Words fail me to describe my sense of loss although in some ways, and to quote something that Mum said frequently in her final years, “I don’t know how I feel and that is the honest truth”. Mums truth was always ‘honest’ and it’s now a saying that I keep using too although mostly in my head. Mum moved to Yorkshire in 2020 and from then on she always said “it doesn’t matter as long as we are together”. Gees, that used to infuriate me when deciding on where to go for our regular Saturday meal out. Thankfully she was very versatile - McDonald’s, Taco Bell, TGI’s, Pizza Hut but her favourite was the OAP’s Three Course Special at Murgatroyds Fish and Chip restaurant in Yeadon. She was also partial to a Toby Carvery. When Mum moved up here she went to live at Avery Tulip Court - a thriving retirement community. Many of the residents there have become like family and I shall always be grateful for how they included Mum in everything - darts, bingo, evening entertainment, beetle drives, indoor bowls, gaming afternoons and days plus meals out. To everyone who said to her ‘Goodbye see you tomorrow / Saturday / or whenever’ she would respond “I hope so”. Other highlights from the last few years were our 3 trips to Aberystwyth and Borth - the ancestral family home - to visit cousin Linda. We have many happy memories. Lastly Mum liked going to all sorts of places in Leeds and Bradford for a look and walk although she hated stairs! A favourite was Bradford Industrial Museum which I loved because it was free & lovely and warm in winter. At the last Christmas fair there it was very busy and Mum wanted to sit for a bit at the end of the various stalls. I left her for 5 minutes to have a quick look around and when I returned she had chatted up one of the stall holders, regaling him with ‘I am from Kent stories’ and had been given a free mince pie. That was Mum all over… My heart is broken but I also know three things that keep me going. Mum and I had a lot of laughs over the last few years and I feel that I did as much as I could for her battling NHS bureaucracy and the like. I was there with her until the very end and she passed holding my hand and knowing how much I loved her. And finally I know Mum would want me to have the best life I can make moving forward. Mum, I will do that in your honour.