Andre and Toby share smiles

anniversary message from Andre

On 10th May, a few days ago, we recalled the time when Andre and Maggie were with us in Boston in 1992. We celebrated our 20th anniversary together and they gave us a charming etching 'view from Sheridan Square Greenwich Village' which we've had on our wall all these years. Andre's hand-written message is attached to the back of the frame and I read it every anniversary on 7th May - and at other times too.

Dear Mom and Les
Happy Anniversary!
20 years is a long time.
Treble that and I'll really be impressed.
May the harmony and strength of your marriage
continue to be an inspiration to us forever.

Much Love
Andre

Moonrise

It was a grey start to today.  But sunset on Sunday was rather special, with a crescent moon rising close to where the sun disappeared from view.

With loving thoughts of André on this grey and rainy day xxx

Rose Bouquet

André's Birthday

Here's a picture taken today of André's sweet chestnut tree, planted on this day fifteen years ago.

And here's what was going on at the nearby lake.  Not many people around, just lots of curious birds.

André's Sweet Chestnut Tree

How it grew last year...

April

May

August

Rose Fruit

Went to the cemetery yesterday to light a candle for André's 49th birthday and found the rose bush still vigorous, laden with a full bounty of hips.

Past years of mild weather have seen it surprisingly still in bloom at this time of year.  But I've never seen it quite so full of rosehips before!

Candle for André

anniversary message from Andre

With thoughts of our beautiful Andre very much with us today, we re-read his message to us on our 20th wedding anniversary when he and Maggie spent time with us in Boston.

They gave us a charming etching 'view from Sheridan Square Greenwich Village' by Georgia Chambers, which is always on our wall, their lovely messages on the back.

This is what he wrote:

Dear Mom and Les
Happy Anniversary!
20 years is a long time.
Treble that and I'll really be impressed.
May the harmony and strength of your marriage
continue to be an inspiration to us forever.

Much Love
Andre

His words will be with us on Saturday at our 40th wedding anniversary party, and he and Maggie will be in our thoughts. Not sure we'll treble the 20 years but we'll certainly try.

love
Jude

Birthday Rose

The cemetery currently closes at 4.30pm. Although it was starting to get dark when I was there at dusk yesterday, the picture below makes it look darker than it really was.



And the rose bush is still in bloom!

Sunkissed Roses

Went to the cemetery today to light a candle ~ surprised at how big the rosebush has grown ~ it's huge!

Jacqui went too but they'd just locked up for the day. So Jacqui, courtesy of the wonderful worldwide web, this is what it looks like...

3rd December 2010 Andre's Birthday


A few months ago Les took this picture of Maggie, Kevin and me surrounded by the vibrant greenery of Andre's Sweet Chestnut tree. The vibrancy and sweetness of his life is celebrated today as his memory fills our minds and hearts.

love
Jude and Les

Portrait of André

Here in the UK it's now after midnight on the tenth of May, the early hours of a Monday morning, the same day of the week as it was on this date eleven years ago.

There was a great sunset earlier this evening, a particular kind of dramatic lighting André always loved, storm clouds and sunshine combined. He would often point it out. It always reminds me of him.

The words aren't flowing tonight so here's a copy of Arlene's painting instead.

With love x

10th May 2010

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." ~Kahlil Gibran


.... my delight and my light

thinking of you all
Jx

an Andre moment - from Les

I have just returned from a camping trip with Gerd at a marvellous wilderness rainforest area where we did not see another soul for several days. On one of those nights, with boobook owls calling in the distance and dusk turning to dark, small strongly fluorescent lights started moving lazily through the trees, blinking on and off each second – fireflies! I stood and watched entranced.
It was an Andre moment. Last time I had seen fireflies was about 20 years ago when we were camped at Caves Beach, Jervis Bay. We came across them on returning to the campsite from the beach at dusk. Andre was entranced. He managed to catch one and put it in an empty matchbox, so we could watch the display at close quarters for a while before releasing the firefly to join its mates. I can still see Andre’s face at that time, musing about how it was done and marvelling at the beauty.....

Love
Les

Pictures for André's Birthday Tomorrow

These are courtesy of Anneke's Image Bank. They're in chronological order, from bottom to top. First Greece, August '92, then walking to Grove Park where we had lunch, summer '95, and a winter walk in Chiswick Park,01.01.96.

Watering the Garden

Much to my annoyance, Toby usually buries his bones. This morning, as I was watering the garden, I noticed a carefully-placed bone at the base of Andre's vine. It's hard to see exactly where the vine starts since there's now also a Yew growing there, presumably courtesy of a visiting bird who must have deposited a fertile seed on that spot (is that how it works?). But anyway that is where I spotted it.

I'm not sure if it's a question of Toby finally understanding that bone-burying is not acceptable, or that he has some other reason for meticulously placing it in that particular spot at this particular point in time. Either way he's not telling.

2 year old tease 1966

this image always makes me smile. His love of teasing was evident even before he could walk. And here he is at the tender age of 2, tickling his great-aunt Bex. She adored him. I love the way she's giggling ... I recall this tickling and giggling went on for a long time that sunny Sunday at Dave and Mel's house.

Rollerblading in Hyde Park 1992

we had so much fun that day. Andre kept us in stitches with his antics. He rollerbladed very well, in fact, and the pole-hugging was just for effect.

1972 Andre & Dani with grandpa George and cousins Derek, Uri and Risa

Uncle David remembers

I bring back memories of Andre as a small boy coming with his 'big' sister Dani and his little cousins Derek and Uri, on an outing with us to the Zoo and when we got there the keeper said "so you've come back have you, you little monkey". As Tanya said at the funeral [of a friend recently]: "Only a sense of humour will keep me going" So I allowed myself this little aside. I love to remember my all too few memories of Andre. Andre crying after a minor, but frightening car accident at the Bunny Park in Benoni. Andre playing with his cousins in our garden in Sandringham. And the houseproud Andre showing me around his and Maggie's apartment in Kensington. In a north London pub, Andre who brought me a Lager after asking how was my Ale and I told him it tasted like piss. Always sweet, sensitive, and so intelligent. Even after 10 years a star missing from my firmament.

with love
David

Tales of a City

Just after returning from a trip to South Africa, Andre told me a story of an extraordinary and shocking event he witnessed during his travels, or was it?

He had stopped at a petrol station in Jo’burg to fill up when there was some sort of a commotion. Andre looked up to find a young Black man running in a panic and screaming for help because there had been an accident and his arms were engulfed in flames. Initially there was some reluctance by those present to help in case the whole scenario had been set up as an ambush since this was a common occurrence in Jo’burg. However, the police and the ambulance arrived at just the moment everyone realised this was a real emergency and there was no time to waste. The man in flames now looked in agony and was running around in a mad panic as the crowd that had now gathered alerted the police to the scene. As soon as the police saw the victim, they drew out their guns and shot the poor man dead. For a moment everyone stood still in shock, and when the crowd that had gathered angrily demanded an explanation, the police replied “I’m sorry but we cannot have firearms here”!

Of course, it was another joke and you laughed like a drain when you realised that I realised I’d been had, and I laughed like a drain because it was actually a good joke for you. I shared this joke with my younger brother who lives in Nigeria and he enjoyed it so much that although he never met Andre, he would always ask “How is your friend with the jokes?”

Picnic in Hyde Park

10th April 1995

Making Toby Smile

Andre Baby

A short word from Anne

Andre was the first person to tell me about internet about 15 years ago. It seemed like a crazy idea but he was really excited about it. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago and I can't believe he's been gone for such a long time. It only seems like yesterday. I miss his silly dancing and jokes. And also his good advice.

portraits of andré

sussex graduation

hampstead / hilversum / chiswick

cornwall '93

rollerblading (brighton & central park, ny)

early 90's

André's Vine

It was on mothers' day in March 1999 that André finally got round to planting a vine cutting he had been given by Jim a while before. Soon after we went on holiday to Spain and soon after that he died. It wasn't until the day of his funeral, in the garden afterwards, that I noticed that the vine had taken and was flourishing.
By 2006 the Triomphe d'Alsace vine was producing a sufficient quantity of grapes for me to attempt my first batch of wine. I was really pleased with the results. The following year wasn’t as good, but that didn’t put me off having a third attempt, despite a terrible summer weather-wise, and having to compete with greedy wood pigeons when harvesting the modest yield. Here's a picture of what was produced. The demijohn on the left is just Triomphe D'Alsace grape, on the right is a mix of grape, apple and elderflower. It hasn't been sampled yet...


Part of the vine in September 2007

Our First Winter

Having lived with Andre for so many years, thereby being privy to the telling of so many of his jokes, I should really have a vast warehouse full of them to choose from. Sadly, with me jokes go in one ear and straight out the other. So much as I'd love to be funny, I'll have to settle for an anecdote instead.

I remember an incident in January 1991, when he was still living in Stafford Court in Kensington and me in Brixton. He was excited about the snowy weather, not having had much experience of it in sunny South Africa. These were the days before I got cured of my arachnophobia.

I proudly told him over the phone about my battle with a monster spider in which I had come out victorious. It was a sweeter victory than merely stomping on the massive beast. I had managed to catch it under a glass and chuck it out onto the snow-covered balcony.

He came over a few hours later and we had a cup of coffee together in the kitchen. I was going through one of my no-smoking phases so he went out onto the balcony to smoke. Something out there caught his interest, that mischievous smile of his appeared and he called me over. The thick layer of snow had thinned considerably, more so in one particular spot. There was a shrivelled black dot in the centre of the circular thaw which Andre scooped up and held out towards me for closer inspection. A microscope would have helped identify it for sure but with the naked eye it looked suspiciously like the remains of a tiny eight-legged creature.