Hi Mum,

Ten years has gone by very fast! We miss you.

You have a grandchild on the way! I have all the more respect for what you did for us to bring us into the world. Thank you!

Here’s another poem I thought you might like, you may already know it…

Love Simon xxxx

GEORGE HERBERT
Love

LOVE bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
      Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
  From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
      If I lack’d anything.

‘A guest,’ I answer’d, ‘worthy to be here:’
      Love said, ‘You shall be he.’
‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
      I cannot look on Thee.’
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
      ‘Who made the eyes but I?’

‘Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
      Go where it doth deserve.’
‘And know you not,’ says Love, ‘Who bore the blame?’
      ‘My dear, then I will serve.’
‘You must sit down,’ says Love, ‘and taste my meat.’
      So I did sit and eat.

It's unbelievable that ten years are gone ..Continue to Rest in perfect peace till we meet again

Dear Mum,
Ten years on, it doesn't get easier.
I know many people will be remembering your passing today with sadness.
We also remember our dear friend, Dot, who left us earlier this year.
Simon and I will never forget her kindness to you, and to us all, during your illness.
May you both rest in peace.
Leaving a poem here that I know was one of your favourites.
All my love,
Josie
xxx

Arbolé, Arbolé . . .

Federico García Lorca
1898 – 1936

Tree, tree
dry and green.
The girl with the pretty face
is out picking olives.
The wind, playboy of towers,
grabs her around the waist.
Four riders passed by
on Andalusian ponies,
with blue and green jackets
and big, dark capes.
“Come to Cordoba, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
Three young bullfighters passed,
slender in the waist,
with jackets the color of oranges
and swords of ancient silver.
“Come to Sevilla, muchacha.”
The girl won’t listen to them.
When the afternoon had turned
dark brown, with scattered light,
a young man passed by, wearing
roses and myrtle of the moon.
“Come to Granada, muchacha.”
And the girl won’t listen to him.
The girl with the pretty face
keeps on picking olives
with the grey arm of the wind
wrapped around her waist.
Tree, tree
dry and green.

Arbolé, Arbolé...
Arbolé, arbolé,
seco y verdí.

La niña del bello rostro
está cogiendo aceituna.
El viento, galán de torres,
la prende por la cintura.
Pasaron cuatro jinetes
sobre jacas andaluzas,
con trajes de azul y verde,
con largas capas oscuras.
“Vente a Córdoba, muchacha.”
La niña no los escucha.
Pasaron tres torerillos
delgaditos de cintura,
con trajes color naranja
y espadas de plata antigua.
“Vente a Sevilla, muchacha.”
La niña no los escucha.
Cuando la tarde se puso
morada, con lux difusa,
pasó un joven que llevaba
rosas y mirtos de luna.
"Vente a Granada, muchacha."
Y la niña no lo escucha.
La niña del bello rostro
sigue cogiendo aceituna,
con el brazo gris del viento
ceñido por la cintura.
Arbolé, arbolé.
Seco y verdé.

From The Selected Poems of Federico García Lorca, translated by William Bryant Logan. Published by New Directions, 1955. Used with permission.

Happy Birthday Sue
Continue to rest in perfect peace

Happy Birthday Mum 
All ok with me down here… world is a bit crazy but I’m very happy. I wonder what you would have made of 2023. Lots of Love, Simon xxXxx

I can’t believe it is 9 years.

You would have been so proud of Simon and Josie at their weddings.

I could not make Simon’s but saw their beautiful photos. And I was privileged to be at at Josie’s in Berlin. You were very much in our thoughts that day. It was a perfect wedding.

And you would have been so happy in their choice of partners. Simon and Alice, Josie and Kit. I have never seen such happy couples and big smiles on their wedding day.

Much love, Dotx

Dear Mum,

I love Josie's words to you posted earlier today - you have really passed on your gift to her!

I read that same Tennyson poem to Alice at New Year down at Durdle Door...

Yes it's been an incredible year for us both for so, so many reasons. We would have loved you to have been there in North Wales - so many castles! - and at Josie and Kit's too in Berlin. Vivid days.

You were there in our hearts... We hope to tell you all about them one day.

Love Simon xxx

Another year without you, Mum.

You were so missed at my wedding in Berlin in September and at Simon's in Wales in July.

We are both so happy, and we wish that you could have shared that.

Kit and I are really enjoying the dramatic coastline here at Essaouira in Morocco.

You would have relished the three-metre-high waves crashing onto the ramparts. All very Tennyson.

All my love,

Josie xxx

"Break, break, break,
     On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
     The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman's boy,
     That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
     That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on
     To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
     And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break
     At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
     Will never come back to me."

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Thanks all for your lovely messages. We raised a glass to Mum once again on Tuesday. Love to all xx

We often think of you lovely Sue, we do miss you.
Congratulations to Josie and Simon on their upcoming Marriages.
Sue was so proud of you both.
Much love
Pat and Rob xx

Dear Ruth.

So good of you to remember Sue after all this time. We must meet up.

I miss her still.

Both Simon and Josie are getting married this Summer. They are are doing well.

I have 3 grandchildren now but they live in Philadelphia.

Dx

Happy Birthday Sue always remembered with treasured memories

Dear Mum,

Thinking of you today, especially.

Much love,

Josie xxx

Dear Mum,

Thinking of you and lighting a candle for you today!

Another year on, and here we all are...
I would love you to have met Alice, I think you would have had a natural affinity with her given both you're both bubbly & outgoing.

We are doing 2 BeeGees numbers in Karport. I think of you when I play them and you're wonderful Gibb impressions!

Until we Meet on the Ledge...

Love Simon xxx

Another year gone by so fast.

Never forgotten.

Dx

Today would have been your 70th birthday, Mum!
I'm sure in a parallel universe in which you are still with us (and maybe there's no pandemic) we are having a huge party to celebrate with all your many friends.
Still, here we are. Many people will be thinking of you today with love and fondness, remembering the way you touched their lives. From Berlin, I will raise a glass in your memory once again. All my love, Josie xxx

We often think of you Sue, you are never far away!
Love Pat and Rob xx

Dear Mum,
We are all thinking of you today and remembering your warmth and laughter. I miss talking to you so much. The world has changed a lot this year and I'd love to hear what you make of it all. And you'd be so happy to see Simon in a far, far better place than a year ago. We will raise a glass to you in Berlin tonight!
All my love,
Josie

Hi Mum, thinking of you especially today!
There's a nice Christmas tree up in the corner near where your bed was downstairs. Charlie is having fun with it, and I'm sure Nelson would have loved it too. ..
I'm not sure what you would have made of this strange year we've had... But one good thing is its prompted me to read more - I got through Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and now wading through Nicholas Nickleby - who'd have though it, eh? I'm beginning to understand your love of all those vivid characters. I would have loved to chat with you about them!
Its lovely to see so many of your friends posts on here over the years. We all miss you very much. Lots of Love, Simon xxx

Can it really be 7 years? I think of you so often, Sue.
We are all going to be 70 next year. Wish you could be with us to celebrate.
Wevhave all remained close - me, Jacq, Frances, and Liz.
I hope to speak to Josie today. Simon and Josie are doing so well.
Much love
Dotx

Hi Sue,
Just to let you know that I often think of you with great fondness.
You brought joy, fun, laughter and a special je ne sais quoi that was uniquely you. One special lady.
With love. Stuart x

Miss you, Sue, often think of you . You were inspiring!
Love to you and all the family. Pat x

Josie & Simon had a lovely Zoom tribute to their Mum, today, Sue’s 69th birthday. We all raised a glass and shared happy memories.

Thinking of her and all of you, her family and friends. With love, Sue x

Hi Sue, up in the heavenlies.
I truly think of you lots. Of your smile, of your laughter, of your creative imagination, of your faith, of your strength, of the joy and fun of just being with you. You are amazing, and your creator, Papa God, loves you to bits; and I guess that you know that now.
Love and blessings. Stuart. xx

Thinking of you today, Sue.
Visiting Bradford-on-Avon this week and staying at your place (now Simon’s, thank you Simon), brought back a flood of memories.
Xmas is not the same; our school friendship group is always missing one; your friends will never forget you.
You would be proud of Simon and Josie. Our thoughts are with Simon too, and Josie who has flown in from Berlin to be with him. With all my love. Dotx

Dear Mum,
We will be raising a glass to you today and to Simon, who is having a tough time right now. This candle is for both of you.
Much love,
Josie

Dear Mum,
A few of your friends and family are looking forward to celebrating what would have been your 68th birthday this Sunday in Swanage, the place you spent a number of happy childhood holidays. We are all thinking of you and missing you.
All my love,
Josie

Still miss Sue very much. She was an inspiration!
Love to Simon, Josie and family. Love the plaque.

It's been 5 years now since Mum left us. Towards the end of her life her thoughts were often by the seaside, in Swanage, where she spent many happy childhood holidays. To mark this anniversary, Simon and I have laid a plaque for her on Swanage pier near the place where we scattered her ashes into the sea. We thought long and hard about what to write on the plaque and how best to sum up her character on the small space available. In the end we chose just two words: love, laugh. For us this expresses how Mum lived her life and, we're sure, would be the message she'd send to all of us as we go on without her. I've uploaded a picture of the plaque to the gallery.

Lovely plaque, Josie and Simon. Perfect tribute.
I have had to leave Sue’s rose behind in my Wembley garden but have planted another Gertrude Jekyll here in Twickenham. The sun has come out after rain and hail this morning. Will sit in the sunshine and think of Sue. Dx

Still miss you Sue, your lovely welcoming smile and your humour. Reading Dot and Josie's memories have brought back all the many aspects of Sue's remarkable character. She really was an unforgettable one-off and it was a privilege to have been a part of her life. Sally

Still miss you Sue, your lovely welcoming smile and your humour. Reading Dot and Josie's memories have brought back all the many aspects of Sue's remarkable character. She really was an unforgettable one-off and it was a privilege to have been a part of her life. Sally

Dear Mum,

I just read through all of the tributes left over the years here by your dear friends. Many thanks to them for sharing their memories.

Lighting a candle for you.

All my love,

Josie xxx

The Darkling Thrush

BY THOMAS HARDY

I leant upon a coppice gate
   When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
   The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
   Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
   Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be
   The Century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
   The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
   Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
   Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
   The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
   Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
   In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
   Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
   Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
   Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
   His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
   And I was unaware.

Salad and shared vanilla slice at Sheffield University canteen, 1969-72. Bradford on Avon introduction, and meeting up to talk in Clifton cafe when you were on your writing course. Miss the eloquence and laughter.

Dear Sue, you are always in our thoughts but particularly at this time of year. You would be so proud and happy to see how well Simon and Josie are doing. We all miss you so much.. Much love. Dx

We all thought of you yesterday, dear Sue. We will never stop missing you. Dx

Couldn't let today pass without saying 'Happy Birthday Susie P'. Another day when the memories are at front of my mind. I'm not so good with words as you were and although we went back a long way, the length of time I knew you really was quite short. Raising a glass to you, you gave me so much that I can smile every day; think of you often, God Bless, love 'Magsie Crease' xxx

Dear Mum, thinking of you on what would have been your 66th birthday. Missing our chats as always and your sage advice, vivid imagination and sense of humour. We will raise a glass to you tonight. All my love, Josie xxx

Thinking of Sue today. Remembering the times immortalised in 'Mama'.
Remembering the laughter.

Thinking of you today Mum. Love Simon XXX

Dear Mum,

Here's another year flown past and the world looks scarier than ever. I'm sure you'd have had some wise words of love and laughter.

You've been with me all year in many ways. You were there in June when I lit a candle in the tiny dark Georgian church in the mountains on my 30th birthday.

You were there on the dusty roads in Cuba this October, listening with me to the crackly old ska music you discovered in Jamaica.

You were with us just days ago in Berlin when Tim visited on tour with the Oysterband and played fiery folk to an ecstatic crowd.

And you were here on Sunday in our kitchen, with the frost gathering outside, lighting the second advent candle and singing O Come, O Come Emannuel.

And so, as much as I miss the sound of your voice on the end of the phone, I feel your presence so often in my life, mum.

Stay with me this year, too.

All my love, Josie xxx

Only just got round to reading 'Mama Told Me Not To Come', just about half way through, and I can see you now, enjoying every moment, so you. Of course we had lost touch by that stage in our lives, and it was much later before we were in contact again but I think of you so often - all the problems you had and yet you still managed to help me cope with mine, even now I can see that smile, here's to 'When We Were 10'. Miss you still, much love and fond memories Magsie

Such a privilege to have had Sue in one's life - she has left a big silence. Dickens and Coleridge would have been proud of her, waving the flag for their great works. Still miss you Sue and of course your special, welcoming smile.

I have such fond memories of Sue and will always remember her spirit, I'm very glad to have grown up knowing her. Happy Birthday xx

I too think of you a lot and very much miss our conversations. I can't pick up a teapot without thinking of Mrs.Gamp and hearing your voice quoting the lines from Dickens. I put a rose from our garden in the vase you gave me today and thought of your marvellous attitude to life and literature. A great loss. With love xx

Dear Mum, we all miss you very much. I know you are in a better place, but I still miss your crazy sense of humour, creativity, guidance and advice, and most of all, your loving presence in my life. Happy 65th Birthday. Love Simonxxx

Dear Sue, I so wish we could be sharing your 65th birthday with you today. I have posted a photo of your lovely rose bush that you gave me three years ago. It has the most beautiful scent and it looks at its best in June. I think of you every morning when I go out to the garden. Much love. Dx

Thinking of you on your birthday. Miss you very much. X

So, you would have been 65 today, Mum, and had things been different we would have had a legendary knees up. Something along the lines of your 50's-themed Lipstick on Your Collar party for your 40th, or your Great Failures fancy dress for your 45th. Or, your last Swanage-themed send off. Instead, we're all thinking of you and missing your colourful imagination. Will raise a glass in your honour, much love as always xxx