Goodbye Sweetheart. in The odd entries from life …….

Tuesday began with a blue sky with a few clouds, my Sister and Brother-in-law were driving from Portsmouth and had planed to be at Penmount Crematorium at midday.

I dressed in light colures and a white shirt with vertical lines of bright colours, keeping in the celebration of life. I had a phone call from my Sister, they had arrived early and gone into Truro to get a coffee; the return trip was rather slow – typical of Truro traffic.

We, me and my Son set off at eleven thirty, and we arrived just before midday, as I dived into car park I saw my Sister and Brother-in-law getting out of their car; it was lovely to see them as I hadn’t seen them since before Christmas.

Penmount Crematorium is a little way from the coast and there was more clouds about, we were talking in the car park when the undertaker arrived, she took us to the Kernow Chapel, there is a waiting room. It was then that Anne from Outlook South West arrived, so we were a party of five.

The Hearse arrived on twelve thirty, my Son, Brother-in-law and I helped to move the Seagrass Coffin from the hearse to the bearer, then we lined up and followed Gill into the chapel, the sound of Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’

We were welcomed to the Chapel and a few words were said about Gill, then I was asked to talk about Gill.

Gill my wife.

I wasn’t ready for this, I thought there were would be years ahead, a time to grow old together. But it wasn’t to be, now I choose to look back to the smiling girl I asked to danced.
I had gone into Shrewsbury alone that Saturday night, I went to the Lion at the top of Wyle Cop, it was a disco where I thought did my best shuffle in the dark.
I saw a group of girls dancing round their handbags, one of them was the smiling girl, I waited for a slower disk and then I asked ‘would you dance with me’ and she said ‘yes’ We danced through three disks talking as best we could; but we did manage to agree to meet in the week!
As Gill went back to her friends I heard ‘And what are you doing going off with strangers’
We did meet the follow week, and after a few weeks we were a couple, and some weeks we dropped the disco for a restraint in the town, we were a little limited as to where we could go, Gill could drive but her Dad said no, I was having lesions!
I took Gill to a Chinese restraint several times, as I worked my way through the menu, Gill had the same Chicken Maryland each time, it took several visits until she asked what the Chinese food was like, I told her it was lovely; so we each ordered a different dish, Gill tasted her dish, then she tried mine, She still liked the Chicken Maryland, but most times after Gill had Chinese food, soon after that we enjoyed Chinese and Indian food.
Once I had my driving licence, Dad let me have his car to take Gill out, Being rather a new drive I got the car on one road and followed it, we kept going until we found some where to stop, looking back I recalled Gill never said a word, she have been driving some time; I’m not sure to this day if her silence was politeness - or fear!
While we were enjoying our courting days others were disguising our friendship, it is a small world if Gill’s Dad works in the same firm as my Mother, some months past until the penny dropped! We had meet at a quiet pub just out of the town, once we were sitting down Gill asked ‘where does your mother work’ ‘Morris’s’ I replied ‘oh’ she said and smiled.
After then the Sunday teas and lunches began, my mother-in-law liked having me about, the Bloore’s were picky eaters, while I will try any thing and enjoy it mostly. At the Bloore’s they talked right thought a meal. At the Mason’s food was taken in silence, so quiet Gill wondered if she was welcome, soon she learned our ways and knew she was loved.
We married on the 21st of June 1975; this was four years after we meet at the Lion. Our honeymoon was a tour through the Scottish Highlands, she loved the open space and the quiet of the highlands, all through the years we were together Gill loved the quiet countryside, the Highlands, Anglesey and later Cornwall.
On the first morning after when we had moved to Cornwall, Gill told me it was like Christmas morning; in Stockport there was only the one quiet morning.
Gill enjoyed several crafts, her knitting and embroidery was very good; her flower embroideries well wonderful.
Our children were bourn in Stockport, we had moved there when I found work in the Manchester Metropolitan University. Peter was bourn in 1983 and Jenny in 1985, it was then our holidays on Anglesey began, we went off there as often as we could.
In some ways I think those were the best times, a week or just a short three or four day brake to get away from city life! In those last weeks I’ve been looking through my slides, hear and there I get a glimpse of my smiling girl looking at me from those days ….
Even now those happy days are with me, a brighter light that illuminates my memories that will be with me always.
In my letter Gill wrote about her trip after this life, I hope it is the please she wished to fined here; I like to think of Gill free of pain and worry – free of every thing that held her back – now my free smiling girl once more ……………..

Then came the time of quiet thought as Rachmaninov’s ‘The Sea and Seagulls’ was played.

That was followed by the Committal …

Into the freedom of wind and sunshine, we let you go
Into the dance of the stars and the planets, we let you go
Into the wind’s breath and the hands of the star maker, we let you go
We love you, we miss you, we want you to be happy
Go safely, go dancing, go running home …..

Then came the sounds of the sea and the sea birds, and then the veil’s closed and we were left with the sounds Gill enjoyed. The closing of the veil’s were the last goodbye, a final act of parting that left us with memories, I sat with the sea in my ears and mind; then I lead our party into the light of day.

Last updated July 23, 2015