Most of my memories of Olive are of her together with Dave, which I believe is how she would like it. Their easy affection, forever characterized in my mind by the phrase "You big 'nana!", meant that Aelwyd always felt as much of a home as my own.
I can remember being looked after many times there as a small boy, and being introduced to lime cordial, discussing how the police floodlights spoiled the view from the kitchen window and what to do about that, and even working on a 'mathematical' crossword from the pages of an old Daily Mail (how did THAT get there!?) that were lining an old chest I was 'helping' her to clear out. I even used to take some of my friends round there (uninvited, I'm sure) to 'show her off', and I'm sure they were made just as welcome!
She reminded a few years ago of something that I, as a child, had said to her, I think when we were out shopping together in Caters, of all places. "I think you're the nicest person I know", I apparently remarked from the shopping trolley seat, and that is a sentiment by which I am still happy to stand. Olive always made me feel wonderfully welcome, and although there might be other people about whom I could say that, there were certainly none who saw me so much or so frequently - yet she always seemed so pleased to see me, then, and as I grew into an adult. Latterly I only saw her on the family holidays, yet on each of these, however many years passed between them, we chatted away as if we still only lived two streets apart.
17th July 2015