and they came

All the relatives and friends gathered and said goodbye, and then we shared our stories and we laughed- a lot. Granny wanted very little in the way of a service - she said to "just get that bit out of the way" She wanted a party with all her family , just like her 100th birthday, so that is what we did.
Like all gatherings of the clan, given half a chance the music will follow. Great grandkids sprang forth with guitars and bongo's and a little bit of didge. Aunts and Uncles and nephews and nieces sang quietly and then sang loudly. People fortified themselves with drinks and food and sang some more , and told funny stories, and those kind of weird happy/sad stories and even a few ribald stories. There were moments of quiet and moments of thigh clenching laughter. We all learnt new things about Granny and her amazing travelling life. and in the mix, somewhere in the laughter and the grief I think we all realised that we do quite like each other as well. We have years of shared history, the inlaws and the outlaws, we have rubbed up against each other for a pretty long time now. Those that we rarely see were greeted and hugged and welcomed and those familiar took up their roles and helped and served and moved things along and kept things flowing.

In her physical absence Granny orchestrated something wonderful

In the early evening as Jemma and Connor sang and played their own (crazy) rendition of Joelene I did think, that when the time comes, that this day in my house with its mess and crumbly bits and embarrassing carpets, would be as good a farewell as one could wish for.

(Thankyou)