Goodbye my mummy

 On 4th December my mum finally passed away after a three month fight with heart disease. It has not been an easy fight for any of us, especially as her wish was to spend her last days at home with her beloved dog, and her portal to keep herself in touch with her family and friends. With some tremendous help from both the NHS and Pilgrims Hospice we got through.

On Friday, having got Christmas out of the way, we gathered friends and family together to send her on her final journey. The service was held at Margate Crem, officiated by the wonderful Ashleigh. who gave a beautiful send off and farewell to my mum. There was a good turn out from family and friends and I was especially touched to see my Auntie Jean who suffers severely from Parkinsons arrive with her sister to help her in her wheel chair. 

At the start of December the Omicron version of Corona virus was increasing at a very fast rate so when Martin and I started the arrangements for the wake we were nervous of both the risk of the virus to our guests and ourselves by booking an inside venue, and also the problems that could arise if we arranged a pub "do" only to find ourselves back in lockdown or further restrictions. Jokingly while on messenger to Laura I had quipped we would be having KFC on the beach at this rate. Not KFC, fish n chips she replied, which immediately switched on a light bulb! Why not? Both my mum and dad had regularly (and I mean at least 3 times a month in the summer) taken trips to Deal to sit on the beach munching their fish supper (at lunch time), and there was nothing mum enjoyed more than fish and chips that someone else had cooked instead of her. 

So on a crisp winter morning Martin and I drove a test run from the crem to Deal, parked up and went in search of the chippie they always used. Imagine our surprise and disappointment to discover the chip shop shut and a notice of opening times informing us they no longer opened for lunches. It had seemed such a good idea. We came home very despondent. Unbeknown to me though, Martin phoned the manageress and spoke to her, but she said she would have to get back to him as to if they would open specially. He thought he had done a good thing but I was very displeased. Firstly because he had not told me, and secondly because making any kind of fuss of this kind was not my mum's way. He apologized and politely told the manageress we had changed our minds.

However we couldn't get the idea of fish and chips on the beach out of our minds, and so after a couple more days we approached the Sunset Cafe on our own sea front. Hats off to Sam the manageress there, she couldnt have been more helpful or kind. She was willing to put on extra staff, clean off all their table and chairs that had been shut up for the winter, put the tab on our card for the bar, and charge us takeaway prices as it was cheaper even though we would be getting table service.
Everyone we invited thought it was a terrific idea, and even though it was freezing cold, they all refused to go inside the café because sitting outside would have been 'what my mum would have done'. To be honest I think she would have sat in the car with the heating on, but I was so overwhelmed that everyone toughed it out for the lady. 

So on Friday 7th January  2022, one day before her 86 birthday, we sat on Herne Bay sea front, twenty two of her friends,  neighbours, nephews, nieces  and appropriate spouses sat and enjoying beautifully cooked and served cod and chips in paper in the freezing cold, celebrating the life of both my mum and dad.

Oh and I do have to mention Jane and Neil who, unable to get back from Spain due to the pandemic, watched the live link via Wi-Fi and then found somewhere in Spain selling take away fish and chips, a sandy beach to eat them on (all be it in their shorts and tee shirts as appose to the rest of us wrapped in hats gloves and car blankets) and raised a glass of sherry to my mum!

RIP Pamela Joan.