Remembering Mum (Lore Gordon)

A few weeks ago, it suddenly struck me that this would be the first Christmas without Mum. That was even more weirdness, after her death from Covid-19 at the end of March.

In March 2005 Mum, Margaret and I went to see the operetta 'Die Fledermaus' at the Volksoper in Vienna. It was very good. Here is Mum on a tram on that visit. 'Die Fledermaus' was on Mum's Bucket List, although I think there were no buckets at that time, just a list.

Many years before - probably before I started Primary School in Bromley - Mum and I left the house, walked down Tweedy Road, turned left into London Road, and at the Swan & Mitre pub we turned right, down Beckenham Lane. Quite a steep windy hill. We walked maybe 200 yards down the hill, and turned left into the wall or so it seemed. But it was a secret passage (that's what I thought!) and we climbed the steps higher and higher, until we burst into some magical world (come on, I was young!) which turned out to be Martin's Hill, with Queen's Mead at the bottom. This wasn't simply 'going to the park'. To the right on the hill it looked like Monet's 'The Poppy Field near Argenteuil', at least I would often think so later. (Sledging would also happen in that area most of the early years). There were lines of robust large trees. Between the hill and the mead was a narrow river (the Ravensbourne) which in those days you could go to the water's edge (it was later culverted). From the hill you could look out to all of Bromley, or so it appeared. And then the piece de resistance was the playground on the other side of the river. I think it was quite basic - a roundabout, I'm not sure what else, but it was great (an expanded playground was later repositioned back over the river towards the hill). And so on.

About 3/4 years ago I was back in Bromley, walking down London Road and I suddenly thought 'why did we go down the hill by the Swan & Mitre, to go up the hill?! We could have passed the pub towards town, gone past the Odeon cinema on the right, and the Astor cinema on the left (diagonally opposite each other). On towards the Market Square, up right along Church Road to the iron gates at Martin's Hill and the War Memorial inside. Easy, on the flat, no hills, no frills. So why didn't we do that?

It's obvious really - it wouldn't have been anywhere as much fun. And Mum was the perfect guide then, and always. Thoughtful, funny, kind, clever, serious when she needed to be, fair and much more.

So many memories of Mum. Missing you this Christmas, and missing you anyway. Thinking of you. Thanks for who you were, and what you did.

(Originally published on Facebook 24 December 2020)