Loving thoughts and memories of lovely uncle Alan who came into this world as one of non-identical twins who were numbers six and seven in the family. My father, Rob, was the firstborn and the twins arrival coincided with his going off to Goldsmiths College in London, never again to live long term back in Hawthorn Crescent. Yet despite this there was an undeniable bond between them. Alan was a regular visitor to our house when I was growing up and I have vivid memories of him arriving one Sunday morning in the late fifties, having just returned from his National Service posting in Kuala Lumpur. He was as brown as a berry and as skinny as a rake, much to my mother’s horror .The sense of joy and excitement that he was back and had come too see us was palpable I was only seven or eight but the occasion is engrained in my memory. In the early sixties Alan would arrive (on his scooter) on his afternoon off and I was always pleased to see the scooter parked up at the garage door. It wasn’t too long before he would sometimes arrive with Betty perched prettily on the back. Alan would gravitate to the garden and greenhouse with my dad and Betty would chat with my mum, who was always very pleased to see them both . Eventually when the brothers could be dragged in from their horticultural heaven we would all have tea ! Happy memories indeed. It is with some emotion (when I popped round on Betty’s birthday in February 2020) that Alan exclaimed the my dad had taught him everything he knew about gardening, especially tomatoes and Chrysanthemums ! My dad died nearly twenty years ago, but Alan’s declaration, and the fact that the bond forged over sixty years ago had clearly lived on for Alan, brought a tear to my eye. I hope there is a greenhouse in Heaven , as the two of them will have some “catching up” to do.

We hope that you find this tribute to Alan a place of comfort, support and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.