Everyone who knew my mum uses the same words to describe her “she was tough”
“she was a fighter” “ an independent lady” “she was fun” “so much energy”.
But my mum had a hard life. Born at the end of WW1, she lost her mother when she was 8. The youngest of 5 they were left in the care of my grandad who had come back from the War an alcoholic. The Glasgow of the 1920s depression was hard. Those days taught her the thrift that stayed with her all her life and was passed on to me – nothing is ever wasted
in my house either!
She and my dad fought to give me the education and chances they never had.
I owe them everything I have today. There were setbacks all the way through her life, but she just got on with it, fixed herself if she was ill – which was rare – took up yoga when she was 43 (self taught from a library book) and carried on with her exercises til she was in her 90s. Yoga works – and a wee dram before bed helps as well as she proved!
Mum was my friend, my advisor, my companion. We travelled together all over Europe
after my dad died. We did France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and London of course.
We didn't stop – every visit to London we went to ballets, every kind of dance, theatres, museums, exhibitions – and shops! She was always up early, ready for action and never got tired. I had to run to keep up in the street!
And mum loved to dance and to party. You all know when the music started, she moved! It could be Scottish or swing, reggae even Arabic – she loved it all. Saturday night at Rolls Royce in Derby was the highlight of her week. And she could handle the champagne,then the wine, THEN a few wee drams before bed.
Her loss leaves a huge gap in my life. She was proud of me but I am proud and privileged to have had such a strong special lady for a mother.
patricia
10th March 2012