I have thought a lot about Stella (and Derek also) over these past few weeks, with gratitude for all they gave to the community we grew up in. Stella's kindness came with a direct honesty that made it feel all the more real and dependable to us as children, and this has always stayed in my memory as a guiding light. In connection with this I am thinking about a time when, in my early teens, I bought a pair of "David Bowie trousers" on Carnaby Street, which I subsequently was too embarrassed to wear. So my mum dispatched me to Stella to see if she could rescue the situation. Stella was able to to tease me for my silliness, sort me out and make me feel better about myself, all in one, merging kindness and honesty together.