A Shropshire Patch

A year ago today my father died, quietly, at home, as he wished, with his wife, children and a grandson surrounding him. As he gently faded, we took turns to read aloud from a book of stories which he read to all of us when we were little. Four days earlier we had busted him out of a grim hospital room and, with the help of district nurses, Marie Curie and City Hospice in Cardiff, we nursed him at home until the end. We discovered skills we didn't know we had. The family rallied round and looked after us while we looked after Dad. A nurse who happened to be in the room when Dad died said that it was obvious that he was very much loved. He was. He still is. I miss him.

Peter Holland John Budd
1941-2025