Rita was a wonderful friend to me for twenty years. We met when she was looking after no 5 Cottage, when it was a rental, and remained in touch. When I stayed on the island, we enjoyed doing 1,000 piece jigsaws (always with a dog and a hen in the picture), whiling away rainy afternoons and scoffing beans on toast. I also helped Rita with her garden, and enjoyed chats over tea and biscuits, and meeting her rescue bird Lucky. And of course it was lovely just to sit and watch the birds flocking to her industrial scale bird feeder complex!
Rita was one of the kindest people I ever had the honour to meet, and I really appreciated her unwavering faith. I learned so much from her … especially how not even to say “Blimey” in her presence. No need for those words, she’d say. And, as always, she was right.
Caldey will be a poorer place without her. I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking out for her, and I’ll always be seeing her in my mind’s eye. She loved Caldey, and never wanted to leave, and now she can rest in peace on her beautiful island. God bless you forever, dear Rita.
wrote
Report
Comments