It's Nanna's birthday today. She would have turned 90.

Shabbat continues

Mini golf

Advantages of going to the launch of a new place: you get free stuff (visor and gold golf ball) and adults will cater to your whims, like serving up raspberry lemonade and a cup of lollies. Fun!

Clip n climb

We didn't do all that much in the holidays but there was wall climbing - setting an end to Julian's idea that he is scared of heights, given how high he climbed. Zoe? Fearless as always!

Signs

How do we describe how difficult it was to say goodbye to our beloved Nanna, who has been a part of this blog, and our lives, for so long? It has not been easy on the children as she got more and more ill, although they always sought to make her feel better. They never shied away from giving her massive hugs, or telling her she was beautiful - and they meant it. Julian, particularly, felt bad when she said she felt bad because she couldn't do much, towards the end. He felt that just being her was enough. 

We got to say our goodbyes, and for that we are grateful. And, at the very end, a special gift. After my mother passed away, at home, I went to comfort the children downstairs. Zoe said, "Do you think Nanna will show us a sign that she's looking out for us?" I said, "Yes, I do." But Zoe said, "I want a sign, NOW!" What can you say to a grieving child? Knowing that my mother lay peacefully, after taking her final breath, upstairs, I said, "I'll go tell her." And so I sat with my mother, and repeated the conversation. As I said the words, "And Zoe would like a sign right now..." I barely finished the sentence, when something strange happened. My mother had been lying in a hospital bed in her lounge room, which she loathed. But at the end, the recliner couldn't support her properly, so paramedics had to shift her to the bed. To make it look more appealing, Lilianne and I decorated the foot of the bed - which had a small attachment - with a collage of photos of all her grandchildren and children. There were perhaps seven photos in all. People had been around that bed, and those photos, for days, and none had shifted, stuck as they were with blue tac and sticky tape. But as I said the word "now", the photo of Zoe and Julian came unstuck at its top, and swung around on its axis, still holding by its bottom tape. It was incredible. And we were all sure - she was watching. And continues to do so. 

Last year's photos of Nanna

Even towards the end, so beautiful.

Nanna last year

The best Nanna Minnie ever

Photos by Vicky Leon. Never forgotten.

Pesach at Adam

Of course, this was always going to be a hard Pesach, so soon after the death of Nanna Minnie. But we had second seder at Adam's, and with Anton, Bianca, Alan and Lilianne all being there still, it was really a night to remember. We said and sang as much as we could, and finished it off with a KLP chocolate cake that we baked ourselves. A very memorable night, and fun to watch Anton and Julian, behaving like puppies/ brothers. 

Hairspray

Although this post is written after the fact, I couldn't leave out mention of the fact that Julian was in Hairspray, the musical, at a particular difficult time in our lives, with Nanna Minnie being so sick. In fact, Nanna Minnie passed away during the performances - after Sunday's matinee and evening performance, but before the ones on Monday and Tuesday. Julian went to her funeral on Tuesday and did his performance at night, which we all believe would have been in accordance with her wishes. The amazing thing about doing the play was that it seemed the timing could not have been worse - in fact, it couldn't have been better. The cast, crew and staff rallied around him, and he came home after she died, saying, "People are so nice." Everyone offered sympathy and condolences, and he was even mentioned in the speeches at the end. It was a really important time for him to be surrounded by such goodness, and it made all the difference.

And, as I told the teachers - Nanna had so much joy in her life, and came from a family that absolutely loved theatrical performances. It was a tribute to her and where she came from, his being there.