I met Jeanette through The Star local newspaper. We were both reluctant to go down this road but, after several tentative letters from a box number, we met after three months. Then I was more than okay with the “check out your new friend” with two daughters Nina and Nicky at home. After Spaghetti Bolognese at my flat and a gradual falling in love, holidays followed to my favourite island, Gozo, next to Malta. This was the first time that Jeanette had been on an aeroplane. She was like a teenager and very excited. Then Canary Isles holidays and Madeira in the warm winter sun. A lovely relationship developed and we married a year later. Jeanette wasn’t keen on my courier’s job which entailed driving over 300 miles a night all over the south of England. She said it wasn’t good for my brain. Of course, she was right and she persuaded me to get a job with First Great Western Railways. So, five years into our marriage and I had a more rewarding job involving the public, which I was better suited to. Jeanette had free travel with her staff spouse’s pass, and she made full use of this with her friends Wendy and Thelma; and journeys to Basingstoke, Guildford and Bournemouth in the summer. There were also trips out with the grandchildren on the train, and regular visits to her favourite department store, John Lewis, with Nina. She thoroughly enjoyed her job in Contessa’s in Bracknell with her friend Linda, and as a shoe fitter in George Bowcock’s shoe shop in Wokingham. Nina always used her mum for expert advice with the grandchildren’s new shoes. Her last job was at a vitamin and health shop in Wokingham. Ironically, this led to high blood pressure so I said, “No more work – we can survive on my wage.” Following a bang on the side of Jeanette’s head, the doctor sent her for tests. I had already guessed from a website that Jeanette had MND. This was confirmed by St George’s Hospital in Tooting. After a week of very wearing tests, we left for home in the snow of 23rd January. Taxis were waiting for discharge lifts away from the hospital. No way were we waiting in the hospital for an hour or more. So, brave Jeanette held my hand as we trekked back via tube and high-speed train from Paddington to the comfort of 31 High Street. Jeanette will always be loved and revered. Perhaps her best achievement is bringing up two daughters after their father had died, and keeping a roof over their heads.