mottiemushroom
Give it some welly!!!
I finished my shift at work at 9pm looking forward to having a week's hols at home sorting out my jungle of a garden. I should have known better cos whenever i have hols something always goes wrong.
I got a call at 10pm telling me my Aunt Rosie had died. She was 87, but it was sudden & unexpected. I had spent yesterday with her & she was her usual self: doing her gardening whilst i cleaned her house (i'd clean it on a monday & then she could keep on top of it the rest of the week ... but it was really just an excuse for us to spend time together, swapping news, having a giggle, & making sure each of us was ok). She did her usual thing & made me a curry, knowing i work late on tuesdays & wouldn't bother cooking when i got in. Apparently she was the same this afternoon when her daughter visited her. But she was found dead on the floor in the evening. No doubt there will be an autopsy to determine the cause.
Initially i was kept busy, helping to ring around the relatives & friends to let them know & i was quite calm. I guess i hadn't fully taken it in. Then the tears came (as i know they will, from time to time over the coming weeks). My lads & friends rallied round with support, & i've also spent a few hours alone collecting my thoughts.
For all intents & purposes my aunt has been my mother figure for the last 10yrs. When my mother caused me to have a breakdown & turned my dad against me - it was my Aunt Rosie & Uncle Ted (he died 6yrs ago) who picked up the pieces & not only helped me battle through the depression, but also made sure i kept my heart open when i so desperately wanted to shut everyone out.
Nothing i could ever do was wrong in her eyes, & even when i did things she didn't understand...she would find a way of rationalising it & accepting what i had done. When i had did a charity headshave, everyone else of her generation was against me doing it. My Aunt never commented when i warned her i was doing it. Afterwards i turned up at hers with a hat on. "Well lets have a look she said" I took my hat off, knowing full well that it DIDN'T suit me & that i looked just like Uncle Fester, but proud i had done it for a good cause. "Hmm" she said " Not as bad as i expected, in fact it quite suits you". Bless her heart! When i told her i'd had a tattoo done she asked to see it (a mushroom with Mottie written underneath it). "Not what i expected" she said "the colours are more girlie than i thought you would have picked" (knowing i am a tomboy). Then after a couple of minutes she added " At least if you get killed they will be able to identify you now" She creased me up
A few years back when i had my own chatroom I'd regale the tales of Aunt Rosie & have everyone in stitches. She got to be quite a topic of conversation there with everyone asking after her - & she would give me messages to pass on to everyone, loving every minute of it all.
Noon on Mondays was always gin & tonic time. By that i mean she would pour me a tumbler full of gin, tell me i needed to take a slurp "cos i can't get the ice in" meaning of course the tonic !!! And for me this would be on an empty stomach, & since i'm not much of a drinker anyway i'd be well & truely tiddly before going home. I take the short cut through the cemetry & we'd joke about one day i would fall in a newly dug grave on the way home - she'd always say "you won't starve if you do cos you have your curry" & "if you do, make sure you do it near your Uncle Ted's grave & give him a laugh too".
My tears are all for me - i am going to miss her so much. But i know how much she missed Uncle Ted & she's with him now, & at least she didn't have some prolonged illness. When we parted on monday, it was with the usual hugs, kisses & telling each other we loved each other (not that it needed saying, but i'm gald we did). Each tear i shed i will counter with laughter at all the fun times we shared, & the determination to grow old equally disgracefully And come noon on monday i shall be raising a glass of gin & not so much tonic in her honour
My advice to everyone ... make sure you tell those you love how much they mean to you, whilst you still can.
I got a call at 10pm telling me my Aunt Rosie had died. She was 87, but it was sudden & unexpected. I had spent yesterday with her & she was her usual self: doing her gardening whilst i cleaned her house (i'd clean it on a monday & then she could keep on top of it the rest of the week ... but it was really just an excuse for us to spend time together, swapping news, having a giggle, & making sure each of us was ok). She did her usual thing & made me a curry, knowing i work late on tuesdays & wouldn't bother cooking when i got in. Apparently she was the same this afternoon when her daughter visited her. But she was found dead on the floor in the evening. No doubt there will be an autopsy to determine the cause.
Initially i was kept busy, helping to ring around the relatives & friends to let them know & i was quite calm. I guess i hadn't fully taken it in. Then the tears came (as i know they will, from time to time over the coming weeks). My lads & friends rallied round with support, & i've also spent a few hours alone collecting my thoughts.
For all intents & purposes my aunt has been my mother figure for the last 10yrs. When my mother caused me to have a breakdown & turned my dad against me - it was my Aunt Rosie & Uncle Ted (he died 6yrs ago) who picked up the pieces & not only helped me battle through the depression, but also made sure i kept my heart open when i so desperately wanted to shut everyone out.
Nothing i could ever do was wrong in her eyes, & even when i did things she didn't understand...she would find a way of rationalising it & accepting what i had done. When i had did a charity headshave, everyone else of her generation was against me doing it. My Aunt never commented when i warned her i was doing it. Afterwards i turned up at hers with a hat on. "Well lets have a look she said" I took my hat off, knowing full well that it DIDN'T suit me & that i looked just like Uncle Fester, but proud i had done it for a good cause. "Hmm" she said " Not as bad as i expected, in fact it quite suits you". Bless her heart! When i told her i'd had a tattoo done she asked to see it (a mushroom with Mottie written underneath it). "Not what i expected" she said "the colours are more girlie than i thought you would have picked" (knowing i am a tomboy). Then after a couple of minutes she added " At least if you get killed they will be able to identify you now" She creased me up
A few years back when i had my own chatroom I'd regale the tales of Aunt Rosie & have everyone in stitches. She got to be quite a topic of conversation there with everyone asking after her - & she would give me messages to pass on to everyone, loving every minute of it all.
Noon on Mondays was always gin & tonic time. By that i mean she would pour me a tumbler full of gin, tell me i needed to take a slurp "cos i can't get the ice in" meaning of course the tonic !!! And for me this would be on an empty stomach, & since i'm not much of a drinker anyway i'd be well & truely tiddly before going home. I take the short cut through the cemetry & we'd joke about one day i would fall in a newly dug grave on the way home - she'd always say "you won't starve if you do cos you have your curry" & "if you do, make sure you do it near your Uncle Ted's grave & give him a laugh too".
My tears are all for me - i am going to miss her so much. But i know how much she missed Uncle Ted & she's with him now, & at least she didn't have some prolonged illness. When we parted on monday, it was with the usual hugs, kisses & telling each other we loved each other (not that it needed saying, but i'm gald we did). Each tear i shed i will counter with laughter at all the fun times we shared, & the determination to grow old equally disgracefully
And come noon on monday i shall be raising a glass of gin & not so much tonic in her honour My advice to everyone ... make sure you tell those you love how much they mean to you, whilst you still can.
