Tribute to a gentleman

We are back from Melbourne, again, this time for my father-in-law's funeral. Sadly we had to go down just a few days after we had been down to see him last week. He passed away quietly, and he will be sorely missed by his three children, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was a kind and gentle man and never complained, even though he must have been in pain.
I will always remember my in-law's visits to us when we lived in France and how patiently my father-in-law worked in the garden. He was never someone to do things quickly but everything he did was always very nicely done.
Another thing that springs to mind when I think of their visits to us in France was his simple eating habits. Here he was in the land of gourmet cooking and outstanding wine and all he really wanted was "bangers and mash", and if you also made an apple crumble he was in seventh heaven! This should of course be served with a cup of tea or two to make it perfect.

To my mind this picture of my in-law's from their courting days captures perfectly the post-war optimism as they head in step towards the Australian dream of marriage, a home of your own, and two or three children.  This they did with elegance and a life-long devotion to family and one another.