In 1999 I received a phone call. I was told to get back to Australia quick smart as moms health was rapidly declining. Mom had had Alzheimers for awhile and was permanently residing at Garrawarra Hospital not far from my hometown, Helensburgh. So I jumped on the first available flight from the UK back to Oz. As a kid in the 1950s, I used to hear my mom singing in the kitchen as she was cooking and pottering about, and Id join her and wed sing all the old songs, and she taught me to harmonise. She had a fantastic voice :-) When I was about 8 or 9, around 1958, I found my fathers Piano Accordion. The story I was told was that he bought it back from the South Pacific islands where he served during the war. I could barely pick it up, but eventually managed to teach myself to play it, and Id sit in the kitchen while mom cooked and Id play and shed sing, and wed do this day in day out for hours, just playing and singing all those old songs :-) It was glorious :-) A couple of years later I stopped playing the accordion when I got my first Ukulele, then Guitar, and Harmonica, and Id play those while mom sang. When I went back to see mom for the last time, and just before I came back to the UK, we sat in the kitchen one more time, and relived those golden times from more than 40 years before. Moms memory had deteriorated, but it didnt matter, as I hadnt picked up an accordion for more than 40 years and the wrist strap had stretched beyond tightening. She couldnt remember the words, and I couldnt remember how to play, so we were pretty much on an equal par lol. I was in Oz for 3 weeks, and during that time mom was allowed to stay in her home while I was there, and we had some great laughs and time together, but this was the best :-) This was the last time I saw my mom before she died, and will always be my fondest memory of her. Doing what we both loved most :-) Bless you Mom :-) https://youtube/watch?v=OGQ35YcsxGQ&feature=youtu.be
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 11:53:03 +0000
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