Sometimes professionalism is hard.  It was hard half an hour ago when I received a phone call to let me know one of my old ladies had died suddenly this morning.  A routine operation for a knee replacement, which had all gone well, she'd expected to be home tomorrow, and then wham, an infection and she's gone.

Joan - I've tried replacing her name for anonymity but there's no other name that works - had a wonderful smile, always sat on the second row, appreciated the provision of 15" screens at eye level, jioned in with my more crazy ideas, and i will miss her greatly.

If heaven is a place rather than a state of being, and if it is now rather than at the end of time, then today it is the richer and brighter for having her.  Farewell loved friend, rest in peace.