From great change and endings, come new beginnings and opportunities.

My Dad died... suddenly.... on the other side of the world... we think a massive heart attack...he was 86. It's left a kind of Dad shaped hole.
Even though he wasn't around much when my sister & I were little (through work and the expectations of the era) I eventually got to know him when I hit my forties and lashed out at the world & all who'd had an influence on my life... trying to find the fault somewhere. In fact the "lash out" was the best thing that could have happened. It meant I met with Dad beside the river about 5 years ago on a cold but sunny day & we sat and talked about things we'd never talked about before. He opened up so honestly & gracefully. I felt as if I'd finally seen & heard him.
He came over to the UK when we got married in 2003 and had a grand time despite being pissed off that he couldn't hire a car here at the age of 83 (he was still driving 12 hours or more each winter to go on holiday in sunny queensland).