Today I said a final goodbye to the first of my two grandmothers.

There was a great turnout for the funeral. Lovely to see so many members of the family who I so rarely encounter. As my gran requested, there was nothing overboard or ostentatious. Just a nice church service, a few words from a minister and a pleasant late lunch for the 60-or-so who turned up.

I overheard my little cousin asking her mum, “Is that granny gone now?”

Yes, Louise. She is. And the world’s that little bit less bright as a result.

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

Today’s first

                          

It’s been a while since I posted anything actually personal on this blog, but I feel this justifies a few words. I only wish I had a decent photo to go with it. Unfortunately all the pics I have of her are actual old-fashioned ones on paper, stored in a drawer a few miles away and I don’t have access to a scanner anyway.

Instead I’ll have to paint you a picture with words. She was 88, which is a great innings by any standard. The thing is, I don’t really remember her looking any different in all the years I knew her. She was just my gran. The little old lady with the white hair who fussed over me and kept buying me sweets. My kind of woman.

If I had to pick one character trait of my gran that stood out more than any other, it was that she always went out of her way to make other people’s lives easier. She was always there to help and hated being a burden on anyone else. Right up to the end she was fussing over us when we visited her in hospital as we were going to far too much trouble on her account.

One thing I remember her telling me only a couple of years ago is how her cooking wasn’t up to that of my other gran. She could “only” manage to rustle up a ham roll on the afternoon I visited.

Let me tell you something – and I bet all of you who know/knew your grannies will agree – a ham sandwich put together by a little old lady who means the world to you is more tasty and nourishing than any 5-course meal slaved over by some self-important TV chef.

I have loads of memories of my gran and I’m really happy to say that I managed to see her quite a bit over the last few months once I returned to the UK. Something I’d not have managed had I stayed down in England or continued travelling abroad.

Right up until the end I don’t think she appreciated how special she was to all of us. The thought simply wouldn’t have occurred to her. She was just… herself.

And that’s why I loved her and why I’ll miss her.

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

RIP Granny Annie 1922 – 2010

                          

Thank you

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

[SILENCE]

                          

R.I.P. little fella

Before I left the UK to go travelling in 2006 I had two lovely cats. Both were adopted from other places – KK from random chav neighbours who moved house and abandoned her, Ed from a friend who had to move house and couldn’t take him with her.

Anni, being sweet and lovely, volunteered to take them both in for me while I was away. This was when I was only going to be out of the country for 6 months… and not the three-and-a-bit years it ended up being. Oops. So off I drove to deepest, darkest Cardiff to deliver them to their new carer.

That was the hardest moment before leaving the UK for me. Anni will tell you – I cried. Just before I left and I saw my cats for almost the last time Anni cuddled me and I cried. I am a soppy git, but I love my animals.

When I came back to the UK after 18 months for a short visit, I saw both of them. By that time, Ed was doing a good impression of a Manx having had to have his tail removed. We never did find out what caused the problem, but first the tip and then the whole thing had to be surgically snipped as he was suffering a lot of pain.

Anni got a new job and couldn’t look after the pussies any more. Fortunately, she found good homes for both.

Up till now, that was the story. There is, however, a very sad new chapter. And the final one for Ed.

Today his new owners found him outside, stone dead, with not a mark on him. They took him to the vet who reckons he was clipped by a car and died instantly. So thankfully he didn’t suffer.

He was a lovely cat. Never any trouble, very playful and I always missed him. I’m so sad I won’t get to see him again.

R.I.P. Ed

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

R.I.P. Ed :(

                          

Bobby - R.I.P.

Never met him, wish I had, never will.

I just returned from a week on the Gili Islands with next to no interet access. I fired up NUFC.com as I do when I check the web for the first time each day and the sad headline faced me – Sir Bobby Robson R.I.P.

At 76 there’s no denying he had a good innings, especially given the numerous fights he had against cancer. I still think the way he was offloaded by Newcastle United was horrendous, yet I don’t recall him making any bitter comments in the press. He did as well for us as anyone could have hoped at the time, and he got England as far as anyone has since the 1966 World Cup.

I’d honestly be amazed if anyone had a bad thing to say about the man.

As I said, I didn’t know him. But I’m still going to miss him. The world needs more nice people and it’s lost an amazingly nice one with this sad passing.

[His legacy lives on, however. Please consider a donation to the incredibly worthwhile Sir Bobby Robson Foundation]

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sir Bobby Robson dies ~ the end of an era (paddybloggit.com)
• Football honours Sir Bobby Robson (news.bbc.co.uk)
• RIP Sir Bobby Robson (inquisitr.com)
• Sir Bobby Robson: tributes flow in from Ipswich to Barcelona (telegraph.co.uk)
• Sir Bobby Robson: Paul Gascoigne grieves for loss of his ‘second father’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Sir Bobby Robson, 76: England soccer coach (thestar.com)
• Global Soccer: Sir Bobby Robson, English Soccer Legend, Dies at 76 (nytimes.com)
• Football mourns Sir Bobby Robson (soccernet.espn.go.com)
• Legendary soccer coach Bobby Robson dies at 76 (nationalpost.com)
• Football Legend Sir Bobby Robson Dies At 76 (news.sky.com)
• Sir Bobby Robson dies (guardian.co.uk)

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

Sir Bobby Robson – a perfect gent

                          

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

Shearing season

                          

Everything sucks. Then it sucks that it sucks. Then it sucks that it sucks that it sucks. Then you think, “What the hell – it’ll be OK”. Then five minutes later you’re thinking, “But what if it isn’t?” and the whole spiral starts again.

It doesn’t matter what you do, your mind starts circling. Nothing seems to have much point, but you go ahead and do it anyway.

Even if you’ve been through it before and know that things will be fine some time later on, it doesn’t help. It’s now that counts. Because it’s now that you just want to curl up and let the world pass you by. Only you can’t as that’s giving up and you have to put a brave face on it for everyone else.

Not having a good day. Or week. Or forseeable future.

Tomorrow I shall be with my little cousin. That, right now, is about the only thing I reckon that will genuinely take my mind off things. She’s the most amazing kid and I love her more than life itself. On the downside, I think she wants to go and see 17 Again. Ick.

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

Depression

                          

Suffice to say I may be quiet for some time. I’ve done something I regret to a depth I cannot put into words and it’s cost me possibly the most important thing in my life.

Please don’t ask what. If I want to talk, I will email people or catch them on MSN. This matter is entirely my own fault. I made a stupid, stupid mistake and I have to live with the consequences. I hate myself and I feel sick. Otherwise I’m pretty much numb.

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

Retraction

                          

These t-shirts aren't rude enough

Apparently not due to the recession, the person behind T-Shirt Hell has decided to call it a day, which is a shame as I always keep meaning to buy more of their stuff. Espcially since the import restriction on good was raised above the frankly, pointless £18 limit a couple of months ago.

However, I do still have quite a few shirts on my wish list. So if you fancy getting me some natty new wears for when I get back home in June, I’d not say no to a handful of them…

If some of you are daft enough to chuck some cash my way via a dodgy t-shirt shop run by an apparent racist homophobe with a child porn fetish, then “thank you” and please remember to update my wish list so that someone else doesn’t buy the same one!

Hey, it’s worth a shot…

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

T-Shirt Hell is fucking off

                          

Pippa 1994-2006

What a night. First of all trying to get everything furniture-wise moved from my house to Kim’s, and then to empty the loft and fill the van up… with Chris getting progressively iller as the evening wore on.

More on that on the Tour Blog”. A big, huge public THANKS to Chris, though. Despite feeling like he was going to upchuck the rather delicious burgers I cooked him, he battled on and remained un-chundered.

Oh, and I could do with a smidgen of that loft space you mentioned!

On a sadder note, my mum rang this evening to tell me her dog has been put down. A couple of you will have met Pippa and she was a very fine little hound, indeed.

As I’m heading up to see them on Friday, I’m gutted that I won’t get to see her running around like a loon and snuffling at my feet again. Instead, we’ll be burying her in the garden.

My mum’s heartbroken, and in honesty so am I. RIP Pippa, 1994 – 2006.

Post from: Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog - why not pop by and read some more shit?

Chaos and sadness