times. Many of them. This video is a compilation of the last couple of times we were all together…

It's gutting that we shall once more not be able to attend a funeral of one we love. There's only one thing for it, and it's called Penderyn...

Sue, to be honest, you will be sorely missed...