My Mum

My dear Mum died on Saturday. It was a very sad time, but I will always be grateful that I was able to spend the last week of her life with her, when we talked of many things, remembered many people, family events and family members.  We had a lot of fun recalling things we had done and trips we had taken together.

My mother was very well travelled, having lived and worked in Burma, Iraq, Egypt, Australia and India (among other countries) but she'd never got to North America till I managed to take her on two trips as a companion when I was writing articles there.

The first time we went to Chicago, Toronto and Niagara Falls, where we visited friends, toured the Frank Lloyd Wright House, marvelled at the Falls and met with a cousin of hers that she had not seen since her twenties. The second time we spent a week at Walt Disney World, Florida. and she loved it all - not just the parks (and specially the parrot in the lobby at the Hyatt Regency hotel where we stayed)  but also visiting with friends on their ranch near Oveido and eating pancakes with other friends to De Leon Springs state park .

She was very fond of T and he and I  took her to stay with us in several beautiful cottages in different parts of England.  Perhaps the most attractive was a 200 year old converted orangery in the grounds of Frampton Court, Gloucestershire.

One day on our last holiday together, we went to a summer fete in the Cotswolds, where we were amused at a cake competition for the village. Here's the second prizewinner in the children's cake section, a cake shaped like a ladybird. .

Don't you think there's something rather .... welll ... ragged about this prizewinning cake? We were very amused to read what was written on the prize label.

On the same holiday we played for a long time with some pretty little cats frolicking  in a garden centre. A few days ago Mum asked to see pictures of the cats, but they were on my computer at home, so I am putting one of them on now.

We also spent a lot of time with her in recent years at her home, and to any of  you who have the chance to see and spend time with your loved ones, my advice is do it when you can.  It lays down good memories.

I'm going to miss my darling Mum so very much.