7 hours of driving to be involved and transport Mum to Stephen and Mary's Hampshire home for Elisabeth's 80th birthday - and what driving... driving rain slowing us at one point to almost a standstill - the end of the world type storms - but it cleared and Flint House was warm with Graham family buzz. It is an odd time now - preparing for the memorial service this Friday, in the midst of celebrating a younger sister's birthday, who now celebrating her 80th with joy and verve was virtually assured by doctors she would not see past her 78th... and there she is holding pictures of her brother Peter who expected to be the last but one, not the first of the six to go... I still await the "Other Lives" short obit that the Guardian said they would publish - I gave them a strong push by putting "Araucaria's brother" in the subject line. and yesterday my lovely Katrina sat next to Araucaria convincing him that he must invent a crossword based on the theme of our family get-together parties. What a good thing it is that we have done by having these regularly. The gallery has two shots from the August Bank Holiday occasion for Rachel's 60th. I recommend this practice to the house.