Finding my family link again...

The next few months were tough, especially for the Lin and the girls.  I continued to feel guilty, when the girls would talk about Nanny, I felt awful - I didn't know her as a person, I only had my childhood memories of her to go by.  Many of my favourite memories are from before Hayley and Lucy were born so they don't share the same memories as I do.


I remember when they had a beautiful bungalow in Chatteris and they used to grow their own vegetables, particularly green beans, cucumber and tomatoes!  Even today, the smell of home grown cucumber and tomatoes and I am straight back to their garden in Chatteris!  I remember Nanny used to collect all the big beans and I had a little machine to cut them....I was so small they kept a little stool for me so I could reach the work surface and the bean machine!  I used to stand there for hours cutting beans chatting away to Nanny while she  cooked the Sunday Roast!  I was only 8 or 9 then and that was when I used to be there for Summer Holidays....without my parents....relaxed and chilled!


Anyway, Kevin and I started to spend nice times with Lin, Andy and the girls and Grandad.  In November, it was Grandad's 80th birthday so we had a little gathering at Lin's house.  It was also Firework Night and Lin bought some home fireworks.....I was a big kid!  I had never had home fireworks before and loved them....sooo pretty LOL.   Another first for me! :)

The 3 of us deciding which firework to light next! :) 

Later that month was also Lucy's 18th birthday and we were so pleased to be invited to join the party!

I felt so old...it felt like 5 minutes ago that Lucy was a tiny 2 year old...and now she was 18!!!  Amazing how much I missed in the 15 years!  She had a great party and I loved spending lots of time with Lin and Andy and meeting their friends.  Some even remembered me from when I was small!

I loved getting to know them all again!  I couldn't get over how much Lin is like my mum!  In their older years, they have grown incredibly alike!  I remember the day of Nanny's funeral, we were at Grandad's house and he gave me a small box he had bought for Nanny....I burst into tears and Lin pulled me onto her lap and comforted me...I had my eyes closed due to crying and for a few seconds, I was a small child again, sitting on mums lap being comforted.  Lin sounded so much like mum, especially with my eyes closed!  It was surreal, almost like she is all the nice bits of my mum and it allows me to forget the horrible memories I have while I am with Lin....

It is so amazing to have them all back in my life again!

The future is bright and Nanny's memory lives on...everyday! xxx