Bye Jimmy

Just got back from a wonderful day and night spent in this place, deep in Wales and surrounded by sheep and hills.

Pros: Every tree-type imaginable for this part; every bird species including Cuckoo and Red Kite; a haunted house right next door; more sheep than I have the energy to introduce myself to; a clear stream running in a ravine below; youthful company in the form of a birthday boy and associates.

Cons: Not only coming back, but getting caught up in traffic right outside an undertaker as a friend in a coffin gets put into the back of a hearse ready for his send-off which we have come back to be witness to. Well I didn't come back for it but The Daughter and Husband did,

Was that Jimmy the drummer in that box that we just happened to stop right next to? Surely not. Turns out it was. How strange that we stop in stagnant traffic beside Dolmans as they push his flower-covered casket in and out, three feet next to us, trying to get it in the best way.

This is the third partner that has died far too soon on my young friend. They told him that there was a 1% chance of getting leukaemia if he took that drug for a heart condition, and he turned out to be in that 1% bracket.

I have known her since she was a kid and her parents were next door neighbours at one point. Her and Daughter have been mates since childhood. She has two children of her own now.

Some people have all the bad luck,