Little nuggets that I still retain: In the late seventies my father had been posted to Holland and we lived in a beautiful postcard duplex flat overlooking a canal in Delft. My grandfather, at that time, was very busy with his business affairs in Latin America, flying back an forth at quite a pace, and more often than not he and my grandmother would opt to fly KLM, via Amsterdam, so as to enjoy the layover of sometimes a day – other times less – with us. Sacha and I were tiny and we relished those moments with my grandparents. These visits were alway brief and when they had to leave I remember getting terribly upset. I can’t have been more than about five years old on this occasion and I remember crying as my grandparents were getting into the car that would take them to the airport. Before she got in, my grandmother turned to me and crouched down to look me in the eyes. She took my arms in her hands and gave me a little tug. “Now don’t you be sad” she said gravely before her eyes softened. “Always remember that life will be full of hellos and full of goodbyes.” She then kissed me and got in the car, and they were gone. Many years later at her funeral I remembered that episode so clearly.