Dad was an independently minded renaissance man with a strong sense of curiosity. Whether that was seeing the potential in airships and telecommunications in west Africa, embracing all things iphone or joining a classical history club with the U3A. We had many lively discussions on political, social, scientific and religious matters. I never seemed to learn that arguing with a barrister is a futile exercise unless you want to be defeated with pure logic. He was a man of adventure: he used to tell me how he was sent out to play as a child in Kenya with a jar of marmite and told not to return before dinner- you can only imagine the kind of antics he Rufus and Sandy would have got up to. As an adult he sailed from New York to Bermuda crossing the infamous triangle and he maintained a close connection to the sea all his life. He was a man with a strong contrary streak - he enjoyed fine dining but was also partial to a bacon sandwich from B&Q car park! He loved Maria Callas but also sea shanties. He was either impeccably dressed with pocket square and cravat or in something paint stained as he embarked on another DIY project. He loved pomp and ceremony and he loved spending time tramping around muddy fields with a hound at his heels. He was a family man who demonstrated his enormous love for us through both words and deeds. Words of encouragement and enthusiasm for all our endeavours meaning we were never in doubt of his affection for us. It was those small unsung acts of kindness which meant the most to me: a hot water bottle on arrival after a cold trek down from london and a frothy coffee when we woke up, long car journeys ferrying us around the country accompanied by fishermen friends and sharing his rich life stories. He was a man of honour and conviction. His faith was seep -rooted and personal. It provided him great comfort particularly in the last few months when he regularly read from the common book of prayer and his King James Bible . I think with his 87 years of pilgrim toil on this earth attributing 2 Timothy to him is appropriate : he has fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith.

My fondest memories of dad - of summer afternoon picnics next to the river at Knowle Farm, everyone covered in bits of hay & bottles of cider being kept cold in the river, of building 6ft snowman & sledging down hills on feed bags, postcards sent whenever he travelled, his stories of Africa, his unwavering support & interest in whatever I was doing for work, if I ever mentioned being homesick he would immediately offer to drive to a London & bring me home, his painting which he had just restarted (thankful that I framed one & hung it on my wall), the bedtime stories and getting him hooked on the Harry Potter books. Most of all, I will miss his hugs, how delighted he was every time we called and his goodnight texts to us all. He always made sure that we knew that he loved us unconditionally. Will miss & love you always Dad

We hope that you find this tribute to Alastair a place of comfort, support and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.