Me and the Mother-in-Law...

Archive blipped 6th February 2018 on what would have been Mum L's 83rd birthday.


Last week, when I was finally going through family photos and getting them into frames (it's only taken since we moved here almost 6 years ago!) I found this one of the pair of us.  

If ever a photo summed you up, this is it.  

The life and soul, the eternal optimist (if I had a pound for all the times I heard you say "think positive Di, think positive!"  I would be up there with Warren Buffet! :-) the kindest heart, the hardest worker, the best sense of humour, the wisest mind...I could go on and on.

This photo was taken on one of our many family caravan holidays at Brandedley's Caravan Park at Crocketford, near Dumfries.  Always taken late September or early October, and a well established family tradition before I arrived on the scene.  What an absolute scream those short breaks always were.

When I look at this photo it stirs up all sorts of memories...

Games of Monopoly, which much to my annoyance and your pride, David always won.

Bacon rolls on the Saturday morning eaten whilst we looked at the tourist leaflets deciding what to do and where to go, as the rain bounced off the caravan roof.  The weather never deterred you.  I even remember us going on a woodland walk one year in the pouring rain :-))

Visits to Castle Douglas, Newton Stewart, Dumfries.  Quaint little tea rooms (way before the trendy coffee shops of today) that served milky tea and homebaking.  

Ishbel suddenly getting travel sick on the journey down in the car with you and throwing up not only her lunch into her handbag, but her false teeth too!  Thankfully we didn't witness that and only heard about afterwards from you both, but oh how we laughed!  Poor Ishbel.  That story has haunted her ever since as it invariably gets told at least once, if not twice a year within family gatherings.

You, me, Ishbel, Eleanor and Kenny playing Yahtzee.  Eleanor throwing the dice, pausing for a second to take in the outcome, then punching the air and shouting "I've got a hard up!!!" then getting annoyed when we all fell about laughing "why are you all laughing?!!  I DO have a hard up!!" till you pointed out she didn't have a  hard up, she had a large straight!   And we all fell about laughing again! :-))

Friends Alan and Gail joining us one year for a couple of days (how on earth did we all fit in one caravan?!) and Alan getting really competitive when playing the board and card games.   When the rest of us would be taking the game less than seriously he would be yelling at us all "There's no point in playing unless you PLAY TO WIN!"  So funny to see his competitive streak laid so bare, even during a game of Scabby Queen!

Oh heck, I could go on and on but probably best if I stop there :-))

I've just realised that in this photo you would have been 53 years old.  Only two years older than I am now.  That blows my mind!   

I am not sure what we are toasting in this photo.  A happy holiday I suspect.  And I can just hear you say what you always did when you raised your glass,

Here's tae us! 
Wha's like us? 
Damn few, 
and they're a' deid! 
Mair's the pity.

I'll drink to that! :-) xxx