After a day of low key retail therapy, shopping for knickers and a bikini for Josie, we were all looking forward to a pleasant early evening picnic up on the hill just along from the Dower House in Stapleton.
We were expecting to watch the balloons launching from Ashton Court, and the weather was beautiful, bright and sunny with nice cooling breeze. So with picnic packed and arrangements made with the rest of the team, we set off on the short walk to the hill.
By the time we made the climb to the top, Sam, Georgie, Nigel and little Merrin had already set up camp and were tucking into their picnic. We laid out the blanket and tucker and made ourselves comfortable while we waited for Charlotte, Rob, Zach and Oliver to arrive.
Now it isn’t the easiest place to find, even though you can see the big house for miles around, and the Savage clan took the circuitous route to get to us. But it was worth the wait. Sam, Rob and Nigel had fun climbing onto the monument on the top of the hill, the rest of us sat and chatted while we munched our way through the sandwiches and other goodies.
But the wind was getting up and the temperature dropping as the sun sank behind the hill to the East. We sat and sat, waiting for the balloons to launch but nothing appeared. Rob and I went off to the cottage to get the binoculars and another bottle of water, but by the time we returned, the team were decamped and clambering down the hill.
It was way too cold for the children and way too windy for the balloons, so although we had a great family picnic, the main reason for being there never came to fruition. Still, fun was had by all, families were introduced to families and all in all it was a success, even though we had a failure to launch.
Saturday night and we’re out with Charlotte and Rob at the Rupali restaurant in Kingswood. The boys are being looked after by grandma and we are free to have an evening to remember.
I’m a bit of a believer in Savlon. I guess it comes from my childhood and all the bumps and scrapes to which it was applied as I was growing up. It soothes and cools and heals all in one, and it stings a lot less that Dettol !!! But there are things that Savlon can’t heal, like a broken heart or a saddened soul.
Following the emotional challenges of yesterday, today we had a far more down to earth set of goals to achieve, namely moving B’s son Sam and his partner Georgie into their new house in Kingswood.
Today was Ivor’s funeral, and a chance for the majority of his family and friends to say a fond, final farewell at the graveside. In all honesty, it was not the sombre event I had dreaded. The setting, the Memorial Woodland, was the most tranquil and beautiful place I have been in a long time.
Having had a few hours to rest, and to settle our thoughts and feelings, it became clear that now was the time to devote our efforts to those remaining. We needed to concentrate on spending time with Jill, and as Ivor had spend the last thirteen years in care, finalise the arrangements to move his effects.
This is the first day after Ivor’s passing, and it is taking a while for us to comprehend that although he is no longer with us in body, his spirit lives on, and that life in general continues.
Today, or to be precise, a couple of minutes into tomorrow, Ivor Harold Charles Lemin relinquished his tenure of his worldly body, in favour of a period of rest, before embarking upon another life in the near future.
They say that things are the darkest just before dawn, but I would suggest that this is not always the case. When people are under intense pressure, as we all are at the moment, that darkest moment can come at almost any point.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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