My first trip to the pictures with my Mum!
THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT MY MUM
I was unlucky, in that my beloved Mum died when I was just 17, and of course in the passage of time, memories fade, but there are one or two things that I’ll always remember and when I hear, or see them again, reminds me just of her.
Although I didn’t appreciate it at the time, my Mum was quite a fashionable woman. She was a well-respected director’s secretary, and her ‘uniform’ of choice was usually a shift dress with a coat to match set off with a sparkly brooch, or small row of pearls.
An evocative fragrance for me!
She flirted with perfumes, and was always looking for a kind of ‘signature’ smell, and she surely did find it when Estee Lauder launched YOUTH DEW. My Mum was overjoyed, and from her very first bottle, she was hooked, you definitely smelt her gorgeousness, before you actually saw her, and when she left the room, her fragrance remained long after!
It’s not a fashionable perfume now of course, but when an elegant lady of advancing years passes me by wearing it I can easily identify it.
My Mum had a sister who lived hours away from us, in the north of England, but every few months, my auntie would travel down to London, and we’d all meet up at Lyons Corner House, then on for some shopping in Selfridges, and sometimes to see a film or a show.
As a young girl in the 60’sI don’t recall that film censorship was so prevalent then as it is today. I remember going to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s and even at that age, thinking that Audrey Hepburn was the most wonderful woman.
Moon River still brings back happy thoughts of sitting eating ice-creams served from a tray by a ‘waitress’ in the interval!
Just as today’s young women go to concerts to see Michael Buble and Gary Barlow, my Mum’s ‘hero’ was a singer called Frank Ifield. A handsome blonde man, who had the uncanny knack of bringing a kind of yodelling into his love songs!
I do still remember you!
My first live concert that I ever saw was at the once famous London Palladium, and I’m sure I saw I my Mum swooned as the handsome young man sang ‘I Remember You oooooo’! When I hear it now on the radio, I smile at the thought of her being entranced as she watched him sing it on the big stage.
I really envy 60 year old daughters who still have their old Mum in their life. So many grumble and groan about the responsibility of looking after them, but I’d give my right arm to have to look after mine now.
What brings back happy memories of your beloved parents?
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Oh, I know the feeling as I miss my mum too. She unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago, so did at least reach a fair age, but the last few years were in a fog of dementia. Very sad to see.
Lovely memories of your Mum, Rosie, and how sad that you lost her so young. I was 36 when my Mum died, but it was way too soon. In fact, by the time I was 59, I had reached an age that was denied to both my parents.
My Mum liked Frank Ifield too, and Ken Dodd, both as singer and comedian. And she really liked Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. I’ll never forget one night, when Mum and my Nan had shared a bottle of sherry. Nan was well the worse for wear, and when Mum and I tried to get her to bed, she was dancing around the bedroom in her underwear singing ‘Delilah’ at the top of her voice. She wasn’t much of a drinker, so she suffered for a couple of days. Mum and I could hardly do anything for laughing – that was a wonderful memory, thanks for triggering it!