My Aunt Rosemary passed away recently. Her funeral was today, and at 4:30 am I logged in to see it, wishing I’d flown over to be there in person. A nice simple ceremony.

My aunt was a whip-smart lady, she had an amazing career in law. She and my uncle had met on a sailing trip, and spent their leisure time built around boats, and for her, ski trips. They had an amazing home an hour or so outside London, and I always looked forward to visiting.

The first picture I stole from my cousin Martin, but it really captures her as I remember her. That look is so familiar to me. She would listen, intently, and then frequently ask some really smart questions. That is, when you could get her to sit down, as she always had 15 things going and expertly juggling each.

The picture of Hazel I shared because it’s one of my all time favorites, and we have it up in our living room. But when I look at it I think of my aunt and uncle, because the photo was taken in the amazing garden at their home and you can see some of their amazing flowers in the background.

We’ve had a bumper crop of delicious apples this year which also reminds me of their home, as their place had a large and productive orchard. Given that I haven’t lived on the same continent as them for nearly half a century, and only really saw them every few years, it’s sort of funny how close I felt to them both and how often I’m reminded of them.

I also shared a photo from their wedding day, because I think it’s nice, and a picture of her at our wedding. I remember she really loved the unfamiliar to her parts of the wedding, and asked me what the different foods represented and was thrilled to be included in the tea ceremony. At the reception we had a swing band, and I remember her dancing a ton and smiling and loving it.

One final story, because I remember when I told her what happened, she laughed and loved the story.

When Kim and I got married, I was in business school so we delayed our honeymoon 4-5 months. We went to England, Ireland and Scotland. I had been vegetarian for 12-13 years at that point, which is relevant.

For a portion of the honeymoon, we stayed with my Aunt and Uncle, and most days would take the train into London to explore.

One evening at dinner it came up in conversation that I was really tempted to have steak and kidney pie on the trip, just once, as it had been a favorite dish growing up. My aunt said that if I was serious, she’d make one the next day for dinner. I remember her saying she didn’t make them often, my Uncle liked it but it wasn’t her favorite.

Anyway, I accepted and the next day we returned from London to a gorgeous steak and kidney pie with a scratch made crust of course. My aunt was a really good cook, the kind that would say to guests “oh let me whip something up” and then return with a perfect pavlova with berries picked fresh from the garden. Anyway, food was always excellent at her house. And so the pie was delicious. And I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was. And so a day later we were at a pub, and I had a taste of Kim’s meat dish.

And a day after that we were at a restaurant and I couldn’t resist the temptation to have another steak and kidney pie. It wasn’t as good as my aunt’s, and so a few days later I had another. I was chasing that taste.

By the end of the trip and after 10 or more inferior steak and kidney pies, I admitted to myself that I was no longer a vegetarian and I credit (or blame?) my Aunt’s amazing Steak and Kidney pie for ending a 12+ year streak. She got a real kick out of the story when I told her.

Thanks for reading my ramble. A little sad and nostalgic this early early morning.