Hi all,
Wow, lovely messages of support from you all :thankyou:
Well, I suppose that's it now, just Dad's ashes to scatter when we're ready.
I was so busy on the morning of the funeral that the time absolutely flew by! I'd made LOADS of cakes the day before which all needed decorating, and that took me about 3 hours. Then Gwyn and I took them down to the pub and the lovely manager there put them all in their walk in fridge. Then it was a race back home to get all sorted for the funeral.
The cars arrived a little early at Shirleys which allowed us time to look at the flowers...they were really beautiful. We walked in to "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole". To be perfectly honest, by the time we took our seats in the crematorium I was shaking so much it was a struggle to just stay on my feet, and I was relieved when the hymn (All Things Bright & Beautiful) was finished and we could sit. The vicar was lovely, and the whole service was very personal. Gwyn read a nice John Dryden poem called "Happy the Man" which really summed Dad up. And during a pause where we were asked to think of and remember Dad, we played "Con Te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye) sung by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman. It was beautiful but awful, & I lost it. But Gwyn grabbed my hand tight, and Shirley reached across and grabbed the other one, & we got through it. We walked out to "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles.
A number of people came up to me afterwards saying what a lovely service it had been, and that it was obvious that the vicar had known Dad, and I had to explain that actually thet'd never met! So he must have done a good job!
We had a nice afternoon at the Yeoman...if you can call it nice I suppose? Alot of people came back, and the food was very good. I had to laugh as just as everyone had had their fill of sandwiches, spicey wedges, onion rings etc. the staff brought my cakes out & there was a stampede lol!
Everyone was interested in the memory board, and it was quite a talking point so that was nice. And Vicki and I got some more sponsors for our Race for Life. I do know there were several hundred pounds donated in Dads name for the hospice but I don't know the total yet.
On the way home we dropped in to the tiny cemetary that Dads Mum is buried in, & where Dad wants half his ashes to be scattered, as the undertakers had laid the flowers on Nans grave. They looked amazing.
So, today I have decided that Dad would want me to carry on with SW, and not to make him an excuse for giving up. He was so proud of how well I was doing, and Andrew too, so we are going to try very hard to get back into it. We went to wi tonight along with Frances and...we all put on!!! Not a surprise for Andrew & me as we've been drinking far too much alcohol, and we ate rather alot of cakes at the funeral, but poor Frances was gutted as she'd been good all week! So we will have to all knuckle down and get back to counting syns, INCLUDING alcoholic ones!
I also have to start exercising again as I've really let it slip and I need to do this race on Fathers Day. So tonight I bit the bullet and did week 4 run 1 of C25K...I actually RAN for a whole 5 MINS! Mind you I was still congratulating myself when the NEXT 5 min run came up! What's that all about?
Well I just couldn't do it!
So I ran 2, walked 1, and then ran the next 2, so I was pretty pleased with that. So pleased in fact that I carried on walking/running until I'd covered 5k which took 51 mins and 30secs! :happy036: I'm thrilled with that, and I'm sure Dad was helping me, pushing me on :heartpump:
Anyway ladies, I really want to say a big thank you for all of your supportive, encouraging, sympathetic, funny, understanding, lovely posts throughout Dads illness. Since the day I decided to start my diary, I have never felt alone, & it has often been a relief and a blessing to come here and know that you will listen. You have made me laugh and cry, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Friends such as you are not easy to find, and I feel very lucky and honoured xx :sign0168:
Hoping to crack the whip tomorrow and dump some pounds this week...I had my first gain of a pound tonight!
Lots of love xx
