Word: len
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Most of the time, the expression "living life to the full" is a platitude. Len turned it into a masterclass, and we were his students. His professional face was that of the wine man, and according to those equipped to judge, he had few rivals in the world for depth of knowledge. Fewer still could match his palate; none could equal his contribution to Australia's wine industry. But to celebrate that expertise alone is to limit him. To my eye, his greatest love was people. His adored wife Trish, his children and grandchildren came first, without question...
...having so-and-so for lunch," he'd say. "I think you'll enjoy him." Sometimes we wouldn't, but Len's boundless energy and appetite for fun gave him the capacity to enjoy almost anyone and anything. He would find the secret amusing corner of the most difficult personality; he roared with laughter at books with odd titles-his collection began with a volume called Altar Linen: Its Care and Use, although his favorites were Underwater Sport on a Small Income; Dumps, A Plain Girl; and that handy cookbook Be Bold With Bananas...
...Len forgave us both our greed because he was endlessly amused by human folly, particularly his friends'. He would repeat tales of indiscretions and infidelities with rogueish, non-judgmental relish. He could even rejoice in another's meanness-a quality he detested-but only if it was of such spectacular proportions that it made a good story. Raconteur is a word that normally provokes a shiver of dread, but you could listen to Len all night. I never heard him stumble over a name or punchline, even when by rights he should have been stumbling over the furniture. And every...
...That love of people, of life, found expression in Len's absurd generosity. Contrary to the general assumption, his cellar was not especially well-stocked, because he was always drinking the stuff. Not drinking; sharing. Len must have poured more great wine down unsophisticated throats than anyone in history: I have a beer-loving friend who still has no idea he has drunk Romane?-Conti. Len wasn't stupid-his glass tended magically to look a little fuller than the next-but he'd rather have called someone in off the street than drink a great bottle by himself...
...They'd eaten on the plane, but our seven-year-old decided to make him a sandwich. She tore holes in the bread with chunks of too-cold butter, stuck on a slice of ham and smeared the lot with enough hot English mustard to make a shark weep. Len ate it as though it were the finest dish ever offered to him, licked his lips and said, "Lucy, that was so delicious I simply have to have another." She beamed with joy and triumph; it was an expression he made appear on many faces throughout his glorious life...