This will have to be quick because I'm going to Stratford in the morning and of course I have to get my swim in before I leave to catch the Festival bus.

This morning I pulled a box that had already been vetted some years ago. It's labelled Bill: Mementos, and it comprises my late husband's life in microcosm, from his birth certificate, Sunday school certificate, report cards, a diary he kept for his 14th year, career moves, to his wedding tie, and a heap of love cards and self-writ poems, to a manila envelope full of obituaries. I didn't cry. I don't cry any more. I was sober but calm and -still - feeling very loved and very grateful.

We're having a family reunion at the end of the month to celebrate son John's 60th birthday and the official welcome of my two great-grandchildren. I wanted to check this box to see if there are any artefacts or mementos that someone would like to keep. I said I was going to be ruthless with my files this time around because it would be the last time. I forgot about this box. Perhaps it's penultimate.

I'll think about it tomorrow.