| In loving memory of my brother Tommy As a young girl I remember Tommy’s love for all animals great or small. I remember the aviaries he constructed on the third floor of our home in Berkeley Avenue. He bred canaries and budgerigars in so many pretty colours, they were spectacular. Unfortunately when we moved he could no longer keep them. We then decided to raise chickens for eggs and Tommy constructed their houses so carefully. When he found a problem with one of the hens, he would sit for hours, waiting for her to come into the nesting boxes; she would then be carefully removed. I had never seen eggs with 3 yolks in them before. Later at a smallholding just outside Reading he started to train greyhounds. Racing was always in his blood. Our father was a very well-known bookmaker. As with most sports, there are winners and losers. From a very young age he had a talent for painting. The first became evident to me in the early 60s when he used to stand in our mother’s kitchen and paint the most vibrant bull fighting scenes. How his talent developed over the years was truly amazing. I have a beautiful portrait he painted of my daughter when she was eighteen. He also painted two of my dogs. With Cherry, his partner of 23 years, he established a studio. Then came an art gallery, complete with a framing department. They also opened a Flower Shop next door to the gallery, in a shopping precinct in Emmer Green. This always fascinated me, because I too have been a florist for over 20 years. I guess our love of flowers is inherited from our mother. Even with his busy schedule, he found time to visit our mother every week after our father passed away. When she went to live with our sister, he would still go and visit regularly and take her some of her favourite foods. The gallery became very popular. They were commissioned by very prominent people to have portraits painted of their loved ones. The seascapes, farming, wildlife and racing scenes came alive on the canvas. Although I have lived in the USA for 35 years, each visit I made home was always exciting. I loved to see what new venture he was involved in. When our mother passed away two years ago, after her funeral, he told me it would probably be the last time we would all be together. I knew he was very sick. Alas, it was the last time I saw him. Because of his illness he had to stop painting and shortly before his death had to leave the gallery and flower shop. His last days were spent in the Duchess of Kent Home in Reading, Berkshire. Tommy, your palette and brushes may be set aside, but every day we are blessed with your remarkable legacy. I know I speak for my brothers and sisters when I say, the world, although sad, is a far nicer place because you were part of our family. We love and miss you very much. Hazel |