Wednesday 26 December 2018

Christmas

So we're at the end of the first Christmas without mum and it's been a little different.

For a start, it was Dad, Dan and I that took the dogs out for their morning walk at 8:30am.  I remember back to a time where we all used to be dragged out for a walk as a family.  Contrast that to now where I'm quite happy to go out and get some fresh air, knowing full well that the rest of the day will just be spent fitting in as much food as possible.

Whilst on our way down through St Catherines woods we discussed many interesting things, such as why we feed both dogs the same amount when one runs up and down like a steroid injected mountain goat and the other plods along at walking pace.  It might explain why one is fat, and one is not fat...

We noticed that there's been a lot of clearance done in the woods lately, and they've cut the branch that used to hold the swing, which made us all vey unhappy.  We can only assume that it's been done for health and safety reasons, which if true would be quite tragic and is not doubt going to spoil a lot of children's (and adults) walks when they rush to the swing only to find out it no longer exists.

When we got to St Catherines lifeboat station we began to discuss 'the harbour that failed' and that it was probably best that it did fail, as otherwise St Martin would probably be a lot more densely populated and not so much of the quiet, quaint parish that it is today!

By the time we had gotten onto the topic of sea wall construction, we'd got tired of walking and Bex came and picked us up.

Lunch and dinner were delicious and by the end of it I was almost sick of a sight of smoked salmon (emphasis on almost).  3pm rolled around and it was time to put on the Queens' speech.  There was a moment in it that almost had me going, but no one noticed.

This post feels a bit lost without a photo.  We traditionally go for a drink at the Dolphin on Christmas eve and Facebook trawled up a picture from 2011 when I think Jack must have drunk quite a few pints.



Monday 24 December 2018

at the end of the year....well, nearly!

We've been a little lax recently with this blog...well, a lot actually. I've been meaning to make a start, but there's been things going on, and it's only now (as we slow down from work) that I've found time. I know that everyone will be saying "but the days are soooo short, surely there's time during the long dark evenings?"...and our reader would be quite right....but it just hasn't happened. Anyway....

That first paragraph was written yesterday, and now it's Christmas Eve afternoon....24 hours later. In an attempt to remind myself where we all were blogwise, I found myself (yesterday) rereading previous posts...that was a mistake (of sorts) as I went further and further back...I think I must have gone from June right up to September 17th. It was good (and not so good) to remind myself of "stuff". However, I got in a bit of a state really....and consequently wasn't up to much posting afterwards.

However, I'm back on track now....two dog walks today....visits from the St Ouen clan.... and finally getting to meet our turkey....it's a long story....I'll try to be brief. I said (some time ago) that we would do a turkey crown again this year. Dan said "no, I've got a "deal" going with work...I'll get the turkey". He wasn't taking no for an answer...so he ordered said turkey. How heavy was it? He didn't know. When was it arriving? He didn't know. Did he have any details? None at all.

So the turkey finally turned up this afternoon...18 pounds...fresh...with gibblettythings. I think it will fit in the Aga....just. I reckon 4 hours? I'll chuck it in at 8 and see what happens.... I mean how much of a disaster can it be? We've got spuds, carrots, and parsnips prepeeled, rechopped and vacuum packed from our special shop....we've got frozen peas...fresh leeks....Stephe's made some stuffing....surely it's all under control? I mean, we've gt all the food....we just need to warm it up?!

Bex has made a Christmas cake....she's been icing it and making some marzipan decorations this afternoon. They take 24 hours to "set".....I had no idea marzipan had to "set"...I've been eating big chunks of it as she's been cutting out christmas tree shapes. We also have oodles of other super-fattening presents to eat....I can't see us going hungry.

Thomas has also been "cooking" this afternoon...baking actually. He's got lots of "new bits" for his Land Rover. Some of them have been painted....but because it's high temperature paint it needs to spend some time in the oven to cure after painting. The bits will be done in half an hour....

Pops has finally moved. He's been with us up here over a week already. It's all good....there's still some bits and pieces left at Holmchase, but to all intents and purposes we are all done down there. 

I've had my birthday since the last post....apparently it was quite an important one....but I wasn't up for doing anything. Well, it turned out that I got taken out for lunch...then taken out for an afternoon coffee....and then got "dragged" out to the pub for a quiet half (well okay, it wasn't just a half) in the evening. It was all good, and I saw some friends I hadn't spoken to for quite some time.

The real reason that I wanted to send out a post today was just to wish everyone a very peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year (if we don't get to post again before 2019). It's been a real roller coaster....absolute extremes....light and dark....black and white. One thing has been clear to us all though is that we are so very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. We wouldn't have coped with things as we did without you all. Without all the support we've received we would be in a real muddle....and the last few months (indeed years) would have been very different. I just want to say, very very inadequately, a most enormous "Thank You" to everyone.

I've made a conscious decision to turn over the proverbial new leaf after next week. 2019 will be a difficult year....reminders of things that we did with Jill will appear everywhere....but we will be thankful for those good times, and move on to make some more new good times.

Once again, from all us Luces to all you readers......our sincere thanks. 

Monday 3 December 2018

Birthdays, birthdays and birth days

No prizes for guessing what the reason for this evening's post....and my apologies for bloging again so soon after Thomas...I hadn't realised he was writing something...and it had occurred to me the other day that neither of us had uploaded anything for some time.

As Tom has already mentioned, it's Jack's 30th. birthday today....another milestone for a member of the family. It was Pops' birthday last Thursday the 29th...it was his 83rd. birthday...I guess when you get to that age then any new birthday is a milestone! Pops came here for supper....and received various cards and presents. Jack and Stephe gave him a card...they wrote this inside...."Pops, we didn't have time to buy you a present, so we decided to get you a great-grandchild instead". I suppose that's as good a way of telling people you're expecting a baby as any....

Jilly would have been absolutely over the moon with excitement to discover that grandchildren were on the way. Knowing how much she was looking forward to the patter of the tiny feet of another generation of Luces has tempered my own enthusiasm, but I'm sure that by the time we get to next June I'll be fully engaged.

I've discovered that grief for the loss of loved ones has been a little like worry about children. The amount that you worry doesn't change much...the things that you worry about change.... but the level of worry is about the same. I've found things a little like that with Jilly's passing....the levels of grief haven't changed much, but the reasons have. In the first few days it was all those things that happened on a daily basis that were challenging. Getting used to those "very regular" things being different has taken time, but the upset has reduced....to be replaced by the upset of doing things that only used to happen occasionally. Being with friends on an infrequent basis has its own challenges....where we used to be 4 (2 couples) it's now very obvious that we're only 3....it's VERY obvious. That's proved a surprise for me....I hadn't seen that coming. Strangely, I'm not sure if things have been more difficult lately...that might be because I've tried to get back into normal mode....who knows. Certainly writing Jack's birthday card was a little thought provoking...the first time I've had to write a card with only one name at the end. Strange isn't it....I didn't see that coming either. I wouldn't make much of a palm reader!

Reading back over those last couple of paragraphs has made me have a word with myself....as the missus would say, "man up". Enough already...

We keep having to cope with bloomin' Alexa. Yesterday we were asking her to play seasonal music....Pogues and Kirsty McColl....Bing Crosby...Chris Rea...and then we got bored and starting asking for "other things". the most obscure request was "Alexa, play Land Rover exhaust noises"...unsurprisingly she didn't have a clue. She did however know have many miles it is to Mars and how tall she is....and...did you know where we would end up if we started digging hole in the garden and just kept going? Here's the answer.....


For tonight's final photo(s) I've decided to show our reader some of the "stuff" we still have around the kitchen here at Seaford. Photos that Jill put up on and in cupboards that we haven't taken down....no need really....they're quite amusing and make us smile.

 
Yes...we've still got Poldark stuck on the fridge...and here's the selection from the inside of the cereal cupboard....


Three of me (two with dark hair!!).....three of Jill.....Jack abseiling down Mount Bingham...and some friends added for colour! No Christmas decorations yet......but soon.....keep watching for more updates.

Shoe Boxes

I was reading the paper the other night and was delighted to see an article about the 'Pack a Christmas shoe box" as part of the Mustard seed Jersey appeal. 

I'm sure many of you are aware of the scheme as it's been going since 1998 - essentially it involves packing a shoe box with gifts and other useful items.  The box then gets loaded into a truck and someone has the unenviable job of driving it from Jersey to Romania where they're distributed to those most in need.  (see Mustard Seed Appeal)

The reason I'm mentioning all this is because I remember helping mother to make a couple of shoeboxes.  I don't think I was that old, so it could have been right around the time the appeal started, but it's stuck in my mind because it gave young me some perspective as to how fortunate we were as kids over here. 

"I'll make a shoebox. What a lovely idea to honour her memory" I thought. 

The only problem? I've missed the cut off date so i'll have to wait until next year. At least I have months to think about what to put in it, rather than the standard Christmas routine of trying to get presents last minute...

Talking of presents, it's technically Jacks 30th birthday today as its 12:15am, as I write this.  He's at work tomorrow night, so i've given him his present early. 

Most of us boys spent the day in the shed today assembling a wood chipper that i've bought.  It goes on the back of the tractor and will mean I no longer have to light fires to burn brushwood after I cut it - instead I can turn it into woodchip.  It's got a chute that means I can fire the woodchip back into nature, or load it into our trailer and do something else with it.

The only other notable thing from today is that we had to take the truck to go 'rescue' a Mr NS who'd got his car stuck in a field...




Monday 19 November 2018

A new toy

I know you're all keen to know how the new 'toy' is doing.

We took delivery of it on Saturday, and by Sunday morning it had leaked enough oil that it was in the shed parked up and Jack, Dad and I were sat around in the kitchen looking through various manuals.



The one handy thing about buying an ex MoD vehicle is that we should be able to fix almost everything ourselves given that there is a 1) user manual 2) repair manual and 3) parts catalogue.

It comes with extras such as a spare wheel, a gun rack, and a fold down table where you can plan your mortar attacks.  All necessary extras I'm sure you will agree.

Some other notable things that happened over the last few weeks:
  • The cat was sick all over the carpet.  I don't know what it ate, but it ate a lot of it.  
  • Jessie went to the vet and we've been told that she is too fat by a whole 2kg. 
  • The Portaloo that the builders are using was blown onto its side with expected consequences
Operation clear out Papas house is well underway as he prepares for the move up to Seaford at some point soon.  One thing is for sure is that he certainly has a lot of stuff!  

I'm also currently in the process of designing a little website for myself because i've got a few wooden items that I'm sure people might like to buy.  

Daniel is back from Hong Kong tomorrow morning and is not happy about the fact that it was 15 degrees when he left, but only about 5 degrees now!

I just caught a clip of the film pretty woman and was reminded of a time earlier this year where mum and I stayed up late to watch it - she because of her love of Richard Gere, and I because I had never seen it before.  Strange how little things like that become lasting memories.

Thursday 15 November 2018

Friends and Colleagues

This is intended to be short post (I think) but who knows....and, as yet, I don't have a title.

Last night a friend and colleague from the States Assembly passed away. Just like Jilly, Richard Rondel had been suffering from cancer for some time now. Just like Jilly, he had received many and various treatments over that time....but, again, just like Jilly, it eventually took a hold that couldn't be cured.

Richard was a "People's Deputy" in the true sense of the word. He wasn't one for the "big" issues, preferring to focus his efforts on his constituents, and the many and varied challenges that one finds when living in town. He was always fronting up community issues and public events, especially ones that concerned "his" area of St. Helier. There will  be others that pay tribute in more public forums, but I just wanted to express my sadness at Richard's passing....yet another fellow Oncology comrade who will be greatly missed...another cancer fighter who faced things head on.

After Jilly was diagnosed back in 2012 we both (well, Jilly mainly...of course) involved ourselves in (among others)..... MacMillan.... (setting up a group to support women with "gynae" cancers) and also helping in a small way to start "Rising Voices"(a choir for anyone affected by cancer). We got to meet a vast array of wonderful people, all of which I am now honoured to think of as friends....but, it's a sad way of making friends. I warned Jilly when she said she wanted to do all these things to help other sufferers....I said "it's the absolute right thing to do....but we must be realistic....we are going to befriend people who are going to die, people who are going to get very very ill...people who will become wonderful friends and then pass away. We both knew what the future would hold.....but I think it's fair to say that we didn't know quite how tough it would be at times. We have now lost so many close friends....so many inspirational, wonderful people.

The last thing I thought about when I gave Jilly that warning about new friends not surviving was that it would actually happen to us. As many others will tell you....you just don't expect it to happen to you. Even now, there's still a small sense of unreality about all this. I know it's crazy, and it's been nearly two months, but it's not any easier to come to terms with....it's different, but no easier.

I'm starting to get back into more regular "work visits" to town...more time in the office (not that I have one any more!) ....and meeting up with more of my friends colleagues. This last week has been no exception, and I've "caught up" with some real good friends....coffee, pizzas, patisseries.... it's all been good. More to come tomorrow as well.....a real week of "meeting up for a chat".

I haven't stood on any scales for while.....I'm not sure if I want to! 

This laptop is now telling me it has 5% battery......better publish before it all disappears. More soon.

Monday 12 November 2018

Buying more vehicles

I own four cars - a red 1991 Mini Coooper S, a white 1993 mini with a 1380cc racing engine and bucket seats, a 1987 Mazda 323 4x4 turbo, and a 2007 BMW M3.  

I told myself I would have to sell one of them if ever I wanted to buy another. The problem is that I really like them all.

Early on Saturday Jack, Dan and I went to see a man about a truck.  Jack and I had been looking at buying this particular type of truck for a while.  

My issue was that I couldn't buy the truck due to my self imposed rule.  That was until I found a loophole in my own logic - a truck is not a car.

The morning can be summed up with the following photo.


The man was very nice and took us for a drive in the truck.  Then he let us drive the truck and we liked the truck even more than we already did. 

The truck had a 3.5L Rover V8 engine and did a whopping 12mpg.  If you're wondering how bad that is, then just imagine driving to the garage, opening your wallet and throwing money at the attendant until you have none left.

Here is a video of Jack driving the truck:


(Steely eyed readers might have identified this as a Land Rover 101 Forward Control)

On Sunday we offered the man some money for the truck, and he accepted.  We are hoping to take delivery of the truck this weekend at which point we will cruise around struggling to talk to each other over the noise of the engine. 

The only concern is that if you crash the truck, your legs are the crumple zone.  


Tuesday 6 November 2018

New Boots and Panties

Tonight's blog title is an album from 1977...the debut LP from Ian Jury. Back in those days The Blockheads were widely recognised as the best backing band around, and certainly I thought they were pretty good. The album went platinum...and is always well worth another listen. There's no real reason for using it as the blog title other than to get our reader's attention....and also to say that I've put the shorts away. I always try to last in shorts until bonfire night...and this year was no exception. I even kept the "short pants" on for the Young Farmers Club breezing competition a week ago....but it was pretty challenging, especially after the sun went down. In fact it was a little chilly all of last week, and by Saturday evening I was ready for the long trousers....so out came the jeans. I doubt you'll see my legs again until next Spring....unless you're very unlucky.

So....I need to say a little about "breezing", or shallow ploughing to you non-farming types. It is (or was) a traditional Jersey autumn activity, where the soil is turned over with a small plough to bury weeds, leaving the soil clean and ready for the "big" plough later on....usually December. These days it's not so well regarded, as it also releases nitrates....and everyone now ploughs just before planting. Anyway.....we in Luce family have a long history of taking part in the competition. I was successful back in my day, and Jack carried on the tradition winning a few times....and 2 years ago Bex won as well! Here's so photos from the various competitions.

  Me.....
Bex.....
Jack...
I think it's clear who's doing the best job!


Yet another friend came up to me today to ask "how are we were doing?". The answer is that we're doing okay...we have the odd days when things aren't so great...but we're finding our way through. Something else that I was asked about (and again it's something that quite a few people have suggested) is the turning of this blog into a book. I can report to our reader that this is already happening. One of Jill's nieces in the UK is working away getting all the blog posts into one place, and then the editing will start. Once it's all done, and we're all happy, the idea will be to make the book available to purchase, the receipts going to one of Jill's cancer charities...and I'll report more as it happens.

Today was a States day...and just before lunch, as I sat in the Assembly, a message popped into my inbox. One of my friends at the new Acorn recycling centre had sent me photo....did I know anything about a very large Bible that had just been handed in? There was a certificate inside the cover....here's the picture....

 
I was immediately excited....Hedley was my Grandfather. They had obviously unearthed a old family heirloom. I asked said friend if he could put the book to one side and I'd get my Dad to go up and buy it...we'd all be very excited to see it I was sure. Awarded from Ebenezer Chapel it was dated just months before the First World War started....one the Papa Luce had gone off to fight in. I sent Dad an email and left it with him.

On returning from the Assembly this evening I had a call from Pops. It turns out he wasn't as excited as I was to receive the news.....it had been HIM that had taken the book up to Acorn this morning! Our reader will remember that Pops is clearing out his many rooms at Holmchase ready for his big move up here to Seaford next month. I'll have to keep an eye out for more of my inheritance appearing in local charity shops in the near future!



In searching for ploughing photos in my iPhone memory bank I came across the photo below. One of Jilly and I indulging in one of her sporting passions....tennis. Taken in July last year it's from Wimbledon. We had stayed overnight in Kensington, got up really early, taxied down at 5ish, and queued in the field...and were lucky enough to be far enough up the public queue to get tickets for the Centre Court. Our reward, amongst others, was to get to see Joanna Konta beat Simona Halep in a really tight Quarter Final. Here's the moment that Konta won the second set tie break....a photo courtesy of the BBC...Jilly and I are (obviously) in the top of the shot....a little blurred, but it's clearly us. I think you can tell we were excited! Another great memory of our shared moments together.....good times. More soon reader.....






Wednesday 31 October 2018

Tears of a Clown

Okay, so we're back on song titles....today it's Smokie Robinson and the Miracles...1967... Not my most favourite Smokie Robinson number, but one which is apt for this post.

Tom wrote recently about the difficulty in finding titles, and I couldn't agree more. I've spent hours in the past staring at the screen, thinking about "naming" the post. In the end I usually just start typing and see what happens....and today, once I had decided the few things I wanted to say, it came to me.....and I'm sure our reader will work it out.

We are all slowly settling in to "new things that we need to do"....and one of those is certainly shopping...specifically for food. Earlier this year Tom decided we needed to start using Amazon Pantry...does our reader know of it? It's basically online food shopping....not fresh or local produce obviously..but long shelf life stuff....tins, bottles, detergents, etc. We bought an "Amazon tablet".... a mobile screen that sits on a stand in the kitchen and links straight to Amazon (amazingly!)...and started to see how we got on. We can shout at it (SIRI, ORDER SOME TINS OF SWEETCORN) and Siri tells us what's on offer. Once we have enough in "the box" it just magically gets delivered. Okay, it's not quite a simple as that...and often Siri hasn't got a clue what we are talking about, but what's new? We quite often have conversations around the kitchen where people have no idea what others are saying!

Anyway, back to food shopping....and the fact that I am (slowly) finding my way around supermarkets. I've actually got to the point where I can accomplish a Waitrose shop all on my own without any hiccups....well, nearly. I was pretty chuffed the other day that I had managed to fill my trolley....I had found everything I needed without problems....I hadn't wandered around vaguely trying to discover the location of the last item on the list....I had managed to do "self service checkout"... I hadn't used the Waitrose card to try to pay (3 times) without success (instead of my credit card)...I hadn't had to "call for assistance"... and I got out to the car feeling pretty good (yes, I know it's something I should be able to do with my eyes closed...but....it's all new to me). I unloaded all my bags into the boot...still feeling proud....and then realised that I still had the self service scanner plugged firmly into the handle of the trolley. Total dismay...felt a bit of a clown..time to have a cry(?)....I still haven't managed to get a "clear round" at Waitrose....maybe next time.

I've mentioned sharing before...and how Jilly and I shared so much. We have so many "personal" things around the house...quirky things...things that were personal to "us".... not personal to "me"... but us....I mean, who has an old (very old) set of potato bag weighing scales in their house?


Something else that was personal to us was the "height chart" in the hall at Cottage Farm. Over the years when we at the farm, across the road, we had stood the children (and anyone else who decided they wanted to participate) against the wall and marked off their height. As the years went by we plotted the children's progress...they all grew much taller than we ever would have imagined! Yes, it was "writing on the paintwork"...but it gave us so much enjoyment. Anyway....we were given a photo of the said wall during the summer...VH very kindly had the picture framed and gave it to us as a present. Where to put it is now the question? It's exactly the sort of quirky thing that Jilly and I would have loved to share with everyone....and I feel lost without her input. While I'm deciding I can at least put a photo up.




I'm still slowly sorting through things...but one of the problems with having such a large house is that there's lots of places to "put stuff". I keep discovering things...forgotten cupboards with Jill's tall boots in...small cupboards with, for example, a stack of teeshirts in...one "T" from every charity walk/run/swim etc that Jill ever did! I guess it was "memories" that she liked to keep....and there were plenty.

I have moved my office into the main house......some of you may know that Jill had an office opposite the dog's utility room (no, our dogs don't have utility room of their own (obviously!) but with another utility room across the yard that's the name we called it). Anyway, in clearing space in her office to fit my desk I came across yet another file box I hadn't looked in. It was named Jill/personal/2018. I wasn't sure what to expect...

The box contained (amongst other things) a named envelope for each of us....Me, Tom, Jack, Stephe, Dan and Bex. I couldn't bring myself to open mine for a couple of days...but eventually I did. I don't think I was worried about the contents...I think it was that I knew that reading whatever was written would almost certainly set me back in the grieving process. It wasn't pages and pages...but words that summed up Jill's thoughts on our life together. How our very humble beginnings (a small cottage with no furniture and no children...) turned slowly, over the 33 years, into something quite different....quite unimaginable at the outset. How she wouldn't have missed it for the world...... 

Neither would I.

Wednesday 24 October 2018

Associations

If you're a programmer you might have heard joke that goes something like 
There are two hard things in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.
Whilst that may be the worst joke you've ever heard, there is some truth in the fact that naming things can be quite challenging.

Today is no exception as it's taken me over 10 minutes to try and work out what to put as the post title. 

Writing a title shouldn't be hard, but I'm going to be honest, i've sometimes been feeling a little bit lost lately.  Whilst I felt comfortable with the concept of death, the reality can be a little different.  

The finality of death has a tendency to rears it's ugly head when you're least expecting it and kick you right in the gonads. 

I feel I am coping pretty admirably (like a 9/10) so it's not all doom and gloom.  Day to day things are fine, it's just hard to break some of those hardwired associations that you have in your head. 

This could be things like saying "I don't know how mum sleeps with Dads snoring" only to realise that you now need to be talking in the past tense.  

Or perhaps it's something more substantial.  A few weeks ago I was out in the meadow chopping a tree, when I was all of a sudden surrounded by the dogs.  I looked up to see a figure on the horizon, and for a fleeting moment my brain told me it was mum, as 99% of past times it has been.

It's not that the figure on the horizon wasn't mum that was the problem, it's that it's never going to be her.   

It reminded me of a clip from Futurama.


Given enough time, I am sure it will be easier to reconcile the sadness of her passing with a deep appreciation of her and the effect she’s had on not just my life, but everyone that she’s touched.

The presence of death keeps us mindful of our limited time in the world and ensures that we focus our time and energy on the right things, like making us better appreciate the time we spend with family and friends.  I know Dad alluded to this in his last post.

If we consider life to essentially be a long list of experiences, then death is an eraser for parts of that list.  When things are removed from the list, life gets the opportunity to substitute a new perspective in its place.  You adapt, and you move on.

Move on to things like taking portrait selfies with the dogs.




Monday 22 October 2018

Sundays and sun days.

Has our reader heard of "Playing for Change"? It's a movement, created in the US of A (where else) to inspire and connect the world through music. The idea for this project came from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. Despite starting back in 2002, I've only just discovered it...and I've realised that they've covered some great numbers. When I spotted another version of "What's Going On" I got really interested. WGO is a song written by the great Marvin Gaye back in 1971, and he released it as a single and also an LP title. If you have a moment then check this out.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEp7QrOBxyQ&start_radio=1&list=RDJEp7QrOBxyQ.......it will be the best thing you do today.

The dogs went for haircut this morning....I'm not making any comment, other than to say that their hairstylist charges more than mine. Okay, I might not have much hair, and it only takes me 5 minutes tops for a "trim" but....really? It may be that they don't end up going so often. However, they are beautiful....and tonight's photo is one of "the girls" down at St. Caths.



At the beginning of the year the new Lady Captain at the Royal Jersey Golf Club selected Ovacome as her nominated charity...and in doing so SH committed to raising money for Ovacome during her 2 year Captaincy. This afternoon The Club held a tea and cake event...home, and hand, made produce, and a talk by Jersey Heritage. They raised over £700....another great money making event put on by Jill's best friends. It will be some time yet before Jilly's financial legacy quietens down.

News in short - Granville went well on Friday last, and as good as I could have hoped for. St. Malo this Friday maybe? - Jack and Stephe back from Canada tomorrow evening. It looks like they've had a pretty fabulous time. - Bex at St. John's Ambulance this evening - States tomorrow. Short sitting (again). Should be done before lunch. - After having a spectacular weekend on the water, Dan has had a day in the office. Back to sea tomorrow for some more great weather. - Watch out for a real cold snap as the weekend approaches. I'm still in shorts. It may get painful....but let's see.

I'll finish with another picture. This time from a far off parish in the south west of the Island. I came upon it quite by accident the other day after taking a wrong turn at Bel Royal. Seriously though, I went out there with dogs for a Sunday morning beach walk with my good friend and political confidante SP. This was the view as we "filled up" at the cafe after the walk. Lovely.



I can't end just yet. I need to report some more awfully sad news about a friend of ours who has also passed away from cancer yesterday. Leah Ferguson was a Channel TV reporter, but she was also a really good friend of Jilly and mine. I'd got to know Leah when she was the political correspondent for Channel, but it was early last year that we really got to know each other...when she developed cancer. She was also having treatment at the Marsden...so there was plenty of mutual discussion....indeed, we got to meet Leah's Dad for the first time when we all found ourselves in the Fulham Road having appointments at the same time. Leah was like Jill....a fighter...a positive person, despite her cancer...a real gem...so funny, even in her terrible adversity. Just like I did with Jill oh so recently, I now find that I'm wishing I'd spent more time calling Leah "just for a chat". She was so easy to get on with..so easy to discuss issues...never giving up...always smiling....but again, too late now for that call.

As I've said before......DO IT NOW. You just don't know ..... you may not have the chance to do it tomorrow.   




Thursday 18 October 2018

Looking back...to look forward

Tom posted the other day about his proudest moments. Well, this evening he has made both his parents very proud...I'm sure Jilly will have been looking down, (probably between some keep fit class and a game of tennis). Anyway, along with his partner Tom Hacquoil, my Tom has, this evening, won The Digital Start Up of the Year at the Digital Jersey Tech Awards. "Pinpoint" is something they've dreamt about for years, worked at (really hard), developed themselves, and finally taken to market....and to win this prestigious title in the first year of Jersey Tech Awards is 100% well deserved in my book. Look out for them in the media....they're going places. At long last, some return on those university fees! Seriously though...a proud Dad this evening.

Our reader will notice that I've managed to get photos on this post....as Jill would say, Go Me! Copy, paste, bluetooth on, air drop and all that techy stuff...I think maybe I know where Tom gets his digital skills from (not)!


As we all know, Jilly threw herself into everything, especially in the years since she was diagnosed. Playing sport was her way of forgetting about the bloody disease...those rare short moments when you suddenly realise you haven't thought about cancer for while. Of course, those moments are followed by finding yourself being snapped back into reality...and your thoughts return to having to "just get on and cope". It's strange but in the last few days I've had exactly those feelings myself. I'm trying to get back into work mode, and Brexit needs some real concentration and thought. Only today I was suddenly aware as I drove home from meetings that I hadn't thought about Jill, and her passing, for a couple of hours. I had had a morning feeling a little more upbeat about doing something useful and normal...and then BAM....it hits you. Things have been feeling a little empty of late...work was (and is) helping...and I know it will get better. KBO as she would say.


Our reader will remember the tennis ball in the tree at Le Saie. Both Tom and I have posted about it. Well, here is a photo so our reader can visualise the scene better. Can you "spot the ball"? For those of you with less good eyesight, it's just on top of the branch about a third of the way along from the left, hiding in the ivy.


Well, today the ball had gone!  Jessie was less than impressed. Maybe it's because this blog is now so (in)famous that everyone has been down at Le Saie hunting for said ball. A new one will be taken down soon...and hidden better!



I don't want to appear morbid, or "strange", but there are a couple of photos that I want share....and now that I've worked out how to load pictures there's no stopping me now. The first picture is the one from Hospice that made me cry so much. The photo I took of Jill and me holding hands. We must have held hands in this way for very very many hours in those last few days. I thought it was great photo...but by the time I took this picture Jill was asleep, and no longer "with us" enough to talk. It was the reality that I would never be able to show it to her that was hard to cope with. Sharing things was something that we did a lot....and I know she would have really liked this...so here it is...it doesn't need words.


The other "sad" photo is the wreath that we put on Jill's coffin. At first glance it may not appear quite as impressive as some you might normally see. No flamboyant colours...no huge blooms...no elaborate structure covering the whole coffin. However, when I tell you that it's made up of flowers that I personally picked from our garden, and that Bex took those flowers to (with a little help) put this wreath together, you will know that it meant more to us than anything. Jill was passionate about her garden, and so was I....we shared the work and the enjoyment. She would have been over the moon about this...again, it was heartbreaking for us to accept that she wasn't there to "enjoy the moment"...but we know she would have approved.



The final photo this evening is one of Jilly and me at Amy's slip. It needs no explanation. It was taken on 23rd. June. Less than 4 months ago.


Tomorrow I'm getting up very early and going to France...Granville to be exact. It's an important Brexit meeting to talk about fishing exports...lobsters, crabs and oysters. Maintaining this export market is vital to the industry, and I'm going to need to concentrate hard. My French isn't as fluent as it was, and getting even single words wrong can have serious consequences. There are some very important people to meet, and I'll be pretty tired by the time I get back tomorrow evening. It's good that I'll have lots to think about .... tomorrow would have been our 33rd. wedding anniversary. While I'll do my best, there's no doubt I may have some "tough moments" during the day.


My final thought for this evening is that, while so so many people have such great memories of Jill, I have more than everybody. Over those 33 plus years....probably 36 actually if you count those heady pre-wedding times (!!)....over all those years, Jilly and I shared so many good times. We shared those good times right up to the end...and even in the last 6 months (post that tough decision NOT to continue with chemotherapy) we found time for some wonderful moments...the photo above is proof of that. For ALL those memories I will always be grateful.

Saturday 13 October 2018

New Routines....

Six months ago it would have been a real bonus to have a Saturday night "home alone"...now it takes on a whole new meaning. With Jack, Stephe and Dan in Vancouver we are only three here at Seaford. Tom and Bex have both gone out to friends....leaving yours truly to dog sit....not that they need sitting.

In truth I've done nothing of any use this evening...there was every best intention...but sitting down on the sofa was always going to be a bad move, and I've struggled to stay awake. I can't say that I'm really sleeping well at the moment, well, not at night anyway.....and consequently I get very tired after supper.

This is Bex's second evening out in a row....and I'm so pleased that she's getting out. She's also upped her hours at work, and that's another good thing. Even I've managed to get in plenty of meetings this last week...although in many ways I wish it wasn't quite so busy. Brexit is a big deal, and there is plenty to keep me occupied....I just hope that all this hard work pays off...if there's "no deal" then things will get "interesting".

Jack and Stephe flew out to Vancouver on Tuesday and met up with Dan straight away. They've done sea plane rides...helicopter trips over the Rockies....and Orca watching! I pretty sure that seeing killer whales in their natural habitat was well up on Dan's bucket list....and I'm really pleased that he's managed to see some. Dan will be back on Monday evening...his fortnight will have flown past.

We've been getting on with "sorting out stuff" at home. There isn't a phrase that sits easily...."sorting out Jill's stuff" is what it is...but we're nearly there I think. However, we do keep finding odd bits and pieces where there are decisions to be made .... "what do we do with that?" is a phrase that's been used a lot lately. That even extends into the larder, where we are trying to "get organised". How many different types of sugar do we now need? How many different cooking oils? In reality things are going to be much simpler in the future when it comes to cooking....not that we're not creating genuine home made food...but (as I said the other evening) the realistic chances of us making cakes and the likes are now pretty small.

We've already dropped into a Saturday afternoon routine. Bex and I take the dogs in the car....Bex drops me (and dogs) at Le Hocq and I start walking east. Bex goes either Waitrose shopping, or M&S or, as happened today, BOTH! On the two occasions that we've done this I've managed to get as far as Seymour before Bex got back to pick me up....it certainly is a walk that the dogs love. However, it's a little poignant for me as the last time Jill and I walked the dogs on the beach together it was at Le Hocq.

I must work out how to insert photos on this blog...there's a couple that I've been meaning to put up for a while, but (being on my own without children who know how to do these things) it's not going to happen this evening. The cards and letters are still arriving....the last dozen or so are from people who were away last month....and we've also had some really lovely notes from those Doctors and Nurses that we wrote to after Jill's passing.

All in all life goes on....the washing machine is being used...we've been eating hot food...the dogs are getting walked...beds are getting changed... we've been wearing clean clothes (occasionally!)...I've even stretched to paying the "household" bills.

Things that are still a bit of mystery include "the iron", Jill's online banking and "the deep freeze" (of course we know what it is...it's just we haven't got around to looking to see what's in it!). No doubt there will be a whole blog post about what is discovered once we break the code and get into Jill's standing orders.

More soon reader.


Wednesday 10 October 2018

Proudest moments

If you were to ask me about the times I've felt most proud, two spring to mind.

The first was watching my dad learn that he had been elected as Deputy of St Martin for the first time back in 2010.

I can recall the results being announced and seeing the jubilation on my mothers face, then turning to face Dad.  By contrast he had a blank expression - I don't think he quite believed that he'd managed to win, and clearly the result was taking a few seconds to sink in.

It was such a joyous time for all those that were involved in his campaign.  For dad, it was a double whammy: he managed to both win the election and lose weight, owing to the fact that he walked around the entire parish in his quest to canvas every household.

The second time was the other week at mums funeral where I was able to give her eulogy with my uncles.

Mum had said that she'd like her brother Peter to do her eulogy.  I get the feeling that asking someone to speak at your funeral is a bit of a big ask, and mum had already seen Peter speak admirably at my Grans funeral so I think that factored into her decision.

I knew I wanted to write something to be read, but I only really put pen to paper after she passed. It wasn't even meant to be a eulogy, more just some personal memories, but it sort of manifested into a eulogy when it became apparent that someone was needed to read out her vast array of sporting achievements.  You should all thank me for keeping those short, because there were many that we had to leave out!

I hadn't really intended to speak, but as I wrote, I realised that the only person that would be able to deliver the speech was me.

Whilst there were a lot of facts about her life, there was also the recounting of treasured memories, the telling of a few low quality jokes, as well as the emotional bits towards the end. 

It was all so personal; if I was writing it, it didn't seem right to ask anyone else to read it.

So, although I knew it might be hard, I also knew that if I didn't at least try to give the speech I'd regret it forever.

Fortunately I've been privileged to have been asked to do two best man speeches earlier this summer and so I felt happy enough with the level of practice of the intonation that needs to be done in order ensure that the delivery seems natural and not like you're reading off a piece of paper.

I had done two full run throughs in the Chapel the morning of the funeral with Jack and Dan repeatedly telling me to talk slower.  Talking louder wasn't a problem as apparently i've always had a loud voice.

I'd read my speech so many times that i managed to take almost all the emotion out of it, which was good because when I read it through the first few times, I cried.

I also didn't look at anyone whilst speaking as I was worried that it might set me off.  I'm not so stoic that I don't want to cry, it's just that it's hard to read with tears in your eyes.

After sitting down, Dad gave me a little handshake and said well done.  I think that he appreciated that we'd given her a good send off.

The only bad part? It was the proudest moment of my life to date, and my mum wasn't around to see it.

I knew we should have brought the coffin to the Chapel.

I would like to end by talking about Jacks proudest moment.  He is a very special boy who received a very special certificate.  So special that mum kept it in one of her memory boxes.



Saturday 6 October 2018

Another perspective....

It's been while now since I posted anything...and it's not for want of trying...it's just that there's been so much else "on"....so, with the weather on the change today, and the rain just starting to fall on the conservatory roof (it's 12ish), here I am attempting to get my brain into gear. I've spent the first few hours outside....a dog walk with SH at White Rock (always one of Jill's favourite spots) followed by some time in the garden doing some much needed tidying up (again, something that Jilly would have been busy at)...she wouldn't however have been writing blogs at this time of day!

I've deliberately mentioned Jill's name three times already....mainly because there's no point trying to avoid it. There are so many places we went together, so many things we did together (most especially at weekends) that it wouldn't seem right to not acknowledge that fact that her passing is still very raw....but in a detached sort of way. While we've continued to stick together as a family, and discussed everything, one still gets those "moments" when reality kicks in and one has to face the fact that things won't be the same again.

Ten days ago Bex said that it felt like Jill had just gone on holiday...and I know what she meant. In many ways were still in a weird position where she's only been gone for just on three weeks....the sort of time that she might have been away in London for treatment...or on an extended break somewhere. We're not into unknown territory yet when it comes to "time spent apart".... but that situation is slowly changing. If she was at the Marsden we would be now starting to say "it's time she came back...we're starting to miss her". I suspect that's why the next few weeks may very well be tougher in some ways than the last few. In the coming months the fact that Jill isn't coming back will really start to take effect. Last night was a case in point. Over the last few days Jack and Stephe have moved into the Cottage. They're really happy and enjoying the extra space, enjoying the extra distance between us and them, enjoying having a real seperate home. Last night they cooked for us (Pops, Tom, Bex and I) and we had a lovely meal, their first entertaining, in their new home. It's so good to see them so happy and content....but, as we came back home, Bex had a "moment". "Mum would have enjoyed that so much.....it's sad she wasn't here with us". I pointed out that there will be many more instances to come where we will be saying (or thinking) of Jilly, and how she would have loved what we're doing. We know that we will have those moments....and it won't have mattered when Jilly passed on...there would always be those instances. We had the pleasure of Jack and Stephe's wedding....the pleasure of our small party entertaining our neighbours....the pleasure of Jill's trip to the UK to see her family....and we need to be grateful for those times.

Tom has so ably taken up the blog writing that I now feel very inadequate when it comes to posting. I can only hope that our reader (who, according to the stats, is clearly still "logging in" to this blog) doesn't mind too much. My style is very different....and clearly less intelligent...but it does give another perspective. It also allows me to share some of my own input....although Tom seems keen to continue, and I'm very happy for him to do that.

I need to start (yes, I know I'm already 4 paragraphs in) with some sincere thanks. It's difficult to know where to go first...but, when I tell you that there were over 600 people at the service of celebration, and that we've received over 400 cards and letters, you will appreciate my dilemma. All I can do is say that we are so very grateful to everyone. Nearly every card had writing in...some cards we completely covered in writing...everyone had taken the time to put thoughts down in words....and there was some very moving and sincere writing. Jill clearly has had a major impact on many people.  Not that we needed to be told....but it's clear that she was love and admired by so many people....and being able to read all those words has been wonderful...so thank you all.

As a family (and also myself personally) we have now written to those very many doctors and nurses who made Jill's life so much more bearable since we were diagnosed in 2012. Some of those people have been on the journey with us all that time....some we only got to meet in Jill's last couple of days...but they were all equally important. Whether it's been at the Marsden in London, in Accident and Emergency over here, in Rayner Ward...in Pipon Ward...in the Emergency Assessment Unit...in the Oncology department....in the Haematology department...here at home....or, at the end, in Hospice....everyone of those people are in our debt. I cannot speak highly enough of their dedication....of their care and compassion...of their academic knowledge and advice....of their genuine concern for Jill. "Thank you" just doesn't do it....but words have frequently seemed inadequate recently.

It's now 5:30 and Bex and I have been to the cattle show to see the "in milk" classes...and the giant pumpkin (if you want to see new Jersey record vegetable then get up there tomorrow....well worth the admission price)...we've been to The Horse Box for a bacon roll late lunch (just down the road from l'Auberge...again, well worth a visit)....and I'm now just back from walking the dogs again. Getting out and about is a good way to meet people...and everyone is so supportive. I told the whole family that on Monday of this week we were all going back to work, and back to start some sort of new routine. That's worked well, but the "new routine" has already been broken by Dan heading off on holiday, and will be further disrupted by Stephe and Jack also heading off next week. That will leave Tom, Bex and me.....so, instead of 7, we will be 3. It could be interesting.

I didn't mention it previously, but we also had hundreds of people turn up at the RJA for the wake. I'm also grateful to all the team at Trinity for making the facility available at such short notice. It was a challenge to predict the numbers...and even more difficult to find a venue. Some went for a swim after the service...some went between the service and the wake...and in both cases Jill would have really appreciated that...it was exactly the sort of thing she would have done herself. Indeed, I thought quite a few times during the afternoon that the last place she would have wanted to be on such a glorious day would have been a funeral!

We've started "sorting" the house... I'm not going to be one of those who finds themselves many years down the line with "clothes still in drawers and wardrobes". After a couple of "sorting sessions" one thing does come to mind.....just how many pairs of trainers and sports outfits does one person need? "Many", seems to be the answer. I can see that different sports have different needs.... but WOW.... we have more trainers than Sports Direct! Anyway, they've all gone to good causes....we've tried to find young sportspeople who would appreciate them, and then (if not) Hospice will get the proceeds of their sale. We're not there yet, but it gives us a target to aim at...and having timetables and targets will be important. We need to be very careful not to fall into aimless afternoons and evenings.

There's so much more I could write, and I'll save some for later, but I'll finish with some very basic requests if I may. There are now quite a few plates and dishes up here at Seaford that we don't own....food that's been dropped off and consumed...but the "food containers" remain. I'll try to post a photo....and if something seems to be yours then please shout. I'm also going to post a photo of the cards we received...I know that doing that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think our reader might appreciate a look.












Monday 1 October 2018

Last Times and Turning Points

The other day Dad and I tried to work out the last time mum played netball.  We couldn't pinpoint exactly when but we agreed that it was for the best that at the time, she wouldn't have known that it was going to be her last game of netball; if she did it would have made it a lot less enjoyable for her.

In contrast to that, at the end of my birthday this year, June 4th, I knew it was going to be the last one with mum. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't so enjoyable.

I decided to take a bit of the morning off work to go on a walk with mum down to La Saie with the dogs. She could still walk, but she got tired easily.  She was due to start chemo the next day.

We got to the bottom of the path and were about to walk onto the beach when she stopped and made a point of showing me that she hid a tennis ball in a tree stump - Jessie likes to chase a ball on the beach, and it meant she didn't always have to carry one with her.

It wasn't the act of showing me the ball that stood out, but the way in which she did it.  She didn't pick up the ball and keep walking, but stopped to turn and tell me face to face.

At the start of that day I still believed that there was some hope as regards her getting better, but she clearly knew that the writing was on the wall with regards to her prognosis.  She was making sure i knew about the ball so I could carry on when she wasn't there.  She didn't have to tell me explicitly, I just knew that was how she felt.

Such a tiny interaction was a turning point for me: It marked the time at which I started grieving. Up until that point I had been positive, and, perhaps, naively optimistic, but seeing her finally accepting the reality meant I too had to adjust my frame of mind. I cried every day for about 3 weeks.

During this time I made sure I told mum all those unspoken things I felt but had never said.  I was so emotional that I couldn't say the words and had to send her a message on WhatsApp.

I made a whole list of questions that I asked her to answer.  Things about her childhood, things about mine, questions about her legacy, and questions about parenting. 

I was incredibly fortunate that I was able to discuss most everything I wanted with her before she passed - I know a lot of others don't have that same privilege.

I also have no doubt that being able to go through that anticipatory grief whilst she was still with us has helped a great deal in the two weeks since her passing.  I think the only way I was able to speak at the funeral was because I had dealt with some of the pain months ago.

Reading back some of her answers to my questions, I realise that I asked her what she wanted to happen to the blog.  This was her response:
"Re the blog... The last Post... I do not want all that drivel about fighting a battle courageously borne, I've not done that, I just had cancer and was unlucky, but my life has been full and enriched by my friends and family, and unlike most people I have had the the time to be able to say goodbye to ones I love, and be overwhelmed and  humbled by their messages, texts and emails saying such beautiful  and kind words .. That's truly a privilege few folks get."
It's nice to put some of her actual words on here.

Sunday 30 September 2018

Poems

These are the two poems that mum asked to be read during her funeral.

"Instructions" by Reverend Arnold Crompton (slightly modified and read by Shelagh Herbert)

When I have moved beyond you in the adventure of life,
Gather in some pleasant place
And there remember me with spoken words,
old and new.         

Let a tear fall if you will,
but let a smile come quickly
For I have loved the laughter of life.

Do not linger too long with your solemnities,
Go eat, and drink, and talk
And when you can –
Follow a cliff path walk     
Climb a high mountain
Walk along the wild sea shore
Swim in a cool blue sea
Chew the thoughts of some book that challenges your soul
Use your hands some bright day
to make a thing of beauty -
or to lift someone’s heavy load.

Though you mention not my name,
Though no thought of me crosses your mind- I shall be with you

For these have been the realities of life to me.
And when you face some crisis with anguish -
When you walk alone with courage
When you choose your paths of right
When you give yourself in love

I shall be very close to you.

I have followed the valleys,
I have climbed the heights of life.



"The Dash" by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend.  He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars..the house...the cash.  What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you'd like to change?  For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile...remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

Thursday 27 September 2018

Eulogy

For those of you that weren't able to make the service today, I just wanted to share the eulogy that my uncles Peter and Tim, and myself gave.

PETE

When Sally and I were just 4 and 6 we were rather surprised by Jill’s arrival – we’d been promised something special …. and indeed we were delighted that we got new bunk beds!

Little did we realise then just what a force of nature had come into our family. Very soon honing her innate sense of fun, well maybe mischief, she was quickly an instigator of all sorts of our games and pranks. Boisterous, adventurous, bubbly and gregarious …... she was a proper handful from her earliest days. 

Even as a young child Jill demonstrated a passion for games and the outdoors. I wrote to her just 2 weeks ago to tell her what a wonderful privilege it had been to know her, and to be close to her, all through her life. I told her that wherever she goes now I’ll know where she is …… in every nursery and classroom, on every games court, at every beach, in every sea, on all the footpaths I’ll ever walk. I reassured her that our loving memory of her will never be extinguished nor ever forgotten.

Growing up she soon showed a talent and a feel for looking after anyone in need - a trait she continued all through her life,  always eager to welcome to her home her mum, aunt, siblings, nephews, nieces and indeed anyone who knew her family.  I don’t think it was just the cheap labour she relished, to help tackle her never ending supply of ‘jobs’? 

But in her youth she had the ideal captive candidate to polish her skills in her younger brother Tim…… and Tim can tell you more now!

TIM

Ladies and gentlemen, let me take you back to the 1970s - growing up in East Anglia. Many of you will be familiar with the Jack and Jill stories, well this is a story about Tim and Jill. T and J - Just like Tom and Jerry in fact we did used to fight like cat and dog when we were younger.

And just like Tom and Jerry we had a classic love hate relationship, and one of the reasons for this was because I was Jill’s younger brother and I was often stuck like glue to her, at times when she wished she could just give me the elbow! Although she used to mother me (or was it smother me), she used to mock me quite a bit too.

However, I have to say, on occasions, I did deserve it. And one of her favourite sayings on such occasions was: you Stupid boy!  I’m sure many of the more senior of you will remember the saying from Dad’s army, which was a family favourite in the Newman household back then.

In those days there were no electronic devices to keep us entertained, occupied, or in touch with our parents and it was literally safe to play both on and off the streets, from dawn to dusk - and play we did - without a care in the world.

Quite often on the seafront cliffs, sliding down in plastic bags, climbing the trees and playing chicken with the sea, trying not to get wet as the waves lashed onto the rocks, and failing miserably. 

One day, jill decided we could go faster with our go cart, and it needed extra horsepower. However in the absence of an horse, our pet Labrador was put to good use and tied to the front of the cart by a skipping rope!

All that was needed was a crash test dummy, and guess who that was? Yes - yours truly ( thank you jill ). So with Jill’s sound advice and a loud shout at the dog, I was off off like a shot, hurtling down the pavement at a great rate of knots, the only problem we hadn’t foreseen was how to stop! So with a road junction looming, I bailed out of the side door and rolled into a wall whilst the dog careered off into the dunes trailing a twisted and turning wreck of a go cart.

Quite concerned jill ran over to me to make sure I was still alive, dusted me down, looked at me then roared with laughter - and once again, I felt a very stupid boy ! 

Back in the day, many villages had pubs called “The Nags head” (but I had one of my own - my sister Jill!). If it wasn’t enough to have my mother tell me how to behave and what to do, my sister also had to have her own opinion and have a go at me too!

Jill was artful, quick - witted , sporty , and feisty and liked her food as well and thought nothing off pinching my chips off my plate as I was eating them! When I tried to get my own back one day she stabbed me in the back of my hand with her fork!

My love for jill had always been pure, clean and strong

And my love for her will go on and on. I miss her every single day and in every possible way.

Her passion for life for fitness and fun, for swimming on the beach and feeling the warmth of the sun.

Her zest for life and caring attitude; she could also be so very very rude . Her great big smile and bigger head of hair; she was the one who really did care.

PETE

Jill qualified in childcare and came to Jersey as a nanny in 1982…..Not that long afterwards she rang me to ask for my advice ……’Pete’,  she said, ‘what do you think …. airline pilot, or farmer’?

Quick as a flash I replied ‘just for the weekend? …. or for life? I think she knew already but, if not, I know it was the best answer I ever gave to anyone.

TOM

Whilst sitting around the dinner table the other day, Mum tried to convince the family that she did not do anything exceptional in her life.  We disagreed.

She moved to Jersey in 1982 at age 21 to take a job as a nanny.  To help her acclimatise and to get her out of the house, the family she was nannying for introduced her to another nanny, my future godmother, who convinced mum to join her for a drink at the Trinity Arms.

It was that night that she met my dad.  She recounted walking in to the bar and scanning the faces for tall, dark, handsome men. Unfortunately for her, Harrison Ford wasn’t in the room, but my Dad was.

Mum and Dad married at Georgetown Methodist church on October 19th, 1985, and spent their honeymoon in the Loire Valley, where dad managed to lock the keys in the car resulting in them having to call an emergency locksmith.

On their return they set up home in Solnet on La Blinerie lane in St Clement.  Shortly thereafter, Mum gave birth to me, Tom, in June of 1987.

Not being one to let a newborn baby get in the way of her sport, Mum still managed to make the Netball Senior B team for the inter insulars in March of 1988. She had already been playing for a very successful Trinity team that were Channel Island champions in the mid eighties.

Later that year the three of us moved to Cottage Farm in St. Martin, and Jack was born in December.  Daniel followed in April of 1991, and then finally, Rebecca in May of 1994.

We spent 21 happy years at Cottage Farm.  This was our childhood home where mum raised us 4 children, whilst working as a teaching assistant, and seemingly managing to also participate in almost every physical activity possible.

To say she was an active person is perhaps a gross understatement of her level of energy. Her passion for sport was unmatched, proven by the fact that she represented the island in at least three different disciplines.

She loved sports so much that she once attempted to bat in a rounders game whilst holding a crying child. It did not end well, with my brother Daniel being hit in the head with the bat and requiring hospital treatment.

She was most enthusiastic about Netball and played for a long time for St Lawrence. In 1998 she played for the St Lawrence A team that won division 2 of the winter league and in 2015 she won the Mary Blake tournament.  She also received the players player of the year for the D team in 2016, and for the C team in 2017.

Mum was a keen member of both Hawks and Flyers Badminton Clubs and played league and tournaments whenever Netball allowed.  She represented the Jersey Veterans in the Badminton Inter Insulars twice and in February of this year she was unanimously voted to receive the ‘Jersey Gnome’ for the best Jersey performance.  She was voted member of the year in 2016, player of the year in 2017, and won the Jeans Jug trophy in both 2010 and 2013.

She also played Tennis at a number of different courts, representing the island in Inter Insulars in both 2016 and 17.  At les Ormes she won the Sue Basden-Smith memorial trophy in 2013 and was runner up in 2016. 

We have a cabinet at home full of trophies too numerous to mention, but those golfers here today should be grateful she never had time for golf. The first trophy she ever won in Jersey was the Ladies Prize at the 1985 Trinity Arms Open.

Us siblings have reminisced about our fondest memories of our childhood. 

We can remember spending many happy afternoons during the summer holidays down at Bel Val beach in amongst the rock pools or playing outside on the farm and mum calling us for dinner by ringing a large hanging bell. 

As kids of around Primary school age, if we were playing up in the car on the way home, mum used to stop at the end of the road and make us walk the last bit. 

She thought this was a good tactic for dealing with naughty children, but little did she know that we actually purposefully created this ruckus as if we were forced to walk home it meant that we conveniently missed out on having to help to unpack the shopping.

We left the farm and moved across the road to Seaford in 2009.  Since being diagnosed with cancer in 2012, mum, or ‘sick note’ as she was affectionately known, coped with 2 major operations, 3 doses of radiotherapy and 4 rounds of chemotherapy and she did it all with an incredible energy, positivity, and spirit that touched all of those around her.

In was during these years that she somehow managed to actually increase her level of activity. She became a keen racquetball player, continued going to keep fit on a Sunday morning, took up Zumba and yoga classes as well as regularly swimming and doing aqua aerobics at the Merton.

She managed to fit all of that around walking her two dogs, Jessie and Beanie twice a day.

I don’t know of anyone else who would be capable of playing sports before a scheduled round of chemotherapy, only to then find out that they couldn’t have any treatment because their blood test results were not good enough.

When I reflect back on the time we’ve spent together, it only ever comes out as a combination of unconditional love, humour, warmth, care, and kindness. 

I’m lucky enough to inherit a lot of her sense of humour, especially her appreciation of dark humour.  In her last few years sentences such as “It could be worse, not much worse, but it could be worse” were part of our regular conversation. 

She taught me you can make a joke about almost anything, and that if you’re going to cry about something, you might as well laugh first.

She used to enjoy playing jokes on her own children.  I remember being woken very early on a crisp April morning - April 1st to be precise, by a frantic mother claiming that a meteorite had landed in the garden.

I was not immediately convinced considering the apparent lack of devastation, but nonetheless my siblings and I ventured out to where we were told the meteorite lay. 

What we found was a single, unripe melon.

I knew it was unripe because I was particularly unhappy about being duped and attempted to destroy it.  Mum was beside herself with laughter.

At Christmas she used to force us kids out on a morning walk.  I never quite understood why at the time, but now I see the value in creating those family moments that brings you closer together.

A few weeks ago, I asked her what her secret was to being a good parent. Her response to me: “Time, just give your children your time”.  She gave us all more than enough.

I wish I had time to tell you more, but everyone here will know that trying to recount even a small part of her life in a few minutes is an impossible task.       

I'm sad at her passing, but at the same time I'm really happy that something could make me feel this sad.

And I know the only way I could feel this sad now is if I felt something really good before. So, I’m happy to take the bad with the good, and although I’m sad, it’s a beautiful kind of sadness.

For a woman who used to joke to me that she only had one brain cell, she sure did put it to good use. 

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