We first met Jean when he came around for the Heart and Stroke collection a few years ago, not long after we'd moved in here. He stayed and chatted, and we talked and, to cut a long story short, he became a mentor to Steve in the art of farming with care and diligence, not to mention how to make hay, which Jean and Steve finally managed to do together this past Summer (and it was fun, not to mention the best hay ever!). We shared stories, the odd beer, food, laughs and the odd frustration at his farm equipment (how he managed to keep it running was amazing, and having worked on one of his old balers, it was an education!), and he was kind and generous enough to share his enthusiasm for the land and how to care for it properly (we are slow learners, but he was patient, at least to our faces!), and he reserved judgment, for the most part, on us "crazy animal lovers".
But the greatest honour was being able to take Jean to his citizenship ceremony this past August ("before I lose my hair" as he told the Citizenship Judge!) and to share that day with him. Jean was still planning, how to clear out his barn, build an attachment to use our wee tractor to help him, and for Christmas Eve dinner and chats, right up to the end. He was, if not undaunted, determined and stubborn and quickly became an inspiration, education, and friend. He will be sorely missed, but what he has taught and inspired in us and others will remain as a strong legacy.
The world was a better place with Jean in it, and is much smaller without.
Thanks Jean.
