In Loving Memory of Nigel Evans

ODE TO NE

Matt Kam (2023)

Nigel, you are the heart and soul, the Handsome Prince of all things beautiful, all things quintessentially Divine.

We see you when we see the Greenman sculpted onto that archway;
We hear you when we hear the creaky Tudor beams;
We understand you like the way we understand the Latin spelling of the year that building was erected, etched above the doorway.

We delight in you like the way we take delight in the early Spring snowdrops and crocuses eventually giving way to the York April daffodils, the Tête-à-Tête popping up from the Azul glazed ceramic pot in good time, the homemade jar of marmalade.

We feel safe like the way Pearl and Manuka pur when they are stroked by you.

We smell you when the summer winds are adorned with the impermanent perfume of Gorse, or when we catch a glimpse of 4711 in the cool evening mist, or in the old musty second hand bookshop with leather bound books and gold leaf edges.

We hear you when we hear the Silent upbows of the string section before the conductor's decisive gesture marking downbeat for tutti, the sustained dying harmony conjuring wonderment in that opening of Les collines d'anacapri, the distant whistling of the steam engine in Tywyn railways, the bells at Salisbury Cathedral.

Till we meet and reunite again in your New Home, we will feel and will know your permanent and undying love; inside and out, above and beneath, around and everywhere, always and forever.

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A lovely man who touched us with a gentle and comforting energy that inspires us to be better and more compassionate people. Thank you, Nigel.
James and Jemma
5th February 2023
This is from Joni Mitchell's album "Taming the Tiger" which, Nige, you got me and loved. Here are the beautiful lyrics from one of her songs: MY BEST TO YOU Here's to You May your Dreams come true May old Father Time Never be unkind And through the years Save your smiles And your tears They're just Souveniers They'll make Music In your Heart! Remember this Each new day Is a Kiss Sent from Up Above With an Angel's Love So Here's To You May your skies be blue And your Love blessed That's my best to you
Matt
5th February 2023
Whenever I think of Nigel, I think of laughter. He could cheer a dull morning or light up a dragging afternoon with his impish sense of humour, and often did. Fits of giggles filled the library workroom when he discovered an app that would make anagrams from the letters of people's names, or recounted jokes gleaned, I'm sure, from the bars of rest in many orchestral pieces, or in the Green Room of a concert hall. Of these, my favourite was the alternative version of a well-known aria from Handel's 'Messiah', delivered with a completely straight face: "Come for tea, COME for tea my people..." Nigel was, amongst other things, a great colleague, an admirable expert (though he wore his knowledge lightly) and, more than anything, a faithful friend in times of need. He was a wonderful man and I am profoundly grateful to have known him.
Tonya Chirgwin
30th January 2023