Autumn

It's getting colder now. Time for winter pyjamas, doonas and the heater. People have told me that the change of season makes feelings of grief stronger, and now I understand why. The onset of Autumn this time last year coincided with my friend David's death, and I have found that the cold weather has brought back some of the strange feelings of helplessness, shock and confusion that I felt last year.

But this is a different autumn, and while I am reminded of last year, I can also use the passing of time to measure the ways that we've all managed to cope and how each person affected has begun to heal. The onset of winter also brings happy memories of times spent with David - many bushwalking trips in the Blue Mountains, evenings of chit chat and movies at the Turramurra house, and a snow fight in Geneva. Here are some pictures of David the way I'd like to remember him - enthusiastic, thoughtful, cheeky and gentle.