Goodbye Dad.

On Friday, we said goodbye to my dad.


We couldn't have asked for a nicer day;

the sun made an appearance and the

flowers,which my mum had chosen,

were simply beautiful.

The curate, a lovely man, who conducted

 the service at the church where my mum

and dad had been married in 1949,  asked if

we'd like to include a poem and when he opened his book of poems at the poem below,

it had to be that one!

He then asked if I could read it! Knowing how I would simply dissolve into floods

of tears, it was decided that Mr S and I would read it together. We practised all week and I

couldn't reach the end!

However, it was ' all right on the night' as they say and, somehow, I managed it.

At the end of the day, when I arrived home, I sat contemplating with a cup of tea, thinking

about my dad and all the things that had been said about him at the service.

After about 20 minutes, Mr S and Nich came in and gave me a large envelope.

Upon opening it, I had somewhat of a shock. It's my birthday tomorrow and

Nich and Helen, along with Mr S, had plotted and planned a birthday treat for me.

This had been done in November before my dad had become so ill.

When I read the contents of the envelope; my head was in a whirl!

I was to be up at 5.30am,with Mr S, the next morning; catch the early train to London;

have some time doing whatever I wished and then we would make our way to

 Shaftesbury Avenue and The Queens Theatre, to see a performance of Les Miserables!

On top of that, a hotel stay and then spend the Sunday in London, before returning home!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...and that's how it has been for the past few weeks.


Les Miserables was my dad's favourite show.

 He had seen many shows and right up until his last days, even with having Alzheimer's,

 amazingly, he could still play the piano and the music from Les Mis.


For many years, I had wanted to see this show and so I duly did what I was told and off I went

to have an early night...

It was the end of the day; the end of my dad's days and a sad day for all of us.

But as I did so, I thought of those words from one of the first songs in Les Mis.....


'At the end of the day, there's another day dawning,And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise,'

And sure enough, it was!
To be continued...!