Words from Simon

Meringues. Yorkshire Pudding. Christmas cake.

Three things we used to joke she’d be remembered for.

Right up until the end we joked that she couldn’t go because she hadn’t given us the recipes.

They were good.

She need not have worried because she’ll be remembered for a lot more besides.

She was a great friend, a confident, a great supporter….. and in teenage years a wonderful taxi service.

Frankly our childhoods were idyllic. No big dramas. No big issues. No need for hours of therapy in later life.

Looking back it seems like an endless summer of warmth, space in which to do our own things, support for what we wanted to do……. and above all, love.

Christmas stockings. Chocolate Brownies on Saint’s Days… and Easter egg hunts……. A tradition that has continued with all her granddaughters.

She taught us the importance of doing the right thing, of fairness, of standing up for yourself and keeping to your word.

There was always humour. Always laughs….. And stories. Boy did she like a good story.

You’ve probably all heard some of them at least once once. Some of them more than once.

And like a Field Marshall on parade it didn’t do to interrupt.

If you listened carefully you’d see some of the central characteristics that made her what she was.

Intelligence. A sharp mind. A quick wit. Pride . She wouldn’t be beaten……. And keen nose for a bargain.

She was a ferocious shopper. An Olympic champion in getting a good deal.

To her the price tag in the shop was the point at which negotiations opened. ….. and she usually got her way.

A fond childhood memory was the Bentalls sale. She’d visit the store the night before to spy out the best deals. And then like a military commander drawing up a battle plan we’d be told which door to use, where to stand and what to buy. We’d be in and out before the end of the queue had got in the door.

She was great with numbers. If she’d been born later she’d have been a City bond trader…

She understood foreign exchange rates…. And how to take advantage of them.

When she worked in Geneva she used to get paid in dollars, take them across the boarder to exchange for Francs….. and then she’d cycle back to Switzerland and exchange the francs for Swiss… all this aged 19 with nothing more than her bicycle for company…

She knew which privatisations to buy and hold, which to stag and which to leave alone.

Generous, kind, funny and 100% supportive. A wonderful mother and friend.

She’ll be remembered for many things… and a lot more than just

Meringues. Yorkshire Puddings and Christmas Cake.