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Justin stayed with her untill the final stages of her illness. After Clare died we managed to find Justin some digs in Torquay to stay and moved the furniture out of her cottage and put it on the market for sale. I decided to look after all the legal work in the sale and in obtaining probate.

Clare had made a will some 6 months before she died but even though she had asked the solicitor to deliver it three times it had to be collected by her New Age friends the day before she died . When we saw the will we saw that she had left as expected the cottage and everything on trust to be divided between her boys however she had also left £40,000 to Pamela! which was a big surprise. She was returning the saving we had lent her to buy the cottage in Tigley, just how she had been able to save such amount was also a surprise. We learnt later that this was cash that her grandmother Mrs Wakeling had sent to her over the years.

We knew Pamela’s mother would pay for holidays and cruises for John and Anne’s families she also bought them motor cars and other luxuries using surplus money from Pamela’s Marriage Settlement but we did not know that she used always to send this money to Clare, she was never interested in cars or travelling abroad. It seems that every time Mrs Wakeling sold one of Pamela’s houses Which were held on Trust she would divide the money four ways three ways to our children the forth share to her own account.

We sold the cottage quite quickly though the first sale fell through for the buyer’s solicitor did not want to deal with an Engineer. However the second client we dealt with a Lady solicitor who was quite different, a practical person who settled everything quickly and well.

I also settled the Probate within 5 weeks and invested the proceeds of the cottage into accounts for Alex and Justin who when they came of age had a small nest egg to get started.

Once a very shy neighbour came to tea with us while we had the grandchildren staying. We had asked this lady to come many times before but she had always been too shy to come. John and Beverly had gone on a short holiday and we had their children to stay with us in Heathway House, When this lady agreed to come were busy making a mess. needless to say Belinda and Andrew had brought all their pets with them and the spare bedroom was full of Black Rats in their cages.

When the lady arrived the kids had made such a mess in the lounge with games we decided to entertain our friend in the dinning room, here we could get a little peace. Just as the lady was leaving Belinda appeared on the scene coming down the stairs. She lifted her hand to the lady saying feel how solt he is. The lady bent down brushing the fur in Belinda’s hand against her cheek only to see a long black tail of a huge rat curl up in front of her. Poor woman nearly died on the spot. With a scream she left the house running home. Needless to say we have not had her over since. Such is life with grandchildren.

Another example that happened was when Alex our eldest grandson telephoned to say he had had a bad accident while using his father in law’s car. The car was a write off for he had skidded in heavy rain and hit another car in front of him. Alex had only 3rd party insurance so we offered to help him promising to send a cheque.

     This happened again when Belinda and Andrew were staying with us. When I put the phone down Little Andrew asked me what had happened and I explained.

A few minutes later there was Andrew again holding out his hand with 26p in it. Would you send this to Alex when you send the cheque to help him pay for the car repairs. Such lovely things keep happening around us how can we be anything but happy and love them so much.

Yes we have found out what love is it always involves giving, sometimes it takes a lifetime to get a return. What one must remember is we must not expect a return but the return somehow is always more than one expects and we have found we get a better return on what we give, it just takes time and patience to find out

Henry Scott Holland canon of St Paul’s summed up how we felt loosing our lovely daughter Clare::

Death is nothing at all—I have only slepped away into the next room. Whatever we were to each, that we are still. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effort. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of your mind because I am out of your sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near just around the corner.

All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before—only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ.

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