Song of the Day # 3,613 Justin Hayward

 

When I post this I will probably be sitting in the back seat of a fast car being driven by my older brother with my sister in law sitting in the passenger seat. We should be heading with smooth and steady grace given the way my brother drives. From my parents home in Canterbury towards Abergavenny. 

Just after midday there will be funeral services held there in honour of my dear Aunt Judy my father's youngest sister who passed away just before Christmas, Judy was very dear to me and always led me to believe that the affection was shared and returned on her part.

I was born in Zimbabwe the fourth of five but we travelled a number of times to the UK before the family returned to Nottingham in 1972 and then moved from there to London five years later. On our first visit, when I was still pram bound, a couple of years at most we stayed in Hoylake where my father's parents lived and became acquainted for the first time with cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents.

I was given to my Aunt's care for the course of her stay. She would have been in her early teens, perhaps fourteen or fifteen and already a considerable beauty. It would be fair to say we both fell for each other hard and she ferried me around or else I tottered round after her as best my little bow legs would carry me, for the course of our stay. 

I have further important memories of Judy from a little further down life's line. I would have been any age from about 10 to 13, my family had moved to Richmond in South West London and we used to visit my father's mum and dad, my Grandparents often on school holidays and stay in their small but snug bungalow in the small village of Charminster a couple of miles outside Dorchester. 

Aunt Judy, now in her mid to late twenties was a regular visitor and boy was she impossibly cool. We would await her arrival with bated breath. Childhood has an excitement and anticipation all of its own devising.

Eventually Judy would turn into my Grandparent's drive. First neat garden on the right. At the wheel of her mini. I can picture her in my mind's eye. She would come in and we would tell each other our tales over tea and cake.

I associate Judy with Jeff Wayne's War of the World's soundtrack for some reason, She brought it with her one time, because she clearly loved it and we listened through to it on my Grandparent's Record Player as we leafed through it's incredibly glossy and evocative centrefold booklet. 

Much love Judy wherever you are now. You'll be missed. By more people than you could ever imagine. You were a wonderful, lovely and quite special person x!