Joanna Legard

Joanna Legard

As many of you in the community will know, my dear friend Joanna Legard died on 18th June 2025.

She had a very well attended funeral (over 200 people) in Forres on 11th July, and a number of other special private farewells from the many individuals, groups and activities she belonged to in and around Findhorn and Forres.

I knew Joanna for 42 years, both here and in Edinburgh. We moved up to Findhorn in the same year, 1999. Over that time, and especially up here, we shared our love and enthusiasm for Red Squirrels. She often watched them visit her back garden from Cluny hill. As birthday presents she gave me a red squirrel nutcracker and, last year, a paper DIY squirrel which I made up at Logie Steading café last September during my birthday lunch.

I miss her so much, and her wild sense of humour…..

Last Sunday 12th October, just before her birthday on 17th Oct, the last of her ashes were scattered by me and 3 other friends in the Cluny oak woods near her former house. I live in a flat in downtown Forres just beside Tesco and, literally, as I was walking out of my back door en route to the “ashes” ceremony, there on my bird nut feeder, at close range, was a large as life very active Red Squirrel! That would be unremarkable on Cluny hill, but in the centre of Forres, in my back communal garden, although it has trees, it is the first time I have ever seen a squirrel there. How did it get there? That I will never know, but I do know for sure in terms of synchronicity, that it was a very clear and unmistakable, happy greeting from Joanna:

“All is well”

and

“Life is eternal, Love is immortal, and death is only a horizon.
And a horizon is only the limitation of our sight.”

Watch all the synchronicities in your life, both great and small…they are all full of meaning…we just need to listen and notice…

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Photo credit: image on the top by Andy Willis on Unsplash – Thank you!