аЯрЁБс>ўџ )+ўџџџ(џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСY П^bjbjѓWѓW ‘=‘=^џџџџџџ]       44444 @4бЖhhhhhhhh–˜˜˜˜˜˜$‡є{lМ hhhhhМV  hhhVVVhю h h–44    h–V@V–  –h\ ŸТtsТ44V–LETTER TO STAFFORD BEER (please forward) Dear Stafford, I was so very pleased to see your picture in the paper. But hold on old son, what’s this? Having done a double take thrice over, I realised the awful significance of the page you were featured on. Surely this must be one of those infamous Guardian misprints? A gross exaggeration? But it was, sadly, only too true. It’s a funny old business really. Your Requiem had predated your obituary by almost exactly 10 years. And it really is a funny old business. We had had our last laugh together not knowing it was our last laugh together. We had raised our glasses for the last time not knowing it was to be our last synchronised swallow. I have felt overwhelmed by so many happy and stimulating memories since our life trajectories first criss-crossed 21 years ago. I also have stacks of wonderful entertaining letters that winged their way here from Ceredigion and Toronto, all graciously transmitted from your elegant nib. Many of our enthusiasms chimed harmoniously, from Flann O’ Brien to Tristram Shandy, from the liquid mathematics of Bach to Eno’s ambient drones, the metrics of poetics, and of course the enlightening conundrums of Zen, Daoism and the journey to the east. Hey! Remember that evening at Cwarel Isaf when we drank lengthy draughts of the shared illusion from the void within the glass? As the night wore on we gradually synchronised our bladders and stood, in the garden, Jimmy Riddling beneath the starry firmament discussing Plato........or was it Aristotle? Contrast this with that afternoon in the Athenaeum, where we quaffed and gnashed our way through the wine list and menu. Once again we stood in perfect accord, this time in the gentlemens’ powder room, ‘inspecting’ the exquisite marble (none of your common porcelain here), as you held forth (in a manner of speaking) on negative entropy.......or was it the reverberations of icosahedral space? And how many grapes went into the void? By the way, at that club of clubs how did they ever know if you were wearing a tie? Fish and chips in Aberaeron, where you recited your fiendishly intricate cynghanedd poetry much to the affectionate bemuse-ment of the locals. That very first syntegration in Manchester where you unravelled your geodesic geometry and its elasticity took us all, yourself included, very much by surprise. Stafford, it was as a dynamic event that you made your mark. An event that both informed and energised those of us lucky enough to have coincided with your transit. You said: ‘coincidence’ may be the inability to see what really matters. I wonder how many recursions of suffering are there enfolded in the metagame before the reticulum of redemption is resolved? You described your existence as a smear of probability. You said: each incarnation is the last. And here we are now; your death has happened to us and within our model we endure the presence of your absent glass. But we drank your potent brew and this has enriched our way of knowing how to know. You said: yoga means union. You said: there is no separation from continuous flux. This you wholly embraced as the flux embraced you. Stafford, as a smear of probability you were far more than the sum of your masks. Oh look here, I really must catch the last post. I’ll say my fond goodbye, and hope to catch you later in that equifinal bar. Love and peace, Your fellow psalmist. P.S. You will know before I do when I am coming your way, so can you get the round in and make mine a bloody large one! ‘Time’ will never be called and we’ll have all eternity to drain that infinite glass............. Љ David Whittaker 2002 ),;WЁЉпр;>"1j k ї ,-567і!FHTWы§3^§љіѓѓљѓљѓљѓљѓљѓљѓљѓёёёёёёё6CJ CJ6CJ CJ$")*+,;t—AWyzстМН=нооп ™ С  І G H §њјјјієєєєјјјјјјјјјјјјјјјјјј$)*+,;t—AWyzстМН=нооп ™ С  І G H э 67Дьс§gЙКыь:;KLbcdм?@ABCD\^§њѕ№юююююююююююююююююююююююююююююююИџџџёџџџ;H э 67Дьс§gЙКыь:;KLbcdм?@ABCD§§ћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћD\^§§А‚. АЦA!А"А# $ %А [$@ёџ$NormalmH 0@0 Heading 1$@&CJ<A@ђџЁ<Default Paragraph Font0>@ђ0Title$ 56>*CJ*B@* Body TextCJ ^џџџџ^ H D^ ^ ’œ"*+1Z_КР§ПЩ†‘(1_i’–ЖТ{ ƒ  ˜ * 3 W[`џџPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docPenny1C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\AutoRecovery save of Stafford.asdPenny1C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\AutoRecovery save of Stafford.asdPenny1C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\AutoRecovery save of Stafford.asdPennyC:\My Documents\Stafford.docџ@€[[Œчs[E^`@G‡z€џTimes New Roman5€Symbol3& ‡z€џArial"qˆаh/ыisj&ЇjfISи YЅРДД€0‹џџLETTER TO STAFFORD BEERPennyPennyўџ р…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0x˜ИФдр№   ( 4 @ LX`hpфLETTER TO STAFFORD BEERETTPenny TennNormalTPennyT73nMicrosoft Word 8.0B@В•[/@ђLjТ@Ёы­gТ@ UРtsТи ўџ еЭеœ.“—+,љЎDеЭеœ.“—+,љЎX hp˜ Ј АИРШ а єфAge Concern Oxfordshire‹j LETTER TO STAFFORD BEER Title˜ 6> _PID_GUIDфAN{0F4A3C45-D3AB-11D6-BE09-605C52C11DFF} ўџџџўџџџўџџџ!"#$%&'ўџџџ§џџџ*ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РF И2yЏgТриЏТtsТ,€1TableџџџџџџџџџџџџWordDocumentџџџџџџџџSummaryInformation(џџџџDocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџџџџџ CompObjџџџџjObjectPoolџџџџџџџџџџџџриЏТtsТриЏТtsТџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџ џџџџ РFMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8є9Вq