I was talking with my friend last night… I call her Dobby, after the kitchen elf in Harry Potter… she is a wonderful friend…

she came and looked after me for the first week following my surgery and she was amazing…  she could find the most wonderful little snacks to encourage me to eat, at any time of the day…  she organized my fridge and freezer, and found just the right electric kettle that I could lift – I went through six weeks of not being able to lift anything over five pounds, and let me tell you, that means you can’t lift anything…

we were talking about the wooden figures that George had made for a number of folks with his scroll saw, and her patterns…  the figures and other items he made were beautiful…  he used various hardwoods which he searched out all over the city… we would think something up, she would draw a pattern, and George would produce it in no time at all, having found an appropriate wood, cut and then sanded and stained the pieces…  he always had to make at least two of each design (and sometimes three, one for another friend) so that I would have one and so would Dobby…

some of the wooden figures made by George…

during Advent she had been setting up the wooden figures for church and thought about George each time she picked one up… tonight I called her because I couldn’t find any pictures of the pieces and while we chatted she sent the picture above…

his favourite comment to her was “I used to like you” referring to the fact that she was always coming up with new things for him to make… which, in fact, he loved to do, but not without some ribbing…

this was the first year that I hadn’t put out that particular nativity… usually I have 4 or 5 set up around the house, but only put out the stained glass set this time…

it also reminded me of the wonderful stories that she and Deborah told at George’s memorial service… once I asked them to lead the service, I was able to let it go completely, as they knew exactly what George and I would appreciate…

they talked about the various pieces of George’s life – his hospitality, his green hand, his creativity (including stories about the wooden figures) and his humour and love…

it was a wonderful send off for a very special person…