Memories of 30 years ago

Today is the 30th anniversary of Charles and Diana’s wedding. I remember that day so well. It was three and a half weeks after my first child was born. The day had been declared a bank holiday  and we all went to my mum’s to watch the wedding as we didn’t have colour TV then. After lunch we drove to Queen’s Wood, a local beauty spot. There are trees there from all over the world. We got the pram out of the car and, just as we were about to set off for a woodland walk, Mum grabbed the handle and declared that she wanted to push her grandchild. I can still see her in my mind’s eye pushing little Christopher up the path to the woods, this 74 year old woman with her first grandchild. It was a beautiful day full of memories.

Mum was such a proud grandma. Later that year we visited the local manor house in our village on their open day. When we got to the gate they asked,

"How many tickets?"

"Two adults, one OAP and a baby." my husband replied.

"Oh, we don’t count the baby." said the man laughing.

Mum turned to look at him and said, "Well we do!"

Mum adored her little grandson. She used to babysit and coped very well. She opened a bank account for him and put away a little money in it when even she could.

Sadly, by the time our daughter was born four years later, her health had deteriorated so that she didn’t have the same relationship with her, and she didn’t live to see our younger son.

After she died there was enough in Chris’s bank account for him to buy a new bicycle, a bright yellow one. Mum would have approved. She loved colour. She rode her own bicycle well into her 70s. It was a vivid pink with ‘Pink Witch’ written on the bar under the saddle! That was my mum, she certainly wasn’t a quiet granny!