It's not in me china garden.....

 

Miss London came to my church about 12 years ago. She sat quietly in her pew and didn't mix  much but somehow decided that my family was ok and singled out Liam as a talent to watch. It annoyed me a little as I have three other wonderful children.....anyway, that's how I got to know her a little.

After her very best friend passed away a couple of years ago, I invited her to join my seniors group. She was hesitant but the prospect of a weekly outing tempted her and so I picked her up each week, took her to the group and then at her insistence, drove her to her favourite lunch spot to be treated to lunch. She always had the same things, a seafood basket for an appetite or bacon and eggs if she didn't. Followed by coffee.

She would enquire about my life (taking care to ask about all of my children, my sister and my parents) and tell me tales of hers, she was obviously proud of two things: her 22 years in the military and the fact that she didn't care about houses, interiors and decor.

She talked about her years as a nurse, told me about a child she kidnapped from next door because he wasn't cared for (she gained custody of the boy and raised him for a number of years until his mother wanted him back), talked about the motor racing she had done and the high profile people she had met.

She didn't remember names and called everyone "sexy legs" or "China" for those who appeared to be Chinese. Her humour danced along the boundaries we expect from white haired old ladies: one time the even older lady next to her had a booger visible in her nose and Miss London had everyone in fits of laughter by asking if it was a wayward bit of tinsel.

When Sydney went into strong restrictions early this year, I stopped the seniors group and mostly stopped seeing her, I sent a few notes and dropped by once but I was holding her up from going to craft and she let me know.

When I was ready to try again, she was admitted to hospital and restricted to only one visitor, the same one each time. She went in to hospital with gastro and came out two months later with a cancer diagnosis. 

Of her cancer she said "it's in me mouth, it's in me neck, it's in me nellies, but it's not in me china garden so I'm ok"

I saw her in palliative care, about three weeks ago, she was in fine form that day but her painkillers were increased sharply only days later and she took a down turn just after Christmas.

Miss London loved order and she went out with that characteristic style: born on the 30th (of June) in 1930, lived to 90, went out on the 30th December, 2020. It's very tidy, isn't it?

I'm sorry you had to go, Moyra but I know you are with friends and pain free, we'll meet again.