I cannot think of Richard without smiling. Most of my memories have not been received first hand but via my friendship with Jean and thus have contained an element of bias!! I used to enjoy Monday mornings in the staff room when Jean would recount Richards D.I.Y. disasters. What can be irritating to live with can be a source of hilarity to others. Why do women laugh at risqué jokes when told by some-one else’s husband, which Richard often did. The funniest incident I can recall happened at the school Jean and I worked at in our other life. One evening Richard was supposed to have left the car in the school car park for Jean to drive home. However, we couldn't find it and I ran Jean home after school, presuming Richard had forgotten his chore. This was not the case, he had merely parked it near the school exit and we hadn't noticed it!! Richard ensured the same thing didn't happen the next evening and parked the car on a steep embankment on the school field hanging precariously near the school offices. To add insult to injury there was a LARGE sign in the front windscreen saying "Jean Coles’ car" which caused lots of amusement amongst the pupils. Jean was not pleased!! I daren't even laugh in case she perceived it as disloyal. Things got even worse when she tried to drive it, only to find it was stuck in the mud and required towing off via a member of staffs 4 by 4. I wouldn't have liked to have been Richard that night. Revenge festered and Jean colluded with the head teacher who sent Richard a bill for reinstating the wrecked turf. Richard never discussed this bill with Jean and promptly sent a cheque to the head teacher (who of course tore it up) I don't think Jean ever explained the joke to Richard and clearly had the last laugh. Life without Richard will be duller for us all but there'll be plenty of happy and amusing memories of a man with lots of character and humour.