Features and blogging

I wondered if today’s unhappy anniversary has a place here on my blog, but looking back over old posts it’s obvious not all of them are words-related. And I think that, as this is my website, I can pretty much write what I like. So I did.
On 4 June my family always receives lots of lovely messages about Mum, who died in the early hours of that day 10 years ago. I might have written about her once in a while, referring to her different hats of journalist, photographer, sculpture expert and mother; most notably here, in her obituary.
Now 10 years has clocked round I think a proper mention is in order, but let’s make it a relevant one. So here’s a little word sculpture for her: 10 pillars for the 10 years she’s not been around to write her own stuff.
1 Work We girls fell asleep to the sound of the typewriter clacking away in her office. No wonder my sister Tamsin thinks a day’s work is 19 hours, and we both routinely stay up late to finish stuff. It’s a good ethos to have passed down.
2 Music When five-year-old Jonah wrote his now infamous song ‘I Ain’t Got No More Grandmas’ (10 years ago, funnily enough), too bad she wasn’t around to learn it, then get us all humming along. I would pick out The Eagles for her, if it weren’t for Love and Affection winning every time.

3 Travel We’re still finding remnants of that 15-month trip to the Levant in the 50s with a bunch of nurses in two jeeps. Dad’s now got a van called Elvis; soon as we can we’ll be road tripping. Can’t promise to ride any more camels, though.
4 Protection Did she really remove a football from a small child and lob it far across a park? From where we sat one lazy Sunday we could see that ball being banged repeatedly against her tiny grandson’s head while no one appeared to be doing anything. So she quietly stood up, walked over to sort it, then came to sit back down again. John relayed the story with mock horror at the time, but was actually quite proud to have an in-law who took no prisoners: just the odd football.
5 Comedy dress-ups No one can deny how well she suited a charcoal beard, fancy dress being one of her specialist subjects. Maybe that’s why when Sophie’s mum asked six-year-old me how my mother was during one of our playdates, I told her she was trying to grow a moustache. Seemed legit.
6 Loyalty How many friends sobbed round the kitchen table as the kettle was flicked on for buckets of tea, no matter what deadline was being put on hold? No story went unheard.
7 Ingenuity Lockdown life has been tough for some. I think Mum would have kept busy building tents on the balcony; giving talks on Zoom; working out a neighbourhood schedule with the block reps, just as her older daughter has.
8 Bravery v pragmatism A heroic attitude to 10 years of brutal medical treatments perfectly offsets the swift exit from a café in bombed-out Camden, while two elderly aunts chose to stay behind and quibble the bill. She knew when to put up and shut up, and when to get out.
9 Transparency v secrecy Shouting loud details of my stomach upset to a friend across a crowded car park, much to the embarrassment of nine-year-old me. Later on, maintaining a loyal silence when my forged sick notes were discovered (she was more proud of those perfect signatures than my A Level scores).
10 Equality Whether it was dishing out precise strawberry measurements, us girls getting equal measures in our stockings, or cheering Cameroon’s efforts in that World Cup, no one wanted equality more.

Cheers to you, Ma x