I’ve started and stopped and rewritten this so many times because nothing seems to sufficiently convey my feelings. Celia was the most wonderful friend and her influence on my life has been huge.
I was lucky enough to be mentored by Celia when I was a GP registrar. Her warmth, knowledge, enthusiasm and love for her work was infectious. She taught me to listen, be inquisitive and look at the bigger picture. “What else is going on in their lives” has been an invaluable guide throughout my career.
It was over a coffee and some Garibaldi biscuits that the idea to run a marathon was conceived. I remember our first run in Bute Park. She set off at breakneck speed, I barely managed to keep up and thought there’s no way I could stick with her at that pace for very long. Just as my stitch was about to split my lung in two she thankfully decided to ease the pace - thank God! Soon afterwards Emma joined us on our marathon quest and that was the start of many great runs and explorations. Celia liked a run with a purpose, a run with a reward (hot chocolate with marshmallows) and an air of danger (being chased by a galloping horse near Caerphilly mountain resulted in the best leap over a gate ever seen). There was always a stop to smell the flowers, marvel at a tree or savour a view. The best run ever, involved a stop for a massage at the Vale Hotel, then a run to Llanerch Vineyard for wine tasting before ending up in the Cameo! Dublin marathon was the start for Celia then there was no stopping her.
We would often go away on CPD courses and combine them with a visit to the theatre (the more bizarre the better, The Goat was a particular favourite!), a gallery or a fine dining restaurant. On days off we’d go for a run or a trip somewhere, often with her lovely mum. Celia and Dil would get enthusiastic about projects like keeping hens then they’d research it to the max - we all benefited from the excellence of the Eglu! During one skiing holiday in Praz we witnessed Roger’s amazing world record attempt at creating a human snowball on snowblades. Celia was such fun to be with, always interested in people and learning. “I’ll try anything once apart from incest and Morris dancing” she used to say!
I remember sitting at her kitchen table when I was heavily pregnant with Twm, I was having a few twinges and she predicted he’d be out by morning and she was right! She was such a huge support when I had the boys, she was the voice of reason if I was worried or stressed about anything, she always helped me see the wood for the trees. The flavour of our day trips changed from shopping in Cowbridge to going to Cefn Mably Farm or, our favourite, St Fagans. The boys loved going on the horse and cart and we became best mates with Arnie and Luke, the shire horses. These are some of my sweetest and most precious memories. She was an amazing Godmother to Twm and Siôn. Leaving Celia to move to Anglesey was the most difficult decision I’ve ever made.
Despite the distance, the love and friendship remained. She was always there to turn to. We had many more great weekends and trips together. A trip to Euro Disney stands out as being truly magical, not because of the Disney sparkle but because we shared it with Celia, Roger, Emma, Carwyn, Tomos and Henri (and because of Roger’s starring role in the cowboy show!)
I feel so sad that she’s gone and feel so deeply sorry for Roger, Emma, Beth, Rhys, Tomos, Henri, Carwyn and Jess. I also feel incredibly grateful to have had her in my life and to have such great memories.
Celia, I love you and I’ll miss you with all my heart. X