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Dear Sarah,

 Sorry, it's been a while hasn't it. I have been busy but I should've made some time for this too.

So I'll catch you up.

The trip to see Steve and Alison went as well as it could. I took one of the bags of your ashes up to the Old Trecastle Road and scattered them in the stream where we used to go. It was quite grey and chilly so there was no-one else about. For the rest of the week we mostly did things we would have done. Up to Penderyn where they were very sympathetic, followed by fish and chips at Y Llew Goch. We went to Brecon where we struggled to get lunch but I did buy a screen-print of  Port Talbot which I'm sure you'd love too. I couldn't face Swansea Market though, not this time. We did go somewhere new too, Rhossili beach at the end of the Gower followed by lunch at Port Eynon. It was extremely windy and the tide was out but I dipped by toes in the sea anyway!

After leaving Ponty, I drove to see Claire in Nottinghamshire via Aberystwyth of all places (I couldn't get there too early as they were on their way back from Portugal). Anyway, Aber has a funicular! Not much else and nowhere to park but I held you close on a quick round trip. Claire was lovely, as were Abbie and Nathan of course. The next day they went off to Cornwall for a few days and to collect Claire's dogs while Claire and I spent a peaceful Sunday taking Abbie's 'dog' for a cross-country walk. But the main and best news from there is that Abbie and Nathan are now engaged!

After leaving Claire's on the Monday, I popped over to see Mike and Bev for the night before coming home again. Coincidentally, it was exactly the same date we were up there last year. They're much the same and the shops continue to do well even though this summer's weather has been changeable.

Since then I've been trying to just get on with things. People are, of course, still being very supportive and making me do things and go places, oh Marlene came over - she couldn't get away for your funeral, you'll have no trouble guessing why! Mimi, Ads and I went to the choir's summer soirée as it was billed and there was a lovely tribute to you and they sang As Torrents In Summer in your memory, it was very lovely.

Beyond that love, it's been quite mundane. I have been trying to move towards a "new normal" but it's so hard. Michael's very attentive and we've had lunch a couple of times - once with Janet too - and of course Carrie has been cajoling me not to mope about the place too much. I think I have been keeping busy to suppress the pain a bit and I'm exhausted, but having recognised that, I'm getting my sleep pattern more as it was.

Missing you still,

R

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