Life is beautiful: Pat's favourite three words to me. Pat was a gardener, a nurturer: he tended to his family, his business, his friendships and his home and he did all of those things well. He was a man who could pull happiness out from inside you like a magician pulls out a surprise bunch of flowers. And like the magician, that trick was done with enormous flair and was always intentional. I cannot remember a time on leaving him when I did not feel happier for having seen him and that was his gift. It is easy to go through life reinforcing your existing prejudices and taking comfort from regular disappointment, but I never observed Pat doing this: he looked for the good in things and people and he knew what to do with it when he found it. His love of life, his vision of taking what you have and seeing the best in it and his passion to share that feeling with others, meant that he occupied a space greater than the ground he stood upon. Like all good things my relationship with Pat has come to an end, but I am glad that I knew him and I know that he will always remain a dear friend. Martin