Happy Mother's Day

Isle of Wight Festival 2009 - Allan and Mum

It's not often that I use Diary of a Ledger for something a bit more personal but today is Mother's Day so forgive the indulgence.

I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you a bit about my Mum.  The photo above pretty much sums up both her and my step father.  At the Isle of Wight Festival last summer, very mush a part of the gang, drinks in hand, loving every minute of it.

She was born and raised on the Island, living in Cowes before she married my Dad and moved to Gosport (near Portsmouth) while he was away in the navy.  They moved back to the Island when my Dad became a prison officer and in 1973 I came along and the following year @SisterLedge arrived.  Until 1986 we had a pretty great, very typical, family life.  Then, as many of you will be aware we lost Dad.

It was then that my Mum's amazing strength came to fore.  How she managed to keep mine and my sister's lives the same I will never know.  But almost without taking breath she made sure that our lives stayed the same, despite the obvious distress that we were all going through, after that tragedy.

Even now, nearly 25 years later, she continues to be an inspiration.  Honestly, there are women 20 years her junior who couldn't hope to cram as much into their days as she does.  Golf has replaced squash as the sport of choice and she has become rather good at it.  She's been Captain of the local golf club and also Captain for the whole of the Isle of Wight.  She organises and takes part in a multitude of competitions and has a social life that out strips mine by a mile.

She has far more chance of ringing me and catching me at home than I do of ringing their's and finding her home.

Mum is a character.  We don't always see eye to eye, but that's just Mother/Son stuff.

I'm sorry that I can't be with you on Mothering Sunday Mum, but I do love you very much, am incredibly proud of you and yes you simply must go to the Sunday night at the Festival.

Happy Mother's Day Mum xxx