When Eleanor was just a few days old, our lovely friend, Margaret sat on my hospital bed cuddling our precious bundle and said to me, “Trish. Not only do you now have a beautiful daughter; she will always be your best friend”.
And she was right.
As mums and daughters do, over the years we had many lovely times together that I will always treasure, tempered with the odd row and disagreement to strike that healthy balance. Shock and horror in her student days at the ever growing number of tattoos and piercings that became such a part of how she wanted to portray herself. Even her Granny accepted her acquisitions as time went on.
We shared and enjoyed so much together, including clothes; and what I mistakenly thought was films. She was responsible for my new found love of comfy dungarees which I will never relinquish. It also became a tradition of ours to go to an early showing of films over the Christmas period. She recently told me that she hated my film choices but treasured the time we spent together.
Eleanor was always up for excitement and adventure. Fearless in so many aspects of her life, she would try anything – I hope most of it was legal. She was the person to jump from the highest point into the sea, throwing herself down the deadliest of death slides and steepest and fastest of water slides, leaving others quaking at the top. She delighted in going to festivals and no doubt a few raves, and felt free when in nature.
Eleanor was also a fan of food, and seafood in particular and was equally as adventurous in her tastes. Having enjoyed an amazing family holiday in Florida we splashed out on our final night with a lovely meal at an upmarket restaurant. Eleanor was around 13 years old at the time. After studying the menu for a while she informed the waitress, displaying such confidence for her tender years, she would like to order the lobster – price on request. That night she was singly responsible for doubling the cost of a very expensive meal – and that included a decent bottle of wine, and almost bankrupting her father!
Our girl wasn’t the most organised of people as evidenced through the wall to wall baggage in her flat, only to be outdone by her floordrobe. She once casually dropped into the conversation that she had managed to fly to Prague for a long weekend break and then returned on an out of date passport!
There were so many sides to our lovely girl. She was like a kaleidoscope – fascinating, ever changing and full of colour. You just had to keep peering into that lens to see what came next.
She loved all aspects of nature, devoured every Gerald Durrell book and avidly watched all of the DVD’s of David Attenborough – her hero. When visiting Granny and Gramps as a little girl she would make a beeline for the National Geographic magazine. Her Gramps was amazed and so proud of her in equal measure for taking such an interest in the wonders of nature.
Eleanor also loved learning about the planets, so it came as no surprise when I asked her earlier this year what her favourite place to visit for a holiday would be. She replied without hesitation, “It has to be Reykjavik to see the Northern Lights”. And so the planning began….. On my visits to see her in hospital we would look at video clips and wonder at the beauty of this spectacular light show and chat about taking a dip in the hot springs there. Today; thanks mainly to the artistic talent and love from Charlie, her Sister in Law; I hope we have captured that dream throughout her Farewell and Celebration of her Life.
We will keep that promise to you my lovely and take you to visit the Northern Lights. At least you won’t have to worry about whether your passport is in date.
God Bless