What this blog is about

On January 9th, 2014, my dear friend K.B. suddenly had to go to the hospital for abdominal pain. At the hospital the medical staff could not determine what was wrong. They decided to do a CT scan. Tragically, it turned out that K.B. was one of those rare people with a fatal allergy to the contrast dye which is injected into patients about to undergo these scans. Within hours, K.B. had passed away, leaving those who loved her shattered by this sudden loss.

K.B. was a writer, blogger, and an artist in the kitchen. She had found the love of her life two years ago and had married him in May. She was a devoted mother to all four of the children in their blended family. Her huge heart meant that she had countless friends who all felt privileged to have had her in their lives.

This blog is based on a journal I have been keeping since her death. It does not record every aspect of my life in the 5 weeks since she passed away; it is focused on the experience of grieving the loss of such a treasured friend.

Why lemon curd? Because the last time I saw K.B. was when she dropped by our house just before Christmas, with a coat thrown over her pyjamas, bearing a jar of lemon curd she had made. The ever-kind K.B., who frequently distributed homemade delights to friends and neighbours, had made some lemon curd, remembered how much I love all things lemon, and then driven over on a cold night to share some of the bounty. The last text I got from her was a response to my question about the lifespan of lemon curd in the refrigerator (I was wondering if it could last until I got time to bake a cake). That last jar of lemon curd represents to me not only the natural sweetness of K.B., but also the sourness of losing her in such tragic circumstances.

She had long encouraged me to blog. It is only right that my first blog should be a tribute to her.