From 'La Mole' to Penge

We got to the church for the funeral an hour early, and so we went to the pub almost opposite.
It was sunny and warm, and we sat outdoors for something to eat (superb ploughman's lunch).



We were not the only ones to kill some time there before the funeral... well we all needed a drink.
I/we didn't know Mike well at all, but I found the funeral service very moving. The tributes and the music, and especially the thought of a life so prematurely ended really got to me and I got a little emotional.
After the ceremony we walked down to Highgate cemetery, which we had only visited a few months ago. The cemetery is beautiful and in some parts very overgrown. The grave was in what almost amounted to a clearing in the woods: after the short ceremony, we filed past the grave to throw our handful of soil.
At the reception at Lauderdale House, in Waterlow Park we talked to Wendy and to a few other people Adrian knew.

The journey back into town was a nightmare, due to the underground strike. We got stuck on a crowded, hot, "bendy" bus; it took 25 minutes to negotiate one block in Bloomsbury and I felt I was going to pass out. The tie came off, and soon as the door were opened at the next bus stop, I got out for some fresh air.
By the time I got home (poor Adrian had to go to work) it was almost 8 pm and was exhausted, and emotionally drained.