Hi all!
Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.
I was a bit stunned on the night, we were very close and even though he was of moderate ill health for someone of 82 years, it was still something of a shock.
Incidently my grandfather (a former bookmakers clerk) was a maths genius and responsible for my pre-school education. So you probably have him to thank indirectly for the Challenge Rating/Encounter Level stuff.
At the moment I am a bit drained from the events (I penned his eulogy last night which wasn't easy), but I am sure after we have the wake on Monday I will be in good spirits again.
As a people we are very pragmatic about mortality here in Northern Ireland, we don't mourn the death, but rather we celebrate the life. So as soon as I get the time I'll be back on the wagon, no worries.