The Great Library of Alexandria.

There is a wonderful old African saying;

"When a wise man dies, a library burns....."

My Uncle John Coles was wise.

An architect.

A practical man who was never happier than when mending something broken, (something that usually belonged to someone else.......)

Son of a garage-man, the great Eric Coles, who was as old as motor cars......

Mender of the sickly automobile.....

Curer of all mechanical ills......

Fixer of pretty much any stuff that needed fixing......

More:

Loving husband to Christine, father to Caroline, Sarah and Vikki, Grandad to Theo and Zak.....

Brother to David and to Ann.

Best Man to my Dad when Dad married Ann, my Mum..........

Father-in-law to  Phil, Jim and Nick.......

Uncle to me and Nikki.

Godfather to me.

To everyone else, he was Johnny.

To all of us, he was Johnny.

Johnny the decent, the kind, the generous, the thoughtful, the good of heart........

Johnny the wise, the clever, the sideways-thinking-solution-finder...........

Johnny the patient.........

PAUSE: ......................BREATHE .............

What lives beyond the fire? The ashes? The library destroyed?

We do.

We carry that which  we learned of you with us.

It will not fade nor fail us, and it will be with us always.

Thankyou, Johnny.

Thankyou.

Proud shall I stand as your pall-bearer.

Grateful.

And Proud.


But, oh, the library burns. The library burns......

And my tears shall not quench the flames.

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