Steve's Pen :: MMC19

MMC19 #14


Such a sad loss...


I first met Steve when I started to visit Lullingstone Castle. I've taken hundreds of photos of him sitting on the grass cutter, pushing a lawn mower (with and without a bunny suit on) and strimming the meadows or hedges.


He subsequently joined my photo club with his teenage son.


In December he gave me this pen for my 60th birthday. He had made it from a kit but he had hand lathed the wooden shaft himself. The wood was taken from an oak beam that was removed from the Gatehouse at Lullingstone Castle during repair work. The wood has been dated to the 1400's, much older than the gatehouse itself. 


When I was in London yesterday his son phoned me to say Steve had collapsed and died at home late on Tuesday night. At just 52 yrs old it was sudden, a total shock and will be a great loss to his family and many friends. 


I will treasure the pen, my images of him and the memories of our friendship during the past few years. 


He was a member of the Magic Circle, so I thought he'd like to see his pen float in the air. I have not used PhotoShop to take this, just my mobile phone, Luminar 3 to convert to mono and a little Lightroom to help with the illusion.