My father says I was five when I met Uncle Mike. I'd gone in the car with dad to drop off cut orchid - oncidium golden shower - sprays at Fleuridee. Uncle Mike gave me a Toblerone bar!
Sometimes he visited the orchid nursery run by dad and my grandfather. He gave my grandfather a wire-haired terrier called Gorbachev (which got renamed Terry). He continued to be an occasional caller, even after the nursery closed down. Sometimes dad would drive with him to Fleuridee when it was at Suntec City.
In 1999, dad walked me down the aisle in a church decorated with Uncle Mike's floral arrangements (the old photo doesn't do them justice). They lost touch in recent years, but in reminiscing, dad is always full of admiration for someone he regards as a hugely gifted artist, and the kindest of good friends.
