Norwegian Wood . . . The Beatles

After telling you yesterday about my friend, this morning I get an email from her to say a teaching friend of ours died at the weekend and his funeral will be streamed this afternoon.  He was a decade older than us and a truely wonderful man.  He had a way with the troubled and the truculent pupils.  Quietly at staff meeting he would say a few of his class will be out in the playground helping the caretaker or doing a special task so don't ask them why they aren't in class. The classroom is too much for them at the moment. 
He was a big supporter of outdoor education and the school camp at the end of the year was looked forward by pupils, parents and teachers.  He designed and built the most fabulous wooden adventure playground in the school grounds.  Children enjoyed the challenge of it for years but sadly when health and safety became a thing it was removed.  We got a new playground with safety matting and had more broken bones than before.  It didn't have the sense of danger and the children thought they could do anything on it.  
He was an artist with wood and the  forester would drop off pieces of native timber for Leith to use in wood turning.  We have several bowls made by him.  I was lucky enough to get this container as a leaving gift after doing a spell of relief teaching.  I remember my friend being jealous.  She did get her own bowl in time to come.  The wooden bangles I bought from Leith when he had a stall at the Thursday night market.
There were many speakers at the funeral and all said what a talented, patient, kind man he was.  He was a teacher but also a curious learner all his life.  An older blip about Leith
Thank you for the encouragement about the gift.  I posted it today which cost nearly as much as the frame !