One of my first vivid memories of Pierre was during a karaoke session when he excitedly rushed over to sit next to me on the sofa; he was so happy for us all to be singing together. He put his all into the singing; covering his ear trying to get the right note whilst listening to those beside him, trying his best to be in tune and in harmony. His eyes were twinkling and he was so full of joy.
We both enjoyed music and singing and there were a number of songs that we shared an appreciation for, particularly French songs (one of our shared favourites is posted below). He would readily burst into song and encourage others to sing acapella with him, regardless of how difficult to sing the song was. And his enthusiasm was such that, whilst not everybody had his confidence, you wanted to sing along with him.
Pierre seemed to be interested in almost every topic, and he could talk about everything from fashion to physics. He could also readily talk to most anyone. Those subjects he wasn't familiar with, he was more than happy to ask questions about and listen; especially if it was important to you. In turn, he would readily encourage you in your endeavours and would often enquire, even months later, to find out how things were going. Sometimes it seemed as though he was trying to understand people in the same way he would a physics or history conundrum, and yet his humour and humanity shone through and made one feel at ease.
We worked together on a number of various projects over the years, and he had an inspiring stamina and drive. He also had the patience of a saint!
He was a natural teacher and would go out of his way to help you understand even the most complex of topics. And he welcomed additional information, discussion, or even a challenge to his current thinking.
When working on a project together, he would tailour his teaching to best suit the person he was working with, employing what they enjoy, whilst being aware of their dislikes and weaknesses, to help them progress and get the most out of it.
Pierre could make even the most laborious construction projects enjoyable. Whether it be by breaking up the monotony of the repetetive, mind numbing (albeit necessary) tasks with general getting-to-know-you conversation, silly jokes, singing songs, or with discussions about everything from plasma physics, hidden history, to comedy movies.
I appreciated how he would entertain my endless babbling because i learned so much from talking with him. I was excited to hear what he knew, because he seemed to know at least a little something about everything. I loved hearing his perspective, about his recent discoveries, and his writing. There were times when i asked him about an article or a topic, and within a day or so he would come back having skimmed a scientific paper or 2 on the topic.
Later on, when he wasn’t as physically capable as he once was, his presence and being was enough to make the day more enjoyable. Not to mention his invaluable expertise and problem solving skills. Even partly paralysed he was still more capable than me on building projects.
Pierre loved to have a good laugh. He didn’t mind being the subject of a joke nor did he mind laughing with you at your expense! He had a signature laugh and you knew when he was really amused, which was often. Seeing and hearing him crease up in hysterics was enough to make you start laughing.
His playfulness was often expressed in his invention of 'English' words, such as: flattification (to make something flat); mixification (to mix something) - there are many, many more examples - but it's simple things like that which can make a difficult work day easier. These qualities also made the time helping him 'sort out the (hundreds of) screws' in his workshop flyby.
He also set a high standard of working relentlessly hard on a project, sometimes for months at a time, rain or shine. And his youthful days of risk taking – rock climbing, sailing - often had a chance to express themselves; such as the need to cut down a massive oak that was close to the Chateau, with dozens of other trees and plants nearby. He gleefully wanted to take on a challenge that others might find daunting. In the case of the oak he successfully caused the tree to fall almost perfectly onto a stick he'd wedged into the ground. Another example that comes to mind is when replacing some of the decaying weightbearing beams on the Farm hangar roof, and how he spent the afternoon, without a harness or any real safety equipment, traversing the beams in the rafters.
It seemed as though there was no 10-ton industrial machine that Pierre couldn’t work out how to use in order to solve a problem. Were it not for this ability, i'm not sure we'd have gotten half of the things done we needed to.
Pierre could be firm, but he was fair, and he welcomed any suggestions, improvements, or challenges to his ideas, plans, and methods.
All the above said, Pierre was still human. With all that entails. But he was an exceptional man.
He was reasonable, technically knowledgeable, brave, strong, disciplined, agile, whilst also understanding, sensitive, caring, and affectionate. In my humble opinion, a shining example of a real man.
His openess with his vulnerabilities and his imperfect ability to hide his foibles made him all the more loveable and inspirational.
He shared both the hilarious and sorrowful stories of his his early life in such a way that, even though I wasn’t there, I could probably retell the story on his behalf. He often freely shared his own experiences, struggles, and lessons, and he set an example for how humility, reflection, and sheer will, can further one’s development and go on to achieve great things.
I could go on.
We love you Pierre. We miss you dearly on this side. But we’ll see you soon enough. God speed. Give Caesar our best regards.
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This was one of the challenging songs Pierre liked to try to sing together. He liked it for it's tune, but also its heritage in old French culture. And i imagine he also liked it because it's about the mountains, and he had spent a lot of time in his life in nature, exploring, and rock climbing: