A marker

A moving moment for us- Crispin has made a fantastic wooden marker for Alixe's resting place, and he, Nicki and Philip put it in the ground this weekend, with John and Yvonne.

70th Party

At her 70th birthday gathering, which was also her non-retirement party, she was still rather self-conscious of the camera, but less able to hide. Ha!

Camera Shy

As ever Alixe tried to avoid my lens, and here I am trying to get her at her gluten-free breakfast on a trip to Catalina Island.

A Good Match

Alixe came into our lives as our extended family as Jon’s daughter Nicola married Crispin. We spent many happy times together, including Christmas and other special days. There was this lovely rivalry going on about tennis. Alixe was a member of Jersey Lane Tennis Club and I (Yvonne) was a member of Townsend Lawn Tennis Club. Nicola was very keen to see a match between Alixe and myself but we never seemed to get around to arranging this. Alixe always told me she hit the ball hard so perhaps I was a little bit nervous!!! However, last Christmas Nicola announced that we were finally going to have our match – on Wii. Neither of us had ever played on Wii before but we were both up for it! It was a good match and the result …….shall remain a secret! I am sure Alixe is still hitting the ball hard!
As you will see from the photo, like me (Jon), Alixe was a keen cyclist and enjoyed taking part in the carnival on her bike. I captured this photo as she passed me by. Alixe and I had many conversations and her dry sense of humour and my sharp cutting comments played together very well in most situations! Certainly the BBQ invitation is something I will always look back on with amusement!
Alixe did a lot to brighten all our lives and will be sadly missed.
Yvonne and Jon Raxworthy

Thank you Alixe

I never had the chance to say thank you to Alixe


Thank you Alixe for the patience that you had with me
Thank you Alixe for the time you always had for me
Thank you Alixe for the battles that you fought with me
Thank you Alixe for the friend you always were to me

Thank you Alixe for the playtime that you had with me
Thank you Alixe for the artist you brought out in me
Thank you Alixe for the confidence you gave to me

Thank you Alixe for the person I became to be


And Alixe? Thank for keeping my pictures on your wall
I'm not a snake in a tank anymore xx

Love Always
Samantha
xxx

So, you’re not at the allotment then? (From Crispin’s wife Nicki)

When Alixe used to phone us at weekends the conversation would always start, “So, you’re not at the allotment then?” It was of course a rhetorical question and meant in an “oh, I’m glad you’re there” kind of a way, but there was always something in the way she delivered the statement that made me feel obliged to offer some sort of excuse or explanation, such as, “We’ve been there all morning and have only just come back for a late lunch”, or “Crispin’s there now and I was just on my way to join him”, etc. Actually, despite being unable to shake this guilty reaction of mine, I know she was proud of our achievements and was always very interested to follow the seasons of the year through the activities at the allotment. I was also glad that she was such an enthusiastic recipient of the various fruits (and vegetables) of our labours - even when we would try to offload an abundance of courgettes before they inevitably grew into marrows if left unpicked overnight.

Others have mentioned Alixe’s energy and I also had much admiration for her continued desire to make her own marmalade and apricot jam having first haggled with the local market traders and then cycled home with trays of fresh produce strapped precariously to the back of her bicycle. Seeing Alixe cycling fast and furious, head down against the elements, with her cycle helmet and high-visibility safety harness & trouser clips is a sight I will miss.

Having presumably been an initial source of inspiration for Crispin’s culinary inclination, Alixe was always suitably animated and delighted by Crispin’s considerable talent for conjuring up gluten-free and lactose-free gastronomic feasts that catered for her in a way that she always seemed to relish. Afterwards, once she was comfortably settled into an armchair in our living room, a footstool would be attentively produced and a blanket casually slipped across her lap as she ‘purred’ gently, drifting in and out of the conversations that continued on around her (despite her protestations that she wasn’t really asleep, or snoring contentedly!) . Indulgent meals and lazy afternoons were indeed happy times, which I’m glad we made the most of.

To Alixe’s eventual amusement our smallholding inclinations diversified last year and we re-homed three ex battery hens. These virtually featherless (and somewhat oven-ready) birds initially had few redeeming features except our hope for fresh eggs at some point in the future. However, despite being initially quite reticent about what we had undertaken, Alixe soon warmed to our ‘girls’ (Pinky, Porky and Fluffy) and their eccentricities to the point where when she would come round for a visit, she would quickly say hello to us, before rushing out to see the ‘girls’ in the garden. Once outside she would invariably produce a lettuce or some other food she had just brought round as a treat for them and then crow approvingly at how well they looked and how well we were looking after them .

I will miss hearing her infectious laugh and still can’t believe that she is no longer here.

There are many happy memories to cherish and thankfully no typical Mother-in-Law jokes to tell.

From Alex Beckwith

To the family of Alixe Kent,

My name is Alex Beckwith and Alixe was my supervisor when I was a Trainee Clinical Psychologist in Hillingdon Hospital (October 2004 - April 2005).

One of my many memories of being with Alixe was her immense enthusiasm for travelling. As a keen traveller myself we would spend many hours chatting about different countries and exciting destinations. During my placement I went to South Africa and I can remember her excitement when I returned to see my pictures! Her excitement only increasing after I qualified when I travelled around the world for 5 months and upon my return she was keen to meet up and hear about the trip!!

Alixe and I stayed in touch after I qualified and I was lucky enough to get a job in Hillingdon and when I went over to the hospital I would try and find her to catch up on her news!

Last month I emigrated to Australia and I was lucky enough to have e-mail contact with her to let he know that I had moved.

I am still extremely upset to hear of Alixe's death. It is such a tragic loss and I would like to pass on my sincere condolences to her sons and family.

She really was one in a million!

My thoughts are with her family at this time
Yours sincerely
Alex