Well it's been a while mum I miss you so much you was always there for me love you so much I am going to try and put a picture up off all my grandkids happy birthday hope that you r with nan and grandad see you soon all my love janet

Your great grandaugther ruby, shareing a smile at a photo of you, She always blows you kisses and says good night to you before she goes to sleep, leanne is always talking to Ruby about you love you lots mum xxxx

In my arms I held you tight
Through the hardest part of life
In my heart the memories clear
Of the greatest mum I love so dear
I held you so close to my heart
Praying that we'll never part
But angels came and took you away
And a tear I shed for your everyday
Now a shining lit up star
My mum will watch from up far
In all the pain I'm going through
Just remember, I'm here with you
 Love and miss you mum r.i.p xxxx

Now Marie is Country Music mad
It isn't just a fad
For the twelve years I have known her
She's always the same without a care
We go to all the festivals and shows
How we keep  going God only knows
We go to the clubs and make new friends
We drive everyone round the bend
We love all kinds of Country
Bluegrass, Cajun,Tex Mex, and Funky
Crystal chandeliers is not our favourite tune
But a certain group with four great loons
Decide to play a trick on us
For the moment we make no fuss
To Marie they dedicate this song
We'll pay them back before too long
Actually they do it rather well
Maybe we won't give them hell                 

The Grange is nearly ten years old
It's time for change if we may be so bold
President is George Hamilton the Fourth
A gentleman from Carolina North.
Vice-presidents are the Hillsiders from the 'Pool'
For a decade they have ruled
Now it's time for a change
Some fresh blood we will arrange.
The post of Vice-President is honorary
It doesn't involve anything monetary
Their replacements we will choose with care
The recipients must be rather rare
Run of the mill will not do
I'm sorry, the choice isn't up to you
I'm the boss so I'll decide
I'll pick the band with the greatest of pride
Pinkertons Colours it has to be
We welcome you, lads, with the greatest glee
The best Vice-Presidents in the land
And of course our favourite band


While Dad has been sorting items out, he came across a book of poems that Mum had written and they were written with affection.  Mum did say that the contents were lighthearted and penned just in fun.


Mum we all think that you have done very well with your poems - 26 of them in all.  Fantastic work   
                     

I can remember many holidays that we had in the caravan - we would always go to the same site every year.


the journeys were more eventful then the holidays on some occassions.  one particular return journey was very hairy.


we were playing games in the car I spy - when suddenly Mum said "oh look Dave, some poor bugger has lost their wheel" as it went past the outside of the car.


Dad's response - Dont worry Joan - its ours with that the car when down on one side and Dad being a good driver managed to get in the car on to the verge


lucky enough friends were following behind and helped Dad changing the wheel.


what an adventure NOT             

Our Janet was in hospital,
Not liking it at all
with severe anaemia and blood pressure too
she had to rest until her baby was due
her visitors were many
including young Danny.
Now Janet's dearest wish was Pinkertons to see,
A wonderful choice you will agree
But the doctor said No
so she couldn't go.
We will go to her, the band said
So the plans were laid.
Someone else decided to get in on the act.
Her arrival was made quite an impact
It was Clare Louse Wooster
To Pinkertons Colours it was quite a booster.                 

Mum loved having her BBQ's she hosted many, the one that she looked forward to was the one that was held every May for Dad's birthday.  everybody had to be here and they had a years notice  

Every year at the BBQ's Mum would start to wonder who would be pregnant that year.  It was a standing joke that every year somebody would be pregnant.

Mum would ask all the girls if they thought they might be pregnant, and at the last BBQ they all kept saying No I am not, but somebody was it was Leanne - and she gave birth to a very lovely little girl called Ruby, Mum was very excited at her new great grand-daughter

I love this picture because it always reminds me of how Mum was, and how she always used to look at us, as we were coming in or out of the door.


I feel like she is watching over us all the time.

Love you Mum xxxx   

This photo is one of the very best of our lovely Mum


This photo captures everything about Mum, her beauty,her lovely smiling eyes, smiling face, cheeky grin, her love of life, and behind the fan you can see a sense of humour.  Mum was very sensitive and would quickly put people at ease when she first met them, and people trusted Mum


Mum and Dad loved going around the Country Music Clubs to sell their DVD's, CD's and Records.  Mum would order lots CD's and when Dad would ask her if they had sold a certain item - Mum would smile at him, and when she gave that certain smile Dad knew that she not sold the item and that she had placed it in her own collection.       

Mum, Dad and Hazel sitting on the patio in the garden.


I can not remember why there are no children in the photo, but there must have been a reason why and someone had to take the photo - can not see anyone in the reflection.


I think it must have been one of the rare visits Mum and Dad made when we did not have to do any gardening, Mum liked to watch Dad and I do the gardening and when she thought we had done enough would say to Dad, come on Dave we need to go home now I want to watch Coronation Street (this was because I do not watch the soaps),


Mum looks very happy in this photo, this was long before she became really ill and was having to use her wheelchair, when this photo was taken Mum would get around with her sticks - Mum always  had a lovely smile on her face        

Mum and Cheryl became friends many years ago,and I am sure that Cheryl will be able to tell many stories.


Mum had a few close friends and she classified Cheryl as one of them, when Mum became ill I used to type her responses to Cheryl when she used to send emails -Cheryl always wanted Mum to skype her, but Mum said she was unable to do this because her hair did not look right -Mum looked lovely but all who know her -will know that Mum always wanted her hair just right.


Cheryl said that she did not care what Mum's hair looked like she would be happy to just chat - but unfortunately Mum was unable to skype Cheryl but I am sure that Cheryl understood this.


Cheryl thank you for being one of Mum's good friends.
        

I met Joan through Greg Rusedski's fan club, and we met up at various tennis tournaments over the years.
She was an inspirational lady - she didn't let her health problems stop her from doing what she enjoyed, and she was always more concerned about everybody else than herself.
I will always remember Joan ringing me, a couple of months before she passed away. She was so excited, as she'd just had a phone call from Greg Rusedski. She was on top of the world; it really gave her a lift. She had a good laugh when I said she'd better put her make-up on in case Greg turned up on her doorstep.
Joan was a very special lady, who will always be remembered with a smile.

This was the first time that we managed to get Rent a Crowd in.

we managed to get all of the grandchildren and their partners together for a barbecue, and we also managed to get two of the great grandchildren as well.

the food was good as usual ( I did most of the cooking with a little help), managed to burn some of the sausages.


Company was not too bad!!!      

When Joan and I first met we were in Northern Ireland, and I was then sent to Chester while Joan stayed in Staines with my family.


After 6 weeks at Chester I was then sent to Germany for 18 months, but when I was given 3 weeks leave from the army.  I made a very long trip to pick up Joan, started in Dusseldorf, Hockerholland boat to Harwich, train to Staines, when I arrived at the station there was Joan waiting at the station with her bags packed, and we then went from Staines to Aysham, and then a ferry to Belfast, then a very long car journey to Joan's family home.  This journey took 48 hours to complete, but it was certainly worth it,   

Joan was very excited when she was told that she was going to be able to have a go on the motorbike.


but unfortunately, she ended up pushing Brian's motorbike instead - Joan was unable to ride the bike because she did not get her licence - and she did not want to be a passenger on the bike because she had seen how Brian had driven before when he had his Dad on the bike and he went through a hedge.      

Mum was presented with a scooter to help her get around. 

Mum was given a quick showing on how to use the scooter, and then she was off.


when Mum had been on the scooter for a while she seemed to get a lot faster, and the grandchildren informed Mum that she was like that lady on the telly who broke into a shop on her scooter, and did a wheelie on the scooter getting out of the shop - they nicknamed  her the bandit.   






     

Every year we meet as a family for Dad's birthday.


It takes us a year to plan this birthday - to ensure that all the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren all arrive on the right day, and the right time.  this can be very difficult with our family - which are spread all over the country.


some  arrive in the morning, and some arrive in the evening, but we all meet to eat the delicious food that has been prepared especially the potato salad and coleslaw that Mum made.  Janet and I both wanted to take the leftovers home because Mum's cooking was the best     

Everybody who knows Mum - knows that Mum really liked Greg and that the feeling was mutual.


I would like to say that Greg was absolutely fantastic to Mum when she was ill - he phoned her a couple of times, sent her cards and really cheered her up.  I phoned Greg to inform him that Mum had passed away and left a message on his answering machine.  Greg phoned me back within a couple of hours and passed on his condolences to us as a family, and he genuinely was upset that Mum had passed away.  He was phoning from Spain.  When he arrived back into the country he immediately sent flowers from the airport.


Greg did not have to do any of this - but we as a family really appreciated the kindness that he showed our Mum and Dad's wife when she was ill - he could have just had a card sent but he did not he took the time out of his busy schedule to make one of his fans very happy, and for this he will be always in our thoughts and we will defend him, which my son did today and repeated this story to one of his friends and this changed this persons mind.       

Hazel and Tony were married on the 16th May at Staines Methodist Church

Janet and Stephen were married at Hounslow Registery Office.

Joan and I certainly enjoyed having a Barbecue. 

We loved being able to get all of the family together sometimes it was very hard to get everyone all in the same place at the same time - but we tried our best.


As you can see from this picture two of Janet's children are missing - unsure where they were or if they were just hiding from the camera. 

Joan always liked to make cakes - she was very famous for her Christmas cakes - and birthday cakes.


Joan really liked to make the strawberry cakes, and when she was making the cards she would have a few strawberries just to check that they were ok.


Joan would write down all of her receipes - and when she went some where and someone had made a lovely dessert she would ask for the receipe, and then transfer it to her own receipe book.


Janet and Hazel are hoping to copy these and give them to the grandchildren for christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!        

When Janet was born unfortunately she was born with a hole in the heart, and they did not think that she would live so Joan wrote to the local wish on a star - because Janet always liked Cliff Richard Joan asked if she could meet him.


Well as you can see - the wish came true, a lovely car came to pick up Joan and the children and whisked them off to meet Cliff in his dressing room - poor man did not have time to get dressed before they went rushing in to his room.


afterwards they went to the see the show     

When I first met Joan she was an extremely lovely, pretty lady and I kept making excuses to go into the shop where she was working.

Imagine my surprise when I found out she had lived on a farm and that she was able to drive a tractor.


Well I then realised why she only drove around the farm - she was very dangerous when driving out on the roads - so the lanes around the farm were very good for her.    

When Dad first went to Tobago on holiday with his grandchildren Paul and David he was unable to swim, Dad would only go in the shallow end and the boys would tease him by jumping all over him, trying to knock him over and then swim into the deep end so that he could not get them.


well the following year when they went on holiday again to Tobago, the boys tried this trick again but unknown to them Dad had been taking secret swimming lessons so that he could get his own back on them.


Mum was really proud of Dad for doing this, she was in on the secret and encouraged him to take the lessons.     

When Mum and I were in Nashville, we travelled to Gracelands on a Greyhound bus that took us 4 hours.

We arrived at Elvis's house at 3.50pm and we went to walk in the grounds and the man on the gate said you can not come in here, Mum said to him we have travelled all the way from England - his response was I dont care how far you have travelled you are not coming in we are closing at 4pm.


So Mum and I had our photos taken outside of Gracelands instead - every brick along the wall to Elvis's house had been written on by fans.

we then had to make the return journey back to Nashville that evening,      

Many years ago Mum, you and I travelled to Nashville with the British Country Music,
you had only just started in your wheelchair - you could move around a bit, but liked to be pushed.  Well in the States there kerbs are so high up, that everytime I came to the kerb I would make you get out of the wheelchair ask you to get back in the chair push you across the road, and then make you get back out of the chair, while I put the chair back on the kerb and then asked you to get back into the chair,


Was doing fine on the holiday until one day when I had pushed you for a very long time and we finally reached where we were going and I looked in disbelief and I could see 50 steps to where we were going.  I said to you Mum you are going to have to get out - when low and behold a group of lads came along and said not to worry they would push up the hill beside the steps.  There was so much laughter going on that they pushed you straight into the tree,  considering there was only 1 tree in the hill and  they found it.  You laughed so much about this.  that was one lovely memory from the holiday - do have plenty more which I will share another day.