3 in a boat in march

You couldn’t have choreographed a more amusing shot as ma and her two brothers clambered into their dingy to finally scatter Gran’s ashes at sea.

In the harsh NZ sun all 3 ginger snuts have always been fastidious hat wearers and today was no different but with a bowler, a sombrero and a panama in the boat the rest of the family watching from the bank could barely contain their laughter. It was a great way to start the day.

The air was giggly, Gran would have loved it.

Once they were all safely in the boat uncle d dip dappled his oars out into the bay with the view of the harbour bridge in the distance. 

And still we were amused.

Sufficiently far from the shore and uncle geoff fiddled with the box lock for such a time we all feared it would never open and then all of a sudden a wee cloud of ash began it’s steady stream into the ocean.

Gran was a fabulous woman. Kind, warm, interesting. The oceans belly is the perfect resting place. When I was living in the UK she would paint a card and write her letter inside. When they arrived it would take Pete and I a half hour to decipher her near illegible handwriting. One whole half of her bed was always covered in newspapers, books, magazines, dictionaries and encyclopaedias. The first thing she would do when she woke up was reach for her little plastic round hairbrush and fix her hair. When you walked into a room she never forgot to smile at you, it was always an open mouthed smile like she’d just said the words ‘ha-hey you’re here!’ and she’d stretch out her hand towards you. She laughed all the time.

Everyone threw flowers on the waves, some of us shouted goodbye and some applauded and then the 3 in the boat wibble wobbled back to shore.

Then it was time to eat. Picnics are possibly my most favourite past time in the whole world.

Pot luck lunch is always cracking in the Tyler, Connolly clan and this was no exception.

Couple of family portraits although we’re missing quite a few of us. Pete was away on business in Oz save you scanning for him :(

And then Ben, Li Fen and I took Nova off for a rendition of Labyrinth Baby.

…You remind me of the babe, what babe, the babe with the power, what power? the power of voodoo, who do? you do, do what? remind me of the baaaaabe -  DANCE! Dance magic dance, dance magic, put that baby spell on you. Jump, Jump magic Jump, jump magic jump… David Bowie eh?

 

 

It’s hard not to just eat her up. munch munch.