A Life's Work

a short life
holds weight
when it is broad
and full
of long memories

It was a reflective day, dominated by the funeral of a close colleague, Nigel Lindsey, who had died peacefully last week due to a steady progression of motor neurone disease. It was a moving service, and my thoughts are with his wife Julia and the young family that he leaves behind.

As a keen birder, Nigel would have appreciated the bird song that filtered into the service, through the doors that remained open due to the numbers in attendance. He leaves a great legacy of work, including a lovingly illustrated Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region.

It was Nigel that appointed me to my current position, and I'll do my best to continue to work for the things that were so important to him.