Had the first bit of spam reminding me that UK Mother’s day is approaching. Still have a moment when I have to remind myself that I don’t have to remember to get a card and daffodils (always daffodils) for mine because of course it’s some years since she passed away. We had our ups and downs (she was a hideously cunning emotional strategist) but she was in many ways quite remarkable. Rather beautiful in her way - she was also super eccentric, a bit mean and very clever (she had an IQ test in the early days of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis and amazed us all with a score of 136). In fact she used that cleverness to fool the medics into thinking that there was nothing wrong with her for quite a long time. But eventually it was unavoidable and she spent the last years of her long and largely happy life in a home. She was obviously much happier there than remaining at the home she’d made and loved in for 50 years cuz being surrounded by things and memories which she no longer understood distressed her) . Yes she was eccentric- a ...ermmm ...individual cook, hated doctors (which means I am awash with scars from injuries which were never treated ) - beautiful singing voice and a truly talented gardener - never happier than when she was tending to bonfires which she could make last for several weeks.
I THINK she was largely happy with her life - content to love and be loved by my father and grateful for most things having lived through the Second World War and having come form what we would describe as poverty. So .. Thanks Mum ... miss you still ... wish you could have lived to see me so happy with Little Brown 😘