Hi,
It is Wednesday - my day off and I was supposed to have a haircut at 10.30, but it was cancelled as the hairdresser has hurt her back!
So, I'm sat here procrastinating until I get myself up, have a shower and meet Yvonne and and kids at 1pm :-) I haven't seen Yvonne for ages - since I last saw her she will have lost loads of weight as she had Gastric bypass surgery, and i have put on a ton of weight (because I'm a lazy foodie).
She lost her step-dad George on 15th April (same date as Dad died) he wasn't old, and was a lovely guy - we met him at her wedding and during that week. Apparently it was cancer and was very quick - such sad, sad news.
I got sad on 15th, when I realised it was two years since that awful time, and I decided to go back and read my blog - I read a couple of paragraphs and had to stop because it was too upsetting. I have tried not to dwell on it - it is better to think of past times with him rather than the end...
At the weekend I went to Manchester as it was two years since my Dad died, and Joanne (sister) arranged a memorial/get-together. Long drive to Manchester, with Connor who came over Friday night to travel with us. It was at Brackley Conservative Club - somewhere I'd not been before. We got there a little early which was good because Bev, Joanne and Mum were there so I got to say Hi (and have a bit of the whiskey I took for the toast). Lissa, Ada, Adam, (a heavily pregnant and struggling) Erika and Rory and Rudy turned up, as did my Helen, Paul, Eloise and Zack, my brothers Andrew & Antony and their partners and Andrews kids, my cousin Claire and her kids, and my Aunty Elaine, my Dads remaining brother Ronny, my Dads best mate Steve Lawrence and his wife, and many others came.
Joanne did a moving toast, which made me cry - there were pictures of my Dad everywhere....it was sad and at the same time really good to see all the family.
I proceeded to get quite tipsy - and tried to chat to everybody there. It was a really good event.
Me, Joanne, Bev and Helen ended up chatting for quite a while - I love getting together with them - we never struggle to talk constantly and laugh a lot! It was great just to spend time with people at different times, including our kids! Not enough time though!!
I hardly saw Andy - especially as he didn't have to keep me topped u with drinks as we drank the wine/whiskey provided for the toasts! My Mum and Hilda and another couple did a couple of ballroom dances, and then George (Nephew - Bev's son) got up and danced with Hilda as he does competition dance.
Afterwards (because we had the room from 1pm - 6pm) we had arranged to go back to my Mums with the kids - but loads of people went back there (apart from Bev, Megan and Aimee - and they are not speaking - although Bev was approached about going and said she would go - a step towards peace - but my Mum said NO WAY).
Again it was great fun at my Mums with all the family there - just love being around them all! I might have got a little too intoxicated, and i did wake up the next day hoping I'd not said anything stupid or offended anybody!
Me and Andy got a lift back to the hotel from Erika - and I felt a little guilty because I really didn't want to get a taxi and Erika had struggled all day being so heavily pregnant...
Lissa & Adam both managed to get a babysitter (their Dad) for the night, so that must have been great for them!
We woke up really early so we made an early start on the journey home...dropped Connor off at Bristol train station - and I ended up sleeping on the couch for a while! All in all - a great family time - for a very sad reason.