Wednesday, November 22, 2006

My Nan...

Nutcracker Suite- The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Bolshoi Ballet- Swan Lake.


My nan grew up during the depression. My nan and pop both met when they were just kids. They stuck by each other for their whole lives. Nan just passed away 19th November 2006 in hospital. She had just told my pop she would be coming home today. She got to the CT department and they must have called a code. My pop thought to himself, "Some poor bastard must be in strife"..it was my nan. A ten minute CT visit turned into another 30 minutes, until they came to tell him what had happened. There is an inquest, we will know what happened later on.
In the mean time, my pop wants to be left alone. Fair enough, he is in shock. Nan always said things beginning with, "When your grandfather dies..."..she always maintained that he would go before her..well, it is not so.
Nan had to start working by the age of 12yrs. Her dad had mustard gas poisoning from WW1 and he had resulting ulcers and respiratory problems which meant that in the depression, they had no income. My great grandparents had 7 kids to support. So nan, being one of the eldest, went to work. She was a seamstress, she made hats and clothes and towels and shoes. She upgraded each time she was offered even a fraction more pay for each 2 week period. She walked it, trammed it and walked even more to get to work. Food was precious and you never wasted one bit of it. To catch the ice man coming down the street was a treat..especialy if he shared some of it with the kids of the neighbourhood on a hot day.
She was a lover of the fine arts. She took my sister and I to many a ballet performance, always dressed to the nines...with her fur coats and her diamonds..all real too. I still do the same thing today, when I go our I like to dress up too. It always gets me when I go to a wedding or something and people are wearing jeans for goodness sakes!!!
This is a scattered post, I am tired and I feel crap. Maybe tomorrow I can enter something nice. But for now I just want to go to the ballet..I believe there's a performance coming up at the start of December..about time I took my girls out and we all get dressed up.

13 comments:

Keshi said...

Im so sorry to hear abt ur Nan's passing Caz, HUGGGGGGGGGZ!

awww ur granpa must be awfully lonely now :(


** It always gets me when I go to a wedding or something and people are wearing jeans for goodness sakes!!!

I so know wut u mean! Im like u...love to dress to the occasion and place. Some ppl just dun have any dress sense at all. I guess ur Nan passed on some good qualities to ya.

TC and my prayers r with ur family right now.
Keshi.

Jay said...

Sorry to hear about your Nan. That's terrible. Hope your doing ok.

Gollywobbles said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your nan. It sounds like you have fond memories, and a good bond with your family. I believe that the pain you feel measures the love you shared. The way you describe your grandparents is similar to mine. Both my grandfather and grandmother have passed on. They came to the USA from Canada at an early age, and raised 6 kids through a depresssion. Your grandfather will be in my thoughts and prayers as he struggles to live on with out his best friend. You are in my thoughts that you find comfort from your friends and family during this difficult time. Be gentle with yourself. You sound very lucky to have had such a wonderful person in your life.

geet said...

I'm sorry about your Nan, Cazzie. Be strong and lots of prayers help. She's in a better place and looking at you, so I'm sure you'd wany her to be happy. Take care, hugs

Rebecca said...

Hugs Caz

hawkeye23 said...

Caz, so sorry to hear about your Nan, it sounds like she was a very classy lady.

halfmanhalfbeer said...

Cazzie, really sorry to hear about your Nan. Sending hugs.

HMHB

Melly` said...

I hope you and the girls have a wonderful time at the ballet. Be sure to wear something spectacular for Nan.

My sincere sympathy.

Queen Of Cheese said...

Your Nan sounds grand! Come to Oklahoma and see our performance in the Nutcracker! You can vist us and Redneck Diva all in one whack!

Ginnie said...

Your Nan would be comforted by your words. I hope you get to the ballet and that it will help to relieve the grief a little. All the best.

Keshi said...

I hope ur feeling ok...

always rem that death is inevitable...and thats the only certainity in life.

tc sweetie!
Keshi.

Middle Child said...

It seems like your Nan lived a good full life and gave you things you can't buy...good memories. Most wome want to be the last one alive...I think we instinctively know that men just don't handle suddenly being alone in the same way women do. Our hearts may break but we usually endure. Too often their hearts just break and thats all they've got.

I'd give my eye teeth to have had my grandparents for longer, also my parents... but I am rrreally old : ) take heart things will settle down and your Grandfather will emerge hopefully from his intense grief.

Your Grandmother will be there on every dress up occasion...sounds like a really interesting person.

gawilli said...

Wonderful memories of a great woman. It sounds as though there were many great lessons in her living. You will keep them alive in your children. This is a good thing.