Colin - we have know each other for 29 years - throughout that time we have always shared the ups and downs of life. Your restless, independent spirit and creative force made it hard for you to settle in one place and with one person. Always planning the next trip or the next creative project, only stopping to brew more beer or cook a gourmet meal. It’s nearly 25 years since you retired- years in which you came and went like a cat who constantly strays from home but I always knew you’d be back with a big grin on your face. So for me it’s just like all the other times you left except this time I know you won’t be back. But just like the Cheshire cat the grin is still there . So since you left for one last time I’ve been on a heady trip of shared memories all around Europe and the USA . Amongst the sadness those memories (even the ones of how infuriating you could be) constantly make me smile. I can hear you now saying “I’ve had a great life” and “What’s the point of living if you can’t enjoy yourself” You were never bound by the constraints and rules that make other people conform. Now you are free to roam and dream just like that ‘raggy little boy’ who built sand boats on the beach at West Hartlepool and dreamed of building his own boat one day. Although you never promised me anything, you gave me so much and my life has been enriched through knowing you and sharing the ride on your rollercoaster of life. You will never be forgotten and always make me smile when I think of you. De tout Coeur. Sue