I want to write about the most difficult things I have ever had to write about: death and feelings.

I’ve just finished a book, The Violet Hour, about a handful of great writers and how they approached their own deaths. So that got me thinking about the topic.

I was also going through my Gmail account, trying to delete things as I have been creeping up to the free limit of 15Gb. I stumbled across some emails that helped me to crystallise my thoughts.

Almost five years ago, my best friends in Denmark sent me a shattering email.