You can never predict what life is going to throw at you next and sometimes it can be senselessly cruel and unfair. Peter's life was turned upside down in the late 1990s when his 43 year old wife suddenly became ill. She was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Words cannot describe how the couple and their three children must have felt, but Carol reacted with dignity to her condition and began to put her affairs in order, and the house. Carol was amazingly house-proud and because she was too ill to do any housework herself, she kept Peter's troubled mind occupied with rigorous chores.
One day, dusting the fireplace - under her strict supervision - Peter commented on two pot elephant ornaments. He'd always detested them and said he wanted rid of the pair. Carol made him promise he would never do such a thing, even after she was gone. Peter could see she was serious and agreed to keep them.
After a few weeks Carol sadly passed away and was buried. Understandably devastated, their children stayed at their Aunt's house whilst Peter remained in the family home to mourn on his own. A few days after the funeral Peter came down stairs and was utterly shocked to see one of the two pot elephants had mysteriously moved from where it normally stood to directly in front of the armchair where Carol used to sit. Peter could do nothing but laugh at this gentle reminder from his late wife. Keep on top of the housework and keep hold of those pot elephants! Even today Peter has remained true to his late wife's wishes and the ornaments are spotless and intact, but he still hates the damn things.
