KYQ4: Farewell

Remembering Aileen

View from the lair - Ben Ledi

Norrieston Church

22 November, 2024

Today we buried Aileen's ashes in the local cemetery. It had been a while since her funeral during which time we sought to find the most suitable resting place. We had hoped to buy a lair in the Trossachs Church graveyard where we had married. It was located close to where we had lived for 34 years but the cemetery was full and, according to the minister, the church was likely to be sold shortly. We eventually decided on the local cemetery where Aileen and I had lived for 4 years after building a house that Aileen had specced and adored. She loved the open skies inand views of Ben Ledi and the Campsies from the house. A lair with a view of Ben Ledi would embrace those memories. Her parents had lived in a cottage, Blairgarry, on Loch Venachar below the slopes of Ben Ledi. It was where we spent many weekends in the year before we got married and her parents had retired to live there. We visited most weekends after the family arrived. Blairgarry had a timeless tranquillity that Aileen found calming away from the hurly-burley of working whilst raising a family.

We met with the Funeral Director and the Council cemetery officer at the lair in the well-kept village graveyard next to Norrieston Church. After lowering her casket to the ground, we took some time to reflect and silently make our farewells. Aileen was serene, selfless, honest, modest, loyal, principled, perceptive, thoughtful, dedicated to the family, mischievous and funny. She nurtured our three children, each distinctively successful in their fields She worked successfully as an editor in two private and two public organisations where she gained both respect and promotions. She was actively involved in playgroups, school parent committees, and school boards (she edited the Scottish Office guidance for them). She had looked after her elderly parents in their final years and was involved in the board of the local care home. She participated in book groups and even managed to read the books. She was the glue and beating heart of the wider family.

She was a francophile and attended French classes after retirement at the Alliance Francais. She loved the simple pleasures of conversing and travelling to villages, and towns in France, soaking up the culture and glorious landscapes. In Scotland, her favourite haunts were the Isle of Coll, Edinburgh and the Torridons, Shieldaig being very special. She was besotted by Italy and Venice in particular but her most magical place was Namibia with its crystal clear air, expansive African skies and wildlife in the raw arid landscapes.

We reflected on these qualities and pleasures after leaving the cemetery. It was a cold but sunny day as we drove to some of her favourite places in the vicinity. We visited Loch Venachar and Blairgarry, Brig o' Turk, the Glen Finglas reservoir, Loch Katrine, the Duke's Pass, Aberfoyle, the woods behind Nimlah where we had lived for 30 years, Loch Ard and the Lake of Menteith. It was a wonderful way to think about her, remember happy days and share stories.

We had lunch in the Brig o' Turk tea room where we had many meals when the children were young, they were welcomed by the friendly owners. We had dinner in the Lake of Menteith Hotel on a frosty evening before Storm Bert barrelled in overnight. It snowed and the next morning it was a tricky journey into Stirling for Eva to catch her train back to London.