Goodbye my Gma

Gma and her siblings

This Wednesday we officially had to say goodbye to our dearly loved Gma. Whilst I sadly could not be at home to attend with the rest of my family for the funeral, we certainly did raise a glass of ‘medicinal’ whiskey in her honour this evening.

            It feels very strange to think that I won’t be seeing her again. Since moving out to Singapore I have only really seen her two or three times in the last year, but when I was living in London I would go and see her every time that I was home. In fact, Sunday afternoons have been our tradition Gma visiting day ever since I can remember. We would arrive after lunch to watch films, play in the garden with whichever dog was around at the time, eat toasted cheese sandwiches and Mr Kipling cakes, and when we were really little, would leave armed with our sweetie of choice out of the pot (or later, a five pence piece). 

            Describing Grandma in three words I would have to say that she was opinionated, hardworking and independent. It's fair to say that I get a lot of my personality from her. Over the past few years she definitely started to slow down, but she lived an amazing life, did some incredible things and achieved an awful lot. Looking back it’s impossible to be sad that she’s gone because she did so much!

            She was a nurse during the war, looking after the American pilots. Then she was a midwife, a health visitor and a pub landlady (a job that I am very jealous of). She lost her husband early and has spent the last 40 years living life exactly as she pleased, whilst wearing her wedding ring consistently and staying married to the love of her life, who she would rarely talk about but whose photo took pride of place in the living, looking over her every single day.

            If there was ever a lady to tell you that you were doing something wrong (often through a sternly worded letter – that’s when you really knew you were in trouble, but thankfully I have never been a recipient), that you ought to be wearing a vest, and most importantly, that you should just do as you please so long as it makes you happy, it was my Gma.

            She was proud to be Scottish, although she had not been back up there in years; she loved her siblings although they all lived so far away and she only got to see them once a year.

For as long as I can remember her main local support network was a group of strong, independent woman (ex-nurses and neighbours), and now that I look back at it, it reminds me a lot of my girls.

My Gma was one hell of a lady, and whilst I am of course sad that she’s gone, I am so pleased that we got to have her in our lives for so long. If I can live a life as long, exciting and complete as her, I will be very happy.