The Writing Bobble by Fran Brady
I was at a funeral a few weeks ago and the widow bravely did the eulogy. She kept it poignantly succinct, with just the right sprinkle of humour to remind us what a lovely, jolly man he was. Bob'll do it One thing she said has really stuck with me. His name was Robert, known always as Bob. Or, said she, as 'Bobble'. When we all looked a little puzzled, she explained: he was very clever and resourceful, able to turn his hand to any job that was thrown at him. Hence, whenever something needed mended, cleaned, thrown out, replaced, installed, improved, fiddled with, climbed up to, wriggled down to or renovated, the family wouldn't hesitate. "Bob'll do it,' they would say. Indeed he would - and did, all his life. It occurred to me this week that I may be becoming the Writing Bobble in my own family. Everything from tricky government forms to tarted-up CVs; from bereavement consolation letters to beefe...