almost a hippy funeral

A week ago I heard a friend of mine who I've known for 30 years, had died. I was just shocked. We're the same age. We're far too young to die ... She'd had various health problems, and I suppose they finally caught up with her.

The funeral was on Friday. Another friend flew in for it and we drove down to the beautiful northern NSW countryside where Carol had lived for so many years. I was really glad to see her and have her company on the drive down. It was held in the grounds of a country hall, on a lovely spring morning. Amazingly the coffin was brought there by horse and cart. So many people came - from so many different walks of life and from all over the state. There was music and young children playing in the grass. We laughed and cried and laughed again as we said farewell to our friend/mother/sister ... and sang that old Neil Sedaka song "Oh Carol" over and over.

Among many other things, Carol worked for years at The Echo, which is the local newspaper in the Byron Shire in Northern NSW, and which has been at the forefront of the fight against developers there. Her death was front page news there.

Au revoir Carol ...