I first saw Christine standing on the open back of a greengrocer's lorry, laughing with the driver as she selected vegetables for my college kitchen at Cambridge. She had thick blonde hair and a great pair of legs. Wow I thought, she looks hot! Within months we ended up dancing together at a chaotic student house party and after a short whirlwind romance I proposed and we were quickly married. University College was not particularly impressed that one of their graduate students had married the head cook but we couldn't have cared less. We were both young, clueless, and ridiculously naïve. Despite having little money we made a home for ourselves and spent our time walking and birdwatching. My first job took us to Essex and our first small house built of ticky-tacky. The surrounding countryside was lovely and we would get up early every Saturday morning to be at Abberton reservoir for sunrise, keen to spot our next rare migrant. However we did not like living in commuter Essex and much preferred the wilder marshes and estuaries of Suffolk. After a difficult job search I finally managed to find work in Ipswich and we bought a super Victorian town house which needed some tender loving care. It was the beginning of our happiest years together. Christine was an exceptionally talented cook and our dinner parties were renowned throughout the neighbourhood. We spent our free time walking every inch of the Suffolk coast and eventually had two smashing kids together, although they have gone off a bit since. Christine gave up work and became a loving and caring mother. It's hard to believe that Christine is no longer with us. She was an important part of my life and I will never forget her and our many happy years together.