There's one more goodbye to be said

I have been trying to get news of our friend View for a few weeks. I sent emails that went unanswered, which worried me. After a lot of detective work, I found his friend Arturo on Facebook and sent him a message asking about View. Today he replied, unfortunately with sad news. Eduardo passed away on September 3. I can't simply close the blog without paying tribute to our gentle friend, Edward Whitcomb. I will forever remember his love of animals, his birds, his adopted family, all the lovely, interesting videos he forwarded from his YouTube account, with the handle of Edward Feliz. Yes, he was a happy man, fond of a good joke and excruciating puns. Goodbye, Ed, we'll miss you.

                         Ed Whitcomb - View_From_Here (March 18, 1937 - September 3, 2017)

Lest we forget

Amy sent us a moving reminder about November 11. Thank you, Amy.

World War I, known at the time as the Great War, was thought to be the war that would end all future wars... All sides suffered an incredibly high number of needless deaths, and the war devastated an entire generation. In fact, the sheer amount of destruction and death has only been eclipsed by World War II.....

Since it ended, all countries involved - have held memorials to remember their fallen dead who sacrificed their lives for the good of their country. This fact is all the more so in England, where nearly a million people lost their lives...  What they've done to commemorate their fallen soldiers is truly beautiful, while also helping us understand the true scope of these soldiers' sacrifice. Even a hundred years later, we should not forget their incredible acts of heroism and dedication...

 

The 'moat that surrounds the Tower of London has long stood empty and dry, but now, what may look like blood .. is actually something beautiful .'

This summer, the moat has been filled with 888,246 red ceramic poppies, one for each British and Colonial soldier who perished during World War I.

For the past few weeks, a team of 150 volunteers has been placing red ceramic poppies one by one around the Tower.

Each evening, the Last Post will be sounded and a 'selection of names of the dead read out loud, a stunning and sobering commemoration that befits the Great War.

The last poppy will be symbolically planted on the last day of the installation: November 11, Armistice Day.

I feel incredibly sad

Losing Robin Williams feels like a personal loss. He came across as a very sensitive and intelligent person. He had his battles with his personal demons and ultimately he lost. In reality, it's our loss, because he made a decision to free himself from his pain.

He made people laugh, but he could also move people, as he did in Dead Poet's Society and Good Will Hunting. What I know is that he always touched my heart.

I'm paying tribute to this very talented, generous man by showing his extraordinary knack to mimic accents and voices. RIP Robin Williams.

Seventy years ago...

Amy sent us some photos and information about an event to remember all who died during the Normandy landings on D-Day. In her email, she said: "This fits so well with Pres Obama's statement about it being a lot easier to start wars than to end them." Thank you Amy.

On the International Peace Day last year, on September 21, British artists Jamie Wardley and Andy Moss accompanied by numerous volunteers, took to the beaches of Normandy with rakes and stencils in hand to etch 9,000 silhouettes representing fallen people into the sand. Titled The Fallen 9000 , the piece is meant as a stark visual reminder of the civilians, Germans and allied forces who died during the D-Day beach landings at Arromanches on June 6th, 1944 during WWII. The original team consisted of 60 volunteers, but as word spread nearly 500 additional local residents arrived to help with the temporary installation that lasted only a few hours before being washed away by the tide.

Celebrating love

This week has been very emotional for all of us. On February 14, people traditionally celebrate love and friendship. I would like to dedicate this post to Ray & Mrsgunka and to CC.

Ray and MrsG were together for 55 years and she made sure Ray was surrounded by love in his last days. They were a remarkable couple and we're very familiar with our formidable Mrsgunka. We've learned to love Ray through her thoughtful comments and lovely stories. Good bye, Ray. You were much loved and will be greatly missed by many.

We enjoyed seeing CC's smile over the past four years and her warmth comes through in each of her comments. We waited for news following her operation yesterday and were very relieved to know that she's ok and that things are looking good!

Let's celebrate the life of a man who was very special to his family and friends and who was very respected in his profession because he was very capable and dedicated. Ray leaves many invaluable memories to those who knew him.

Let's rejoice in the fact that CC will be back with us soon enough.

I'm happy we have each other. Let's also celebrate our friendship!

Let's celebrate love in all its forms.

Happy Valentine's Day.

 ***********

MrsG and Ray on their visit with Spike

TW, moi and CC. Photo taken by Irishgirl

Sad day

Oklahoma Rose

Nina Simone

Nina Simone would have been 80 years old today. Here are some of my favourites:

This is hard

The horror of today's events is just too much to bear.

Rest in peace, dear children.

Remembering JD

Pallottine sent me this photo of a sign made by a young man down the road in memory of our lovely JD (stands for Just Dog).

Here are some nice pictures of JD:

The sign over the gate is a lovely way to remember a good friend. JD was definitely more than just a dog...

Sisters

“In thee my soul shall own combined the sister and the friend” ~ Catherine Killigrew

[This post is dedicated to Naomi and MrsG.]