Yesterday Darren & I took a trip down memory lane. After having the heartbreaking task of registering our dad's death, we drove past our childhood home. That our parents had sold on 19 years before. Darren got out of the car, and stood looking up at the house. A gentleman inside the house wondered what he was doing and shouted from the bathroom window "can I help you", Darren replied "no it's ok, we are not casing the joint, don't worry, we have just returned for a poignant reminder". The gentleman grandfather then came to the front door & asked if he could help us. Darren told the man, that we used to live here until 19 years ago, we just wanted to see the house again, as our dad had died on Sunday. This kind man invited us into his home. He showed us around the house, proudly telling us that nothing had changed. Except the flooring in the hall way was no longer a red carpet, but laminate flooring. But everything else remained the same. The same wallpaper & colours, the same carpets, the same net curtains. The wooden cabinets my dad had built, the fireplaces he had built remained the same, the same tiles on the kitchen, bathroom walls & floor. The same patio windows, kitchen cabinets & cooker, all worn but well looked after. The gentleman told us about our plum tree, that used to produce bagfuls of plums, but sadly fell down 4 years ago in high winds. The garden had changed, with grapevines, tomato plants, pear and apple trees, our dad would have approved of the change. Darren & I kept saying things like "we remember helping dad build that & that". It was a magical trip for us. The family living there had lived there since my parents sold the house, and told us it had been a happy home for them all. A true testament to our dads skills, hard work and life. Xxxx