It’s four years since our lovely neighbour, Bill-next-door, died and I took a little remembrance bouquet round to Sue. We also had a lovely lunchtime picnic with mutual friends to remember this special man. You can read more about him here.
Rosemary, Foget-me-not and Blue Muscari in the colour Bill loved
I love dew drops on flowers.
I promised you more photos of the bathing hats on their swim trials.Thanks to Sue and Meier for the photos. 
Horses’ Heads
Our LiveWires have gone home and it is very quiet today. They had a good time as did we and I was very touched when T, LiveWire no 3 said, “I really want to be a Granny when I’m old enough. It’s fun being a Granny!” Yes, it is!
Climbing on Carn Brea
Swinging at Heartlands
This poem came my way today and touched a chord. I have a favourite walk that I take my mind on when I can’t sleep, around St Anthony Head. Happily, I need this less than when I was working and now , of course, we are close enough to do the walk for real. Then I was in South Yorkshire.
Association by Franz Wright
Dawns when I can’t sleep I walk,
in thought, all the way
around Walden.My father loved Thoreau, I wish
he could have walked there
with me once,my hungover Virgil. Lying in bed
with a big ax
lodged in my head, I still hear himas if from the next room
bumping into things and cursing.
Give us this day, he mutters,our daily stone. Nice.
Can’t blame him, though. This morning
can’t sleep for missing him.
It’s two years since our lovely neighbour, Bill Mitchell, died and he is missed and remembered with great love by so many. This description of grief from a child whose Grandfather had died, I found very touching.
Wisdom of a child
For newer readers, here is the post I wrote about Bill two years ago.
https://mybeautfulthings.com/2017/05/03/bill-mitchell-our-friend-next-door-2121951-1442017/
Hundreds and hundreds of people came today to say goodbye to a much loved man. There was music and laughter, there were stories and tears, there were memories and tributes and there was an abundance of love. People met in the park, marched to a Cornish band up to the house where Bill was collected in his jewel like coffin and carried to the Church in the lee of Carn Brea, all accompanied by the band and a very lovely choir. The WildWake was in a marquee by the beach in a howling gale where the musicians continued to play and the laughter and tears continued to flow and a marvellous shared supper was enjoyed. I have been encouraged by Sue to show you the beautiful coffin, covered in paintings done by Bill’s friends, by Sue and one of Bill’s own pieces and to share the amazing procession with you.
Our memories of our lovely neighbour – https://mybeautfulthings.com/2017/05/03/bill-mitchell-our-friend-next-door-2121951-1442017/
From the moment we came back to live in Cornwall in 2008 and serendipitously landed next door to Sue and Bill, we were made to feel welcome and loved. We were asked in for a drink even before we had moved in. On moving day, the pantechnicon couldn’t get up our drive, so next door’s fence came down and we moved in from their drive.
Breakfast in Charlotte’s Tea House, Truro
Bill’s big hugs were so lovely and happened sometimes out of the blue such as when we had gone to Plymouth to see Beautiful Journey or London to see Babel and suddenly there behind us was Bill and then came the hugs.
It was some time before we began to realise that both Bill and Sue were something rather special in the art and theatre world! Bill was such a modest individual but over drinks and mince pies at Christmas or over dinner, he would regale us with wonderful stories of his work in the theatre, his designs and his inspirations opening our minds to new worlds.
I loved hearing the gentle whirr of the hand pushed mower as Bill mowed the lawn next door. He was right, it did make for a lovelier lawn.
Bill nurtured everyone’s talents. He knew that I loved to knit for our Grandchildren and one day asked if I could knit something for him. WildWorks were working on a project in Kensington Palace and needed knitted Crown Jewels! Bill asked if I could make the orb. It took some ingenuity and several trials but I managed it and it was there in Kensington Palace! It was held by each person who sat in the knitted throne when they visited the installation.
A child holding the Orb that I knitted for the exhibition
Bill gave me a most precious gift the last time we were in the car with them. Somehow we were talking about names and I told him how I had always disliked my middle name only ever using my initial, H. He asked what it was and though I had told no-one for 50+ years, such was Bill that I did tell him. It’s Hilda (and this will come as news to many, many people!) Bill told me that the name means fighter and warrior and that it suited my nature and that I should be proud of it – so I have regained the name my Granny gave me and I can now wear the beautiful gold and tiny diamond H which I inherited from her. When I was a little girl my Granny told me that she would give the little H on a black ribbon if only I would say I liked my name. I was named after her – but I was a stubborn and rather horrid little girl and I wouldn’t say it. With Bill in mind, I will now own my name with pride and honour my Granny.
H for Hilda
Bill couldn’t eat onions, leeks or garlic so making a meal was sometimes a bit of a challenge. I don’t like lamb but the lovely Mr S does. On one occasion I cooked a herby roast chicken in our house and Sue cooked lamb with garlic in theirs. We took the chicken round and Bill and I enjoyed that while Sue and my Mr S loved the lamb dinner.
Latterly, when Bill was unwell, he fancied puddings more than a roast dinner. He put in a special request for Treacle Tart, Lemon Sponge and Syrup Sponge and told me when we met over the garden fence that the puddings were, ‘Nectar; pure ambrosia.”
It was Bill who introduced me to Claire Ingleheart in whose choirs I have been singing ever since and with whose choirs I took part in Heligan 100. It was Bill who introduced us to the magic of community and landscape theatre through his wonderful WildWorks productions and it is Bill we will say goodbye to on Friday 5th May along with the hundreds of others who loved him.
Mecanopsis, a blue Poppy
Sue told me recently that Bill thought blue was the colour of memory, the Underworld, the blue yonder, ‘into the blue…’ so this beautiful blue Poppy, from our garden, is for Bill, with love.
For those who would like to know more about Bill’s professional life, these obituaries and the video tell the story:
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/apr/18/bill-mitchell-obituary
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