Time passes, & inevitably it takes our Loved Ones, those Nearest & Dearest to us, & even Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had said, [at the height of covid, (in-between the 2 waves of covid)] following on from the loss of her Consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, First Lord of the Admiralty, that "Grief is the Price we Pay for Love". After losing any Dear Friends, the yawning gap created by their absence, from our own lives, invariably takes a long time to close up, as other events gradually put The Loss into the past...Even Royalty are not exempted from experiencing grief & loss; (for if they were, they wd not be able to carry out their own Royal Duties to us, their Subjects, or share in our own sense of grief & loss, when any of these sad events befall the rest of us).
John was a Naval Man & he Served in the Navy for King George VI & then for Queen Elizabeth II, serving faithfully, loyally, & well, for both our Sovereigns. Even though John was many years retired, John wd undoubtedly have continued to show the same Loyalty to our New King Charles; esp. given that our Royals are themselves a Naval Family!
The same Loyalty was also always shown to John by his faithful, devoted, & loyal Dog, Lucky. Monarch & Subject; Master & Servant, Man & Dog, Lucky regarded John as her own King: maybe on a smaller scale yet still playing the same tune... John has now re-joined Old Shipmates & Post-War-Naval Comrades, probably Comparing Notes about their Combined Naval Service Years!... John wd have been 90 this yr; & Lucky wd also have been a very elderly Lady-Dog, maybe reaching 20 yrs, just like Argos in Greek Mythology. Together Again In Partnership For Ever!
As Her Late Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II had also said, along with the Late Dame Vera Lynn, "We Shall Meet Again, some Sunny Day", we shall indubitably do so, & whatever the weather, we shall all be reunited together. Meanwhile, both of us will still miss both of them: John & Lucky.
Collett & Diana Afanasenko
01/06/2026
