The 4th of June 2010 would have been my mother's 80th birthday. Five years ago she wasn't very well, so instead of us all going out, daughter and I took her up a proper birthday tea with scones, thin crustless sandwiches and chocolate birthday cake with candles (but not 75 of them!). It was a faff, but I'm so glad we made the effort because she really enjoyed it and it was the last one she had.Since then, the 4th June has always been a bit of an odd day, but this year especially so, perhaps because it is so sunny and plain nice outside, which it isn't always at this time of year. Mind you, with the best will in the world, no one would ever have described my mother as anything but a glass-half-empty person, so it would probably have been too hot for her and she'd have had me scurrying around watering all the plants.
Still, she loved flowers and she dearly loved treats, so I bought these in Waitrose for her this morning. I would have got her favourite freesias, but her voice in my head (anyone else get that?) pointed out that the roses were 25% extra free and the orangey-yellow would look much nicer in my kitchen than pale purple. That was the other thing about Mum, she was incapable of resisting a bargain and she would always buy something for me or her grandchildren rather than herself.
In the spirit of which, I also bought her favourite chocolate gingers to nibble (2 bags for £4; I think she'd have approved) while I read the latest Medical Romance - her favourite reading matter - by my good friend Kate Hardy. (It's Neurosurgeon... and Mum and she'd definitely have loved it.)
So, Happy 80th Birthday. I hope it's just the right temperature for you up there.
Rosemary Coulson 4.6.1930-30.9.2005
13 comments:
How lovely, Jan! And those flowers are really pretty.
Just thought I'd share the phrase my mum used to describe her own mother, who sounds a bit like yours: "If you gave her paradise, she'd say it was the wrong colour."
What a beautiful tribute. Your words always convey so many emotions. You really make your feelings come through to us.
We've so much to learn from the non-consumerism age.
Thanks, Sarah. And yes, Kate, that is SO TRUE!
Aw, what a lovely post. (The flowers are gorgeous too.)
Your mum sounds like my dad. He was a bit glass-half-empty. We do miss them don't we? Sigh.
Happy 80th Birthday, Mrs Coulson. Hope they're watering the flowers up there.
Oh, Jan, you've moved me to tears. Mum's mean so much and when they're not there anymore it's just not the same. I'm sure she's loving those flowers!
What a lovely post and a nice way to commemorate your mother's memory.
Jan, those roses are lovely - and I'm so glad you had a good last birthday with her. (Know exactly where you're coming from.) Glad the book helped.
What a lovely way to remember her birthday. Those roses are so beautiful.
Thanks, all. The roses are holding up - just. The chocolate gingers, however, are now a thing of the past. :)
What a beautiful thing to do.
lx
I thought about her on the fourth as well, despite frantic revising. It really doesn't feel like that was five years ago.
Funny thing though... it doesn't feel like she's dead, just that she's sitting in her house up the road with Smudge on her lap fussing over her quietly, and pouring a glass of Cranberry juice every so often while she does her puzzles and listens to the radio.
As you know Jan I lost my mum just three months ago and am missing her badly. My sister and I took her out to lunch at Seckford Hall in Suffolk just a few weeks before she died and she had such a good time and so glad we did it. Also glad that she saw her greatgrandaughter and I have the four generation pics to keep and treasure
You are right, Elaine. We need to keep the good memories and be thankful for them. It never hurts less, but with time the loss becomes a part of you and easier to bear. Thinking of you x
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