Dad’s many travels around the world are before my time, but I remember telling my friends how mum and dad were travelling around the world in opposite directions when they crossed paths in a fairytale castle in Werfen (I loved that story)! I have distant memories of our lives in Dundee and London before dad was offered a job in Abergavenny - how lucky we were that we could make this beautiful place our home, and dad always absolutely loved it here. We spent lots of time walking in the hills, and dad would even cycle up the Blorenge as part of his extensive fitness regime! Dad truly loved to exercise and going on holiday was no excuse to relax – he would walk half-way round a Greek island before breakfast and disappear for hours swimming in the Mediterranean while we sunbathed.
 
Now I am a parent myself I can appreciate how well dad struck that balance between encouraging and supporting me to do my best but without pressure or expectation. Nothing was too much trouble as he took so much time and effort to take me to endless music lessons and rehearsals – but he didn’t bat an eyelid when I decided that a career in music wasn’t for me after all! Growing up it was always plain to see that dad loved learning for its own sake. He loved his job but would also spend endless hours poring over French and German vocabulary, psychology and neuroscience, news and current affairs. Not through ambition but for simple love of learning and knowledge.
 
Dad also loved people, and many of you have commented on how warm and generous he was. He loved to talk but he also loved to listen and learn all about other people and enjoyed exchanging opinions and stories about all sorts of things. He genuinely loved having my friends around and would always make them feel welcome, and many have recently told me how much they loved coming to visit our home. He would keep asking about their lives many years later. When Alex and Darcey came along he was a devoted grandpa and delighted them with cuddles and games and stories. It has been very hard for them to lose him.
 
As it turned out, that twist of fate that brought mum and dad together at Werfen was the best thing that happened to them. They spent 50 wonderful years together full of love and family, travel and adventure, and mum cared for dad with all her love and energy right up to the end. He had a very good life and we were lucky to have him.