A farewell

The first time we came to this area, in 2016, we met R and H through the person we did a house swap with. They organised weekly walks, and later on they found us a house to rent for a couple of months in Vélez de Benaudalla, a village hidden in the hills behind Salobreña.  We saw quite a lot of them at that time, less since we've been staying on the coast.

I'd missed the walks this time because they are on Thursdays, which clashes with Spanish class. So we hadn't seen them at all, and I was completely shocked when C told me a couple of weeks ago that R had been diagnosed with cancer just after Christmas, deteriorated very rapidly, and had died before he could even have any treatment. He was such a cheerful and energetic guy, and it's thanks to him and H that we met many people and discovered the countryside around here.

The low-key funeral has already happened, but today H invited all his friends for a commemorative walk in Vélez, followed by a wake. There were probably forty of us walking up a track through olive groves that we've been along many times, both with R and H and alone. Here's the lovely little plateau where we stopped for a short reading by H and an ash-scattering. It's a lovely spot with beautiful views, and happily the weather obliged by clearing to beautiful sunshine for a few hours.

H reminded us that they'd chosen to retire ten years early, so R got to spend ten years in a place he loved and was fit and well enough to enjoy it thoroughly. He reached official retirement age just a few months ago. So yes, if you have a chance to realise a dream, do it.

Back in the village a few more people turned up; H and friends had laid on a large spread, and we all raised a glass to R's memory. I was glad I was able to be there, and just sorry that we had missed seeing them for a couple of years.