..and two funerals

Thursday was David McKillop's funeral - so I worked at home and walked into town for the service at St Michael's. It started with a poem he wrote some years ago - it was read - as written in a strong Scottish accent - and the weaker amongst us struggled to cope! Then memories of student life and beyond, Pharmacology at Edinburgh from another North of the border national. The service leader said that 'some will be relieved that the rest of the service is in English'! We heard of his skills in reciting Burns (from memory) at Asta Zeneca Burns night, the football field, family and friends, his work skills where he ended up knowing maybe more than his consultant of his medical prognosis. I found it a very helpful way to say farewell to a (sometimes) argumentative but always considerate listener!

Friday came with a trip up to Kettlewell and a visit to Scargill to collect the item I'd bid for in the memorabilia sale - better held by someone who'd value it, rather than the house being sold with contents and some things being carted off for the tip (IMHO)!

Some observations from that day:

• Whilst driving up I took the opportunity to re-listen to Ann Morisy's talks from earlier in the year, valued her Bootle accent, her tales of the conversation between now and what was possible. What stories have I and others been given by Scargill? What will replace that?
• Standing on the stairs on the way up the the Chapel and hearing Mozart's Requiem (I think) blasting forth!
• Lunch at the Racehorses in Kettlewell - gentle reflections on the past over a soup and beer (I wanted to stop at a lot of Wharfedale pubs - especially the Tenants Arms but called it a day at one).
• Turned on the radio on the way back to immediately be confronted by Schubert's 'Die Liebe Farbe' with its ironic paen to green and its endless F#'s. Having come from that lush green of Scargill the irony became new and sharp

Other pictures from the day at the end of my Scargill Visits set on flickr