Goodbye Kate.

Almost 20 years ago, we moved into a house introducing ourselves that day to a next door neighbour, who upon finding out we had 4 children, inappropriately advised B that she should have "kept her legs closed". We left promptly to further advise of "...no barbeques please!" Had we made a mistake?...relevant because...

...the next morning, Cathleen (Kate to her friends), whose garden backed-on to ours, had taken the trouble to walk around the street to knock on our door bearing gifts and a warm welcome. Over the years, they invited us into their lives, gave our 4 children Christmas tree gifts, always remembered special occasions and frequently invited us all to enjoy their (rather special and much larger) garden.

From Kate and Peter, our kids always got their footballs, tennis balls and frizbees back, mostly before they'd a chance to go round to ask. Had they have gone left, they were lost for good!

In the last year, Kate had fallen ill, but in B's role as a community nurse, she was able to see Kate almost every week. Sadly - today, Kate passed. Her friends and family around her and many others thinking of her. B was able to say her goodbyes, difficult as that was in her professional status in the house.

They say only the good die young. Kate will not mind me saying that she was far from young, but good, she most certainly was. RIP Kate. xx