Vanilla Lily

Not so much a list as a happy realisation really.

Work has been bonkers and will continue in that vain for a good few weeks to come but my brain has seized totally today so I have decided to give myself to the rest of the day off.

Wanting a treat, wanting to do something productive, wanting to avoid looking at the pooter screen for an hour or two – and in the absence of nice mindless drama on the tele – I did what I generally do in such circumstances and decided to bake a cake (vanilla-almond sponge with pears, thanks for asking).

I just opened the oven door to check progress and as the warm-sponge scented steam wrapped itself around me like a vaporous hug I suddenly realised that the smell reminds me – totally and wonderfully and forever – of my Marmar.

And that makes me very happy indeed.

My happy list this week is very simple:

Family.

It was Marmar’s funeral on Tuesday and hearing my uncle – who did most of the talking in the secular service – speaking about the amazing woman he called Mum, listening to some of her sharp, insightful funny poems and jigging in our seats to some of her favourite tunes made me laugh and cry and swell with love and thankfulness that I was jammy enough to land her – and the fun, loving, free-spirited family she created – in the Great Grandma Lottery.

Result!

(God but I miss her.)

xxx