My Mum
It only feels like yesterday when I was brushing your hair whilst watching telly and you yelping as I found a knot. But you’d just say “hang on I’ll get that one.”
Well here I am writing this, I still can’t believe I’m having to do this so soon. Huh, the things I’m now remembering, warming up my school shirt over the hob, getting my Ready Brek ready, you could never get that consistency right, either too thick or too runny, I didn’t mind as long as it had lots of sugar in it.
I remember one time you telling people how you came down the stairs to me putting the potatoes into a pan and some burgers under the grill, luckily I hadn’t thought about turning the heating parts of the oven on.
I do remember how I used to make my own breakfast though, I’d climb up on the end of the breakfast bar, walk across the units, across the hob to the corner cupboard where the cereal was kept. Pick out the box, place it on the worktop then make my way back over everything and climb back down the end, the rest I could reach from the floor, bowl, milk, and spoon. I think after that is when you’d tie your dressing gown belt around my bedroom door handle and the bathroom door handle so couldn’t get out, or was it so you could have a lay-in? Well, that didn’t last long as I’d soon make a few items into a makeshift drum kit.
You didn’t mind me having friends round to play. I had a couple write to me to say how sorry they were to hear the news, Sean O’Sullivan rang me, and they all loved you.
Oh, the miles we must have walked and biked, I don’t think my children realise how lucky they are. The thought of walking to Syderstone Play Park seems too much of a struggle. But we would walk from Green Lane through the lane to Great Nans where we would have a drink, you’d have a catch up with Nan and a cup of tea, I’d go and see Great Grandad in the garage patching up his Vauxhall Viva or turning the soil in the garden, but that was after I’d checked to see if there was any raspberry’s growing.
Then onto Colkirk, if we (if I) was lucky grandad would run us up there, after he’d taken the football results down for the pools, or Nan would walk with us just up the hill.
When we got to Nanny Rita’s I’d go off and play with Richard or Lisa, wouldn’t be long though before we had to be back for tea, you’d bring me along a pot noddle, Chicken and Mushroom Flavour.
You’d go off to work later around to the Colkirk Crown, when you came back Grandad (Dad, Wally) would take us home. I remember him telling me that those white flashes (other car headlights) were the house bulbs coming out to have a run about, at that age of course, you’d believe him.
In the school holidays/half term it would mean push biking to Whissonsett or Pensthorpe, where you’d do fruit picking, either Strawberries, Apples, BlackBerries or Black Currants depending on the season. And still, go to work at the pub in the evenings. Maybe that’s where I got my workaholic attitude from?
There are so many more happy memories like this I’d like to mention but we don’t have time.
Fast forward a few years……March 86’
Mum, you came home that night with Cousin Donna and her husband Gary, but there was a new face someone I’d never seen before. I remember seeing a glancing glimmer of his face as you came rushing through the living room door into the back hallway and saying to me, behave yourself I like this one.
Little did I know you would go onto marry this man and have 30 plus years of happy marriage and two more children.
I’m so happy that mum found happiness with you Pat, I just never told you. You were, and still are a great father figure. I’m so greatful you wanted to take me on. I just never found the words to say how much you mean to me. You are more of a father to me than you can imagine. And I’m also lucky to have a brother and sister like Tom and Jess.
As I said before, there are so many more happy memories I’d like to mention but we don’t have time. It’s time to say goodbye.
I love you mum, I just never told you enough.
RIP Nicky
Nick
1st February 2021