Ichabod's Day

What a weekend - full of high and lows. I said goodbye to a special person on friday, not sure of the correct term - ex brother-in-law probably. My sister's first husband and the father of my two eldest nieces died aged 52 from cancer and his funeral was on friday. As with all complicated family dynamics, I lost touch with him when he and my sister divorced, but kept up with his life through the girls. My memories of him are those of a teenager and young adult where he patiently allowed my to go out with him and my sister on dates, picked me up from college at weekends to take me home for a visit and entertained me and various boyfriends over the years as I tried to be a "grown-up". I wanted to go to the funeral - to say goodbye and to support the girls through this - but I found it more emotional that I expected to (should have taken a tissue - one was discretely handed to me from the row behind!). It was a humanist ceremony and woodland burial - very special, but sad no...

Took advantage of the gorgeous weather we've been having lately and was invited by some friends to take the dogs for a walk out at Rivington . We parked up at the little barn and walked through the woods down to the Folly - which is apparently a copy of Liverpool Castle with views of the r eservoir on one side and the Pike and winter hill on the other side. From here we walked down to the reservoir and walked alongside, occasionally going to the water's edge to let the dogs have a quick paddle and a drink. The evening was so peaceful, a few other walkers and cyclists were about, but the sun was warm, the sky blue and the company good. You'd never have thought we could be here up north at 8pm on an early June evening. A great evening was had by all.