Jo

"The best thing about having a sister is that I always have a friend."  Cali Rae Turner

All posts with Jo

Posts of me with Jo

Special memories

• Our heart to hearts and mutual support as teenagers
• The way Gramps adored Jo
• Jo's special childhood friends (Angie, Marcela, Jannie, Wendy)
• Her creativity in making cards and crafts
• Her wedding day
• Jo´s courage in going to the US and Canada as an 18 year old
• Becoming head girl at school
• How wonderful she is with Sammy and Matthew - and how gorgeous they are
• Family holidays to UK, Mauritious, Natal and Eight Bells
• Matric dance with Steve
• Matric dance with Tony (who jogged on the spot on the dance floor!)
• Our fights when we were young (but we soon grew out of it)
• Playing Marco Polo in the pool
• Her favourite toys (barbie, first love doll, walking doll)
• How cute she looked in her school uniform
• Visiting us in Hammersmith with Sammy and Antony
• Hiking club weekends
• Walking and cycling to lunch with Granny and Grandpa Station
• Her exortations to wash my hands after "nature calls " as a kid
• Her special relationship with gran and her amazing eulogy
• Her way with words (grans eulogy, poster for gramps, 50th wedding anniversary card for gran and gramps, letters she writes)
• Our shared sense of humour and sense of fun
• Her brilliant speech at her 21st
• Our mutual support when dad died
• The way she welcomed Ally to the family
• Camping at Palmiet and Betties Bay
• Xmas meals at Constantia and Camps Bay
• Braais at Constantia and Camps Bay
• St James outing with the kids
• Parties for our friends in Constantia when we visit Cape Town
• Her house in Rosmead Avenue and abhorrance for pubic hair in the shower (understandably!)
• Jo and Ants hospitality when we stayed with them during our 2005 visit
• Her hospitality when managing the B&B
• Our shared sweet teeth
• Great cooking and baking (peppermint crisp and caramel, Thai currey, date balls etc.)
• Her love of sushi
• Great taste in fashion and interior decoration
• Her killer look when I cross the mark (not too often these days)
• Her sparkle in her eyes when she laughs
• Her ultimate Xmas cake (sinfully good and inducing drunkeness after one slice!)
• Proudly showing Jo Sydney when she came to stay and how well she navigated herself around
• Our special evening and day together in Joberg after my Kruger Trip.
• The amazing work she did on her garden - she transformed it into something really beautiful
• Her amazing support of Matt and Sam's interests and passions even if it means lots of organising and lifting
• The great photos she takes of the kids and the lovely effects she does in Picasa
• The beautiful calendars she sends with photos from the year
• Putting Sam and Matt's art on the wall in the home - beautiful, colourful and wonderful for their confidence
• The beautiful letter she sent on my 40th birthday that made me cry so much and was just what I needed at the time
• The pillow case she made with photos of the family on it - what a fantsatic gift
• Her love of JJ and taking him for walks at all hours
• Her generosity in buying things from people because she wants to support them
• What a great friend she is to her friends - always supportive, nurturing, affirming and full of fun
• How she always makes me feel good about myself, reminding me of my good qualities
• Her support and encouragement of my photography
• How she saved my life on the 2nd day of The Orange River by being such a strong engine when I was sick and feeling so terrible
• Her pride in her house - and making it into such a lovely, comfortable, warm family home
• Her hospitality and love whenever I visit Cape Town - I always feel so, so welcome
• Calling me "boet."

Letter from Jo (on my 40th birthday)

Dear Graeme

I hope that you have a fantastic 40th birthday today. May this be the start of a new chapter in your life that is filled with love, wonder, excitement, passion, creativity and contentment. You deserve every good thing that comes into your life!

Thanks for being such a special brother. You were always the patient one, giving me gentle encouragement and support when I needed it. You are going to make / and already are a fantastic teacher. You had it in you from many years back.

We shared so much together growing up. Sunday morning escapades, lots of laughs, secrets and chocolates eaten on the sly. I remember drinking milk with you, then spinning round making ourselves so dizzy and laughing so much that it ended up coming out of my nose!!! Christmas with the Culley's, then the Rusconi's, camping trips that I was jealous not to be able to come on and spending hours playing lego, marbles and Marco Polo in the pool. I remember Sunday roasts"with" "Granny' Doris, "white"cheese sandwhiches eaten at Muizenberg with grandpa and waiting in Dad's car in the parking lot while he combed his hair after surfing - while 10 drivers waited for his spot!!

Dinners to Casanova with Granny and Grandpa Freeway and eating Italian kisses. The joy of cycling round to their Epworth Road house and sleeping over, Granny's crispy roast potatoes and lumpy custard. Mom, who was always there for us, making sure we had everything we needed. Friday nights at Youth and then all the lovely, hysterically funny letters you wrote to me while I was overseas I remember your face through the hospital glass when you saw Sam for the first time. I love the fact that you wear your heart on your sleeve and show emotion - both happy and sad.

My only wish is that lived closer together and got to see more of each other but thank goodness for skype, e-mail and of course picasa!!! Once again, we will be thinking of you all day and I will even drink a dinky champagne in your honour.

With all my love
Joey


Letter to Jo when she went overseas (1991)

Dear Joey,

Remember when we were very young and I cut your hair and you were so trusting?  I felt really grown up and thought I was doing such a good job until Mum saw it and screamed!  It took four months to recover and yet you forgave me.  I really loved you then.

Remember when I’d come into your room and you’d say “Get out!” and I wouldn’t, then you’d get all angry and your eyes would blaze!  You didn’t know it and sometimes I didn’t either, but I loved you then too!

Remember when we’d pig out!  We’d be alone at home and you’d say “let’s make custard!” and then we’d eat so much, we’d wish we hadn’t.  Or we’d find Mum’s chocolate in the freezer and I’d say “I’ll open it if you have some!” and we would and then she’d get really mad and ‘Id have to go to the caffee at 10 o’clock at night.  I really loved you then.

Remember when Grandpa would go on and on, or Dad would get all hyper about something small or Mum would get in a tizz and say “You’re so unfair!” and then we’d secretly look across at each other and raise our eyes to heaven or give secret rude signs.  We were often fellow sufferers and I loved you then.

Remember when you helped me dye my hair and it went all carroty and you still didn’t mind walking down the street with me although Grandpa said I looked like a “poefter” I loved you then too!

Remember when you were elected head girl and you did so well and then you gave that tremendous, beautiful speech, and I tried not to cry but didn’t succeed.  I sat there with a huge grin and thought I was going to burst with pride.  I loved you then, so much!

Remember, when we’d chat and our conversation would always turn to sex.  And then we’d say “let’s talk about something else” and two minutes later we’d start talking about sex again!  I loved you then.

Remember when you’d tell me your stories of your day at crèche (you are a really beautiful endearing story teller!) or you’d phone me just to find out how I was, or to tell me about our love life.  I loved you then.

Remember, too, when we were both feeling down and we lay on your bed and felt so sad, and then we played “snap” and suddenly were laughing so much we ended up on the floor.  I loved you then so much, it hurt!

I loved you then, and during all the other times too.  And I love you now, more than I can tell you, not only because you’re my little sister and we’ve been through lots together, but also because you’re a  truly beautiful, wonderful, incredible person (and don’t you forget it!)

I needn’t tell you, I’m going to miss you like crazy!

But remember, this is such an exciting period and you’re going to grow so much!  Have a wonderful time; explore, experience, have a rave!

And if you’re ever lonely, remember I’ll be thinking of you every single day!

Graeme


Letter to Jo (Dec 2012)

Hi there Jo

One of the blessings, I am most grateful for in my life is you - my fabulous, wonderful sister.  I appreciate your love more than words can express.  Here are some of the things that I appreciate about you and am deeply grateful for, just from the past year.

• Your wonderful hospitality as always when I was in Cape Town - and always making me feel so incredibly welcome and loved.
• Our special evening and day together in Joberg after my Kruger Trip - thanks so much for your idea of coming up. It was wonderful to spend quality time with you, and you made me completely forget my holiday was over and gave me much needed support and perspective over the damaged car.
• Helping me to book a car and hotel in Cape Town the day before my Kruger trip. I wasn't going to book a hotel but am so very, very glad we did in the end. In retrospect, it would have been very stressful otherwise.
• Your numerous phone calls when I was in the Kruger - I was lonely at times and getting a call from you was often the highlight of my day
• The amazing work you have done on your garden - you've transformed it into something so beautiful. Very, very inspiring.
• Your amazing sense of style.  The house is looking so good and there are so many beautiful touches everywhere.  You've made the house into such a lovely, warm home.
• Your amazing support of Matt and Sam's interests and passions even if it means lots of organising and lifting.  You are such a generous and loving mum, it defies description.  They're such incredible, loving kids and much of that is thanks to you.
• The great photos you take of the kids that you send to me regularly and the amazing effects you do in Picasa.  You have such a great eye for light and composition, I can certainly learn a thing or two.
• The beautiful calendar and card you sent for Xmas. It's so great to have photos of the family up on the wall that I can look at throughout the year.
• The black fleece you gave me for my birthday.  It's my favourite item of clothing at the moment, I wear it all the time.
• Putting Sam and Matt's art on the wall in the home - beautiful, colourful and so wonderful for their confidence
• Your love of JJ and taking him for walks at all hours including the wee wee hours of the morning
• Your generosity in buying things from people (like massage cushions) because you want to support them.  I think you made that lady's day!
• What a great friend you are to your many friends - always supportive, nurturing, affirming and full of fun
• Your sparkle and warmth and sense of fun
• How you always makes me feel good about myself, reminding me of my worthwhile qualities and abilities - you're always so encouraging and great for my confidence
• Your support and encouragement of my photography
• How you saved my life on the 2nd day of The Orange River by being such a strong engine (and source of metal support) when I was sick and feeling so terrible.  You literally saved my life!
• Your Skype calls - always so great to hear your voice and catch up
• Calling me "boet."

And from a little longer ago

• The beautiful letter you sent me on my 40th birthday that made me cry so much and was just what I needed at the time
• The pillow case you made with photos of the family on it - what an amazing gift. It's on my bed right now.

Anyway, I just wanted to express how I felt.  No need to reply.  Thank you for being you and all you do. Sisters don't come in any better shape or form.  I love you so very much.

Graeme

Letter to Jo  (May 16, 2014)

Dearest Jo

• Thank you for always making me feel special and loved.
• Thank you for always being there, no matter what.
• Thank you that I can be completely myself with you, comfortable in my own skin.
• Thank you for always making me feel good about myself; for reminding me of my worthwhile qualities and abilities.
• Thank you for always being a great listener when I need an ear.
• Thanks for all your re-assurance when I am doubtful and uncertain.
• Thank you for always being real and for confiding in me and trusting me with things you're going through.
• Thank for never confiding my secrets.  Well, apart from Wiki that is!!
• Thank you that I know I can always share things with you without fear of judgement.
• Thank you for your sparkle and warmth and sense of fun.
• Thank you that we can be comfortably silent together.
• Thank you for sometimes giving me a gentle push when I need it.
• Thank you for being such an amazing friend.  Not only are you a loving sister, but there's no-one I'd rather spend time with.          
• Thank you for co-creating many of my most cherished childhood memories - pigging out on custard, milk snorting due to so much laughing, lego building, playing snap, chocolate pilfering, Marco Polo in the pool, heart to hearts -  and countless more priceless memories.
• Thank you for your moral support as a child when mum went into a tizz, or dad combed his hair for hours in the parking lot or Gramps became flirtatious with a waitress.
• Thank you for (in the distant past) keeping me in check with your killer look - there were times when I so deserved it!!
• Thank you for forgiving me for cutting your hair as a child. Although you did get me back when you helped me dye mine and it turned so orange!!!
• Thank you for going to the Matric dance with Tony and putting up with his jogging on the spot - you saved his life!
• Thank you for going overseas after school - it helped inspire me to go travelling later on (although it took a long time for me to get off my ass and do it!)
• Thank you for the way you welcomed Ally into the family.
• Thank you for visiting us in Hammersmith with Sammy and Antony - some wonderful memories.
• Thank you for the beautiful letters you've written me.
• Thank you for reading out my tribute to Gramps at his funeral - and for the wonderful tribute you wrote for Gran.
• Thank you for your priceless support from 2008 - 2010 when I was so low - it helped me more than you'll ever know.
• Thank you for visiting me in Sydney when I so needed some sunshine in my life.
• Thank you for giving birth to the most wonderful nephew and niece in the world and for being the best, most generous, most loving mum there is.
• Thank you for the wonderful family photos and updates you e-mail through, always making me feel connected to the family even when I'm so far away.
• Thank you for the beautiful calendar you send each year
• Thank you for making the best Xmas cake in the world.
• Thank for your incredible, amazing hospitality whenever I'm in Cape Town.  You always make me feel so welcome and so loved.
• Thank you for being such an amazing, fantastic cook; and for all the mouth watering meals you make.
• Thank you for your help with my clothes shopping, always knowing I can trust your taste - and for the wonderful clothes you've gotten me as gifts.
• Thank you for all the lifting you do for me when I'm in Cape Town - I so appreciate it.
• Thank you for keeping me company on The Two Ocean's fun run.
• Thanks for not “blikseming” me when I pilfered from your larder.
• Thank you for introducing me to fun songs like "F**k you very much!!"     
• Thank you for treating me to wonderful, relaxing massages.
• Thank you for setting up the volleyball on Camp Bay - it turned out so great.
• Thank you for our lovely walks in The Greenbelt and around the block.
• Thank you for the amazing leap photos you take - you just about always get the shot first go!!
• Thank you for offering to go in my place when I was terrified to paraglide.
• Thank you for the inspiration you constantly give me through your sensational photography - it's so wonderful to share such a great passion with you.
• Thank you for your support and encouragement of my photography and blogging.
• Thank you for your company on fun photography outings to places like The Bo Kaap, Kirstenbosch and The World of Birds.
• Thank you for all the super tricks you've taught me in Picasa. You're a real power-user!
• Thank you for putting your photos up on your walls - you've inspired me to start doing the same thing.
• Thank you for the creative inspiration you also give through your interior decor, cards and gardening.
• Thank you for the example you set in how to be a great and loyal friend - you're special to so many people; a blessing to all whose lives you touch.
• All in all, thank you for being the loving and generous soul you are.  Thank you for being You; exactly You.

Thank you for these and countless other reasons.  I'm so indescribably blessed to have you in my life; to be your "boet."  God was truly smiling on the day be chose you to be my "little" sister.


Card for Jo (July 2018)

Dear Jo

You're 100% amazing !!  Whether you're ...

• shopping and cooling up a storm for bookclub, calm as a cucumber, at the final hour
• or crossing over a gaping void by hanging onto a root, and then encouraging me over too,
• or embracing a new program with creative flair to create something beautiful for Mike... 
• or making mum laugh through her tears ...
• or providing much needed support and encouragement to your friends ...
• or fitting a dozen things into your day with military precision, keeping everything running smoothly and making everyone happy ...
• ... and still finding time to appreciate beauty and photograph a flower

... you inspire me to much!!

Thank you for a wonderful time in Cape Town and always making me feel so loved,

G xxx

Birthday video for Jo's 50th birthday (May 2022)

See also

• Other letters sent to Jo during her year overseas

Jo as a baby

As kids

Jo, as teenager

21st birthday

Wedding day (more)

More recent photos of us

With Sam and Matthew

Looking gorgeous!

Jo in the news

Life a is leap with your sister

Related links

• All posts tagged "Jo"
• All posts tagged "Me with Jo"
• Photos of me, Ally, Jo & Antony
• Childhood photos
• Early boyfriends

Mum

"If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam."  Henry Bickersteth

All posts with Mum

Posts of me with Mum

My Special Memories

• Mum´s support with my school essays and homework - and before tests and exams
• Xmas mornings - mince pies, brandy butter and generous presents
• Her glorious cooking (rich chocolate mousee, trifle, Xmas pudding and cake, sunday roasts, kedgerie, toad in the hole, steak and kidney pie, baked cruchies, creme caramel)
• Family holidays to Eight Bells, Mauritious, Drakensberg, Midmar Dam
• Support at school through lift clubs, support at all my rugby games, sports days, plays, tuck shop
• Our mutual love for marzipan
• The Montebello Days - lazing on the balcony
• Mums wonderful relationship with Mike and the fun they have
• Mum and Mike's wonderful wedding - mum looked so happy and it was so special that Gran and Gramps were there to see it
• Her constant support (with our wedding logistics, packing Willow Road, my SA admin while I was abroad)
• Watching TV on Saturday nights with chocolate and coffee
• Sunday morning family lie in as kids
• Meeting Ally and making her feel so comfortable, welcoming her as a member of the family
• Stealing almonds from her cupboard (always so well stocked)
• Family washing up sessions
• Camping trips with the big tent (with Rusconis and Cullies)
• Mum typing my university assignments while I dictated - and correcting my grammar as we went along
• What a wonderful gran she is with Sam and Matthew
• Visiting us with Mike in Cambridge and Hammersmith
• Her family photo albums, so well loved and the past so well recorded
• Her love hate relationship with her computer
• Her amazing Xmas dinners
• Family outings to the beach (Muizenberg, Boulders, St James)
• Her amazing courage when dad died
• Her loyalty to her friends who have been there since I can remember (Lizz, Wendy, Colleen, Barbara, Dorreen, Jocelyn, Gill & Derry, Gill Fitnum)
• Never forgetting birthdays or special occasions
• Her Bridge
• Her loyalty and committment to Red Cross
• Her committment to Kloeckner Muller
• The beautiful poem she wrote me when she went into hospital
• Her amazing, extraordinary, incredible generosity
• Her incredible support of Gran and Gramps 
• Sending us photos of the family and keeping us constantly in touch through newsy emails
• Jumping through the sprinkler at Xmas 2005
• Our weekend in Club Mykenos (2005)
• Staying over at The Sheraton during our Cape Town visits and great family meals there.
• Our family Christmas reunion in 2009 and how welcome and cared for I felt in mum and Mike's (for me) new home at Monorgan Mews
• Proudly showing off Sydney when mum and Mike visited us in 2008 and going house hunting together
• Proudly showing off our new home when mum and Mike visited us in Sydney in 2009 - and how much they loved Manly
• Lazing together in the warm waters of Hot Water beach when we all travelled through New Zealand together
• How mum's support literally sustained me through the most difficult period of my life from mid 2008 - mid 2010.  Her unconditional love (and our numerous Skype chats) was the beacon that helped me get through it all
• Mum calling me every night while I was alone in the Kruger for over three weeks - it was the highlight of my day
• Her amazing generosity during my 2012 holiday to Cape Town - my flight, Orange River trip, malaria pills, dentist, clothes and shoes, hotel in Joberg.  Wow is all I can say.
• Her passion for Bridge

Excerpt from mum and Mike's wedding speech (2001)

Its fitting that Mike is such a special chap because he has found in my mum, a very, very, special partner.  She is simply the most generous and caring person I know, which is undoubtedly a quality she has inherited from her own mum. She is always there for her friends and family, always thinking of others, always ready, at the drop of a hat, to give of her time and energy to help someone.  And no matter what comes her way in life, she always remains the same - optimistic, full of life and down to earth.

Mum has been an absolute treasure to Jo and me, always encouraging us to follow our own dreams and do what makes us happy. She has also been the most amazingly supportive daughter to granny and gramps during their time in Woodside Village.

And of course, she is the most wonderful Granny. I don't think there has ever been in the history of the world, a more doting and adoring granny than she is to Sam.

So all I can say is that mum deserves only the most special things that life can bring and that is one of the reasons we are so delighted that she has found a soul-mate in someone as special as Mike.


Letter (May 2014)

Dearest mum  

• Thank you for bringing me into this wondrous world; for the greatest gift of all - the gift of life.
• Thank you for insisting I was the most beautiful baby in the nursing home!
• Thank you for the love you heaped on me as a baby - it is so clear to see in all my baby photos.
• Thank you for all the times you changed my nappy and for all the times you got up at night when I cried.
• Thank you for putting up with me when I cried non-stop for 12 hours on the plane when you visited England.
• Thank you for bringing Jo into my life - having such an amazing sister has enriched my life to an indescribable degree.
• Thank you for putting up with me when I drew on the walls with crayon and emptied the box of washing powder when Jo arrived.
• Thank you for all the sacrifices you and dad made to have Jo and me especially when things were tight.
• Thank you for letting me get dirty in the garden, building my constructions in the sand pit. You were always relaxed about that.
• Thank you for taking so many snap shots when we were young and keeping everything meticulously in your photo albums - a priceless record.
• Thank you for getting me that book "What's Happening to Me" and for explaining the facts of life in a way that didn't make me think it was a big deal.
• Thank you for your amazing generosity at Xmas and birthdays - I was always blown away by what I unwrapped; never once disappointed.
• Thank you for getting me the toys that brought me so much joy:  my soft toys, lego, roller skates, action men, army trucks, stamps, ATARI games, my commodore 64 and many more.
• Thank you for getting us "The World Book" - it started my fascination with the wonders of the world.
• Thank you for letting us join you and dad in bed on Sunday mornings even when I wriggled and kept going under the covers. It was such a lovely family ritual.
• Thank you for our fun family camping trips with the Rusconis and Cullies in the big tent.
• Thank you for our family outings to the beach - Muizenberg, Boulders and St James and for buying us ice-cream. Memories don't come better.
• Thank you for never lifting a hand against either Jo or me - you and dad were parents ahead of your time in that way.
• Thank you for the beautiful poem you wrote me when you went into hospital.  It made me cry and feel so loved.
• Thank you for taking us on The Blue Train at Sea Point and for San Marco's ice-cream. It's where my love of ice cream started.
• Thank you for letting us have pets and making them such a beloved part of the family - Tinkerbell, Cindy, Tina, Scamp, Meg, the hamsters and guineapigs all enriched my childhood immensely.
• Thank you for letting the hamsters have hamster babies and for not resting till you'd found them all homes.
• Thank you for letting me have a pet chameleon in the kitchen.
• Thank you for all your support when I had my legs in plaster in Sub B - it can't have been easy!
• Thank you for letting me have my ears pinned back without making a big thing out of it - it made such a difference to me.
• Thank you for sending me to such a wonderful and nurturing school.  I was very blessed to go to St Georges.
• Thank you to you and dad for your decision to build a pool which became the source of countless priceless memories.
• Thank you for letting me play with soft toys, even when I got older.
• Thank you for our family holidays to Eight Bells, Mountain World and Sedgefield.
• Thank you for getting us a table tennis table which brought so many hours of fun.
• Thank you for lifting me to the holiday movies at Cavendish as a child. That's where my great love of movies began.
• Thank you for all the chores you did to make our lives run so smoothly - the laundry, ironing, cooking, and clearing up, even when I took it for granted.  I no longer do.
• Thank you for helping to entice Gran and Gramps to live in South Africa - and for helping them to settle here when they did. It was such a blessing to have them here.
• Thank you for putting up with Jo and I when we constantly bickered in our earlier years.  I'm surprised you didn't go mad !
• Thank you for wrapping my school books each new term.
• Thank you for your support with my homework and especially with my school essays - it was a major contributor to my learning to write well.
• Thank you for all the times you lifted me and the Rusconis to school and choir.
• Thank you for supporting my rugby games and sports days on the side-lines even when it was raining and miserable.
• Thank you for being proud of me on the sports field - even early on when I stood around in a confused daze and sucked my thumb!
• Thank you for supporting all my school plays, often coming to every performance of the same play.
• Thank you for helping out at the school tuck shop.
• Thank you for being so friendly with all my teachers - it made them seem so much more approachable.
• Thank you for never putting pressure on me at school and for your support and re-assurance when I got anxious before tests and exams.
• Thank you for our holidays to Palmiet and Betties Bay with the Rusconis.
• Thank you for our wonderful family holidays to the Drakensberg and Mauritius.
• Thank you for letting us help with the washing up after dinner - it was a family time ritual I treasured.
• Thank you for your good spelling genes and your writing genes.
• Thank you for making sure I didn't have to play rugby in senior school - goodness knows what my back and neck would be like if I had continued playing.
• Thank you for keeping all my old school reports and published poems and essays - now a cherished part of my blog.
• Thank you for insisting we write thank you letters as kids - it is one of the things that awakened my sense of gratitude which now forms an important part of my philosophy to life.
• Thank you for our wonderful family holiday on the farm in Ceres in Std 6.
• Thank you for encouraging me to go to Graaf Reinet with Erla Nel - it was so good for my Afrikaans.
• Thank you for your loving, tender care when I got horrible colds and my eyes streamed, even when I was a grouch.
• Thank you for making Xmases so special and especially for the amazing food: gammon and turkey, mince pies, Xmas pudding and brandy butter, brandy soaked Xmas cake.
• Thank you for your generosity at Easter - there was always such an abundance of chocolate eggs and bunnies.
• Thank you for your glorious, mouth-watering cooking - kedgeree, toad in the hole, sausage ragu, steak and kidney pie, Sunday roasts (especially roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.), cauliflower cheese, creamed spinach, nourishing chicken soup and many.  I always looked forward to the next meal.
• Thank you for your wonderful desserts and baking  - chocolate mousse, trifle, baked crunchies, rice pudding, bread &butter pudding, chocolate crispies, crème caramel, banana pudding  (with walnuts!) and many more.
• Thank you for our Saturday night treat of Top Deck or "Chocolate and Nut" to savour with a cup of coffee while we all watched TV.
• Thank you for putting up with me raiding your well stocked cupboards to pilfer almonds and condensed milk.
• Thank you for teaching me the joys of putting chocolate in the freezer - it's so much better that way!
• Thank you for alerting me to the Alexander Technique which germinated many things in my life, including my spirituality and meditation.
• Thank you for typing my school Latin projects and my university assignments while I dictated, often late at night, and for correcting my grammar as we went along.  
• Thank you for always encouraging me to do what I love, for never forcing me down a particular road.
• Thank you for insisting I go for private dancing lessons when I nearly left ballroom dancing classes due to a lack of confidence.  Being able to dance has been such a wonderful skill.
• Thank you for all your help in setting up Willow Road when we got it, especially all the painting you and dad did.
• Thank you for making Ally feel so comfortable and welcome and for the special relationship you developed with her. You meant the world to her.
• Thank you for the amazing courage you showed when dad died.
• Thank you for never forgetting birthdays or special occasions.
• Thank you for your incredible support of Gran and Gramps towards the end of their lives - you were their rock.
• Thank you for being such a wonderful grandmother to Matthew and Sam. There can't be a more loving, doting and generous granny than you.
• Thank you for giving Ally and me the freedom to live away from South Africa, with never a hint of any guilt games or pressure to come back.
• Thank you for all the times you sent us photos of the family and for keeping us constantly in touch through newsy emails before the days of Skype.
• Thank you for typing out all my letters and post cards when I went travelling in 1997 and for putting it all into a journal -  they are now a cherished part of my blog.
• Thank you for your support with our wedding logistics and for helping towards it financially.
• Thank you for all your support with packing up Willow Road when it was sold.
• Thank you for all your support with our admin and tax while we were abroad.
• Thank you for visiting us in London, Cambridge and Sydney and for the great times we all had together.
• Thank you for our weekend together in Club Mykonos in 2005.
• Thank you for running through the sprinklers with us during Xmas 2005 - such a priceless, fun family memory.
• Thank you for joining us on a trip to New Zealand - some great memories, especially lazing in those hot pools on the beach.
• Thank you for helping me to afford the house in Waverton. I can't begin to describe how happy I am there, in such a great place in such a lovely area next to such a beautiful park; able to have Mack. I count it as one of my greatest ever blessings in life.
• Thank you for your constant support through the most difficult period of my life from 2008 to mid-2010.  Your love sustained me.
• Thank you for helping me financially to visit South Africa and for your amazing generosity while I'm here; for clothes, shoes, dentist visits and so much more.
• Thank you for your amazing, loving hospitality when I've stayed over with you during my Cape Town visits and for all the wonderful meals at home and out.
• Thank you for my Orange River trip in 2012 - it was so great to share an adventure like that with the family.
• Thank you for calling me every night while I was alone in the Kruger - it was often the highlight of my day.
• Thank you for encouraging me to get out more in Sydney - it incentivised me to join Meet Up and how wonderful that has been.
• Thank you for trimming my hair and neck so nicely with the clippers.
• Thank you for your encouragement with my photography and for all the comments you leave on my blog.
• Thank you for sending me some great slow cooker recipes.
• Thank you for providing an example of what it means to be a loyal friend by the way you sustain your friendships and keep in touch with Liz, Wendy, Colleen, Barbara, Jocelyn, Gill & Derry and Gill in England to name but a few.
• Thank you for your generosity of spirit; that you're always ready, at the drop of a hat, to give of your time and energy to help someone in need.
• Thank you that you're always there to talk to. Always there to listen. Always there to encourage. Always there to love me no matter what.
• Thank you for always making me feel special and worthwhile.
• Thank you for always making me feel good about myself, reminding me of my worthwhile qualities and abilities.
• Thank you for always being there, no matter what and for being a great listener when I need an ear.
• Thanks for your re-assurance when I am doubtful or uncertain.
• Thank you for sometimes giving me a gentle push when I need it.  
• Thank you for your warmth and sense of fun.
• Thank you for being the loving and generous soul you are.
• Thank you for being you, exactly You.
• Thank you for being the best mum I could ever ask for.

Thank you for all those things and for so much more.  You are such a huge blessing to me, and to so many other people whose lives you touch.  I was so fortunate to get you as my mum.  Mums simply don't come any better.  I love you so very much.

Love always and a day
Graeme


Email  (Dec 2012)

Hi there mum

I'm back into regular meditation again and it's wonderful. I'm feeling much more relaxed and calm.  I'm determined to keep it up!

One of the things I've been meditating on recently is all the experiences and things I am most grateful for from the past year.  I created a list and was absolutely amazed how long and rich it was.  My life really is full of blessings.

I just wanted you to know that you came right at the very top of all the blessings in my life that I am most grateful for.

I am so, so grateful for your unbelievable, incredible, extraordinary generosity this year, as always.  My amazing trip to South Africa was thanks to you.  My flight to get there and the Orange River trip.  Shoes and clothes and malaria tablets and the dentist and my wonderful night in Jo burg with Jo.  Not to mention, my speeding fine when you were in Sydney.  It really blows my mind, I really can't express in words how much I appreciate it.

And then, there is your even greater generosity in love and caring.  Just as one example, your phone calls to me every evening when I was alone in The Kruger meant the absolute world to me.  I loved my time in the park as you know, but it was lonely at times, and anticipating your call and then chatting to you at 6 pm was often the greatest highlight of my day.  It made me feel cherished and connected.
You are always there for me and always have been.  I appreciate your love and your support and your generosity more than I can ever say.  Mums simply don't come better than you.

I love you so very much.

G


Excerpt from a letter (September 2010)

Dearest mum. You have always been such a vital force in my life. Always there to talk to. Always ready to listen. Always ready to encourage. And always there to support me and love me no matter what. Please, please know that I do not take it for granted. I appreciate it more than I can ever express.


Birthday wishes (for mum's birthday, 2017)

Dear mum

Happy birthday!  Happy 70 years young.

I feel so blessed to have you as my mum.  You have always been such a vital force in my life. Always there to talk to. Always ready to listen. Always ready to encourage. And always there to support us and love us no matter what.

You've inspired me in so many ways ...
- your extraordinary, amazing, incredible  generosity of spirit
- your readiness to help anyone in need
- your warm heartedness and natural friendliness
- your resilience in the tough times
- the way you value and nurture your friendships
- your common sense
- your delicious cooking
- your being the most adoring, doting Granny in the world
- your readiness to learn new computer tricks
- your enthusiasm for all you get involved in
- and so much more

What a journey life is - a winding path of ups and downs; joys, adventures and challenges.  Thank you for the vital role you've played on my journey; for starting me on it, for teaching me to walk and run and climb, for encouraging and helping me on the uphills, for contributing to the joys and sharing in the wonders along the way.  Thank you for being the best mum I could ever ask for.  Thank you for being You.

Love
G

Mum's memories

• Mum has written a wonderful memoir of her most vivid memories during her life to date.

Mum as a Cute Youngster

Single and fancy free

With Dad

I couldn´t ask for a better mum

With Whisky (I love this photo)

Some family shots

With wonderful Mike ( Wedding photos and speech )

With Sam and Matthew

...I'm so blessed to have a Mum like mine. They don't come any better.

Related posts

• Biographical information and memoir
• Photos of mum
• Mum & Dad's wedding
• Mum & Mike's wedding
• All posts tagged "mum"
• Mum's visits

Movies

The cinema has no boundary; it is a ribbon of dream.  Orson Welles

Ever since I was a young child, I have loved movies.  There is nothing like immersing yourself in another world and another life for a while.  Movies, like music, often make me feel deeply.  I also love exciting, thrilling movies and movies with an unexpected twist that leave you reeling and exhilarated. 

Movie dairy

• A complete list of movies & TV I've seen by year
• Movie watching statistics
• IMDB Top 250 challenge (2003 - 2005)

 

Favourite movies

• My favourite movies of all time (by genre)
• My favourite movies & TV watched by year
• Movies that were a catalyst to an emotional release
• Movies that made a big impact when I was a child
• Movies & TV with a twist
• TV shows from my younger years

Favourite movie scenes and quotes

• My favourite movie scenes
• My favourite movie quotes

Favourite music from movies

• My favourite movie instumental themes  (Spotify playlist)
• My favourite songs from movies   (Spotify playlist)
• Nostalgic TV music themes  (Spotify playlist)

Movie posts

• Posts tagged as "Movie"
• Posts tagged as "TV"
• Posts tagged as "Movies I Loved"
• Posts tagged as "Cinema"
• Posts tagged as "Open Air Cinema"
• Posts tagged as "Banff Mountain Festival"