And so there we were, out celebrating my Dad’s birthday.. I knew my Nan was ill, I knew she was in hospital and we were going to see her the next day. She had a knack of upstaging everyone and here she was, doing it one last time. My Nan, Hilda Hales was a formidable woman. She made many enemies, most within her own family causing feuds time and time again but I was never at the wrong end of it. Many a time I was told that I didn’t know how lucky I was… During her last years I didn’t see enough of her, I know there was enough stuff to talk about for endless hours..the stories, escapades, family insights (granted, very one sided!) but I found it so entertaining. Having lost family members well before their time, I felt very different today. I know she’s lived a long life, had many experiences and most of us would want that I think. Family can be everything to a person and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

Love you Nan… see you on the other side, sometime. Love, Stuart x