Dad and Dover

Overlooking Dover Harbour from the White Cliffs was probably my dad's favourite spot. He could watch the constant flow of ferries plying across the Channel to Calais Zeebrugge Ostend etc. And if you walk a bit you can see the castle and along the white cliffs.
Dover itself is the armpit of the world imho (I base this opinion on spending an evening there once waiting to catch a 1am ferry).
Therefore it was appropriate to have a family gathering on the first anniversary of his premature passing to celebrate his life and spread the rest of his ashes to the four winds. Bizarrely, mother chose to store and transport the ashes in a huge tin of SMA baby formula, with a sticker marked "porridge" on it. Dont ask me why.I said my bit, as did mother, sisters and niecefriend. The whole thing was positive, especially for my mother, who has taken a while to come to terms with the loss of her husband of 50 years, and to cope with the things he would have dealt with, but she is getting through it. My dad wont be forgotten in a hurry but her life goes on (she has even sold her car and bought a new one, and found a new male friend). He is there for her every day, and the same for me. There were plenty of tears but we all got through it. I have certainly grown up a lot since a year ago. I dont think here is the right place to express the profundity of feeling felt there, even if I could express it, but there is an empty place in my heart.
Then we had a picnic, drank dad's favourite wine and went our various ways. But not before Badger got in on the act. . And here is a badger's eye view.