Ah! and Aaaaaah.... (that's a shout of joy, followed by a big sigh of relief)

After the funeral, the nephews and nieces went to my uncle's flat, ostensibly to sort out a few things, but also, I think, because for those of us living at a distance, we knew it would be the last opportunity. We each took a few keepsakes. Working for the British council, he'd lived in Israel, South Africa and Tanganyika (as it was then), and as a child, I'd always been intrigued by some of the items on display in his flat. Bongo drums, African statuettes, beautiful wooden boxes. I am now the proud owner of a couple of small wooden wart-hogs, who have taken up residence on my kitchen windowsill, and a few trinket boxes. And the
P G Wodehouse paperback that my uncle was reading on the morning of the day he died.

It was moving, being in his flat. I came across a board tucked down beside the writing desk, on which was the seating plan for his 90th birthday party. So many memories, and I sensed a strong feeling of him. It was almost as if he was in the next room.

While we were all milling about, I took a phone call from Husband (who hadn't been able to come). We'd been negotiating with a potential buyer for our house in America, and they'd come up with another offer. Husband wanted my go-ahead to settle, and I didn't need long to think about it. It was the very figure we'd pre-decided would be ok. It was a wonderful moment. It's been a long year, with the house on the market, then off the market, then having a lot of cosmetic work done, then on the market again... trying to sell it, trying to let it, trying to sell it again. I ended the phone call, raised my arms in the air, and said "We've sold our house!", and my siblings and cousins rejoiced with me.

Looking round my uncle's flat for the last time, and that being the moment we finally sold our house in America, it felt that my uncle's spirit must have been involved. Had he somehow made it happen for us? Or perhaps he was just able to enjoy the moment with us, from the other side. Synchronicity and coincidence always get me wondering. I don't know how these things work. Who does know?

We've sold our house!

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