Uncle Dudley had always been a tower of a man for me and I had a soft spot for him and he for me. Some of my earliest memories of him was of he and I walking the thin track between the fence and trees down to the barn to milk the cow. Dudley dressed in his warm but old suit jacket. He would sit down next to the cow and lean his head into her and collect the milk, teaching me to do the same. Then feed trickles of warm milk to the cat. Later I remember doing the same with Dennis.
Uncle Dudley had a passion for his horses and I loved watching him work with them but was always a bit afraid they might stand on me!
His best horse was Caduceus who was so good he raced all over the world. Here is the gold Auckland Cup that he won along with his roses.
The funeral service was lovely with tributes from his children and grandchildren. The music selection included 'How great Thou art' which Dad would sing with great gusto and 'Danny Boy' which was Judy's favourite and 'Maggie May' which is one of mine. It was all very moving with the grandchildren placing a red rose on behalf of the grandchildren that could not be there as they were in far off countries around the globe.
I got to meet little Amber at last. Amber is Uncle Dudley's first great-grandchild and she is a real cutie- a real crowd pleaser!
The wake was held at Jon & Bev's vineyard which gave us a fabulous setting to all be together.
The views in the changing evening light were stunning. I have always loved the layers of light on the hills that edge the Wairau Valley.
The sunset at the end of the day seemed to reflect a farewell from Uncle Dudley to us all.
His ashes are being scattered at Truman's Bay on the West Coast where Aunty Vi's ashes were scattered. Together again.
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