17th July 2015

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.