Sunday 15 March 2015

Mother's Day in the UK

 Thinking of my mother♡
She never became an old lady
Or knew all her grandchildren
She had breast cancer in her late fifties 
 Medicine was lacking today's sophistication 
With modern treatment it is very likely 
 She would have lived to become the old lady  
I dearly wish she had♡
A selection of March Helleborus from our garden

70 comments:

  1. What a beautiful picture for Mother's Day, Rosemary. Your mother was lovely, and I am so sorry she was lost to you at this young age. The pink flowers touch my heart too. I have been thinking about breast cancer because this month it is three years since I had my three breast cancer surgeries. Three years survival is good! All the best to you, and I hope you have a beautiful Mother's Day filled with family love. xo

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    1. Dear Patricia - my mother actually died as a result of the treatment she received. There was no chemotherapy then, and the radiation was very unsophisticated. Today, as I am sure you will be aware, radiation can be pinpointed extremely accurately to an exact spot, my mothers whole righthand side was treated which seriously damaged her lung and it then collapsed. I am convinced that she would have lived a normal life span today.
      We are so fortunate today that medicine has moved on so much - we know that H would not be alive today if it had not been for MRI scanners.

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  2. What a lovely comment I am so pleased that you could share your lovely mum's memory- Mine did get to be an old lady of almost 87, and did share in all those moments, but we still miss her like crazy and days like today, even more. Mums are so precious, we must always let them know how we feel and I AM sure that you did ** . take care and have a hug for yourself..

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    1. Dear Janzi - what a lovely comment - thank you.
      My own sons were very young when my mother died, and I do regret the fact that she missed out knowing them - their memories of her are very limited too. It makes me appreciate and realise how very fortunate I have been in comparison to know my own grandchildren and share in their growing up.

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  3. Happy Mother's Day Rosemary...your mum was a lovely looking person...most of wish our mums were still with us...:)

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    1. Thank you Margaret - you are right of course♡

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  4. What a nice tribute to your mother, sad she died so young. Medical science is improving to cure some diseases but sadly to late for your mother. I was surprised to read you had mother's day today. Here it is always in May, so it is not international the same day I suppose.

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    1. Hello - it is strange that the date is not universal around the world. It mainly seems to be either March or May for some unknown reason to me.
      We are very fortunate that medical science continues to improve many of our lives today.

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  5. What a very poised and pretty child she was. I remember my mother too, today She died just over 2 years ago.

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    1. Dear Jenny - the loss of your mother must still be very raw for you.
      It is a lovely photo of my mother and one that I cherish.

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  6. Hello Rosemary, Your mother looks intelligent and determined in that photograph, in addition to beautiful. Unfortunately, medical crisis is no respecter of persons. How you must miss her when her memory comes up.
    --Jim

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    1. I am more than 10 years older than my mother when she died, and it is now that it has dawned on me just how much she missed out.

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  7. Dear Rosemary, so sorry that your mother had to die so young! She looks very, very lovely! And the Helleborus in their sombre but utterly beautiful way are a very proper gift.

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    1. Dear Britta - I agree with you that the Helleborus are a very appropriate flower. When picked as I have done here their life is fleeting, but they will last longer by dipping the stems in boiling water for 20 seconds and then plunging them into cold water.

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  8. Dear Rosemary, How sad that your Mother died so young. Your tribute to her is very touching and beautiful.
    Happy Mother's Day.

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    1. Dear Gina - there are so many moments that I would have loved her to be involved in and share, but it was not to be.

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  9. Yes, she was carried off much too young. The photo of her as a girl is so charming. Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. Thank you Debra - I have always like this photo and it feels as if she is really looking straight at you.

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  10. Happy Mother's Day to you dear Rosemary , what a lovely photo of her as a young girl. I think loosing a mother is always too early. xx

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    1. Thank you Jane and I wish the same for you. I love this photo, we used to have an oil painting done when she was about the same age, but I have no idea what happened to it.

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  11. It must be a day of mixed feelings for you Rosemary. It certainly is for me, the first year without a mum. I am just trying to look back and remember the good times.

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    1. Dear jessica - it must be difficult for you, I know that it is only a short time ago that you lost your mother.

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  12. Your words touched my heart and brough a tear to my eyes.I'm sure mom's hug and blessings long after she lets go. I lost my father this way, I mean he never became an old man or knew his grandchildren either.He had lung cancer in his late fifties...
    Sending you my sweetest thoughts
    Olympia

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    1. Dear Olympia - I understand how you feel loosing your father before he was acquainted with his grandchildren. It now makes me appreciate that I am so fortunate in comparison with my mother.

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  13. Such a beautiful photo of your mother Rosemary - so sorry she was taken much too soon and know she has been missed for a long time. On this date my dear mother died, 12 years ago, fortunate perhaps to make 91, although the later years were not really good for her. I went home to visit knowing she was failing - I saw her just the afternoon I arrived from the US, and was shocked when she passed early the next morning!

    So today we Brits all miss our dear mothers no longer with us - hopefully those who still can hug their mum are doing so on this special day.

    Your flower pics are truly lovely for today.
    Love, Mary

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    1. Dear Mary - our mothers must have been born at around the same time. You were fortunate to have her for so much longer, but I am pleased to learn that you managed to fly over and see her before she died - it sounds as if she was hanging on until you arrived.
      Thank you for the comment regarding the flowers.

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  14. Happy Mother's Day to you dear Rosemary !
    How sad your mother died so young.
    My mother died from canser three years ago and i miss her every day.
    Dimi...

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    1. Happy day to you too Dimi - I am sorry that you lost your mother too - Cancer is such a terrible disease, but I do believe that every year the medical advances are substantial.

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  15. This is also the story off my mother...same illness...same age...(56)
    On specials day's it is always difficult...also it is 25 years ago.
    Beautiful photo's foto's for this special day.

    Greetings,
    Inge, my choice

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    1. I know how you feel Inge - your mother too will be forever young.
      I am pleased that you enjoyed seeing the photos - thank you♡

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  16. A sad story Rosemary. For you to loose your mother when she was so young.
    My mother too lost her mother.. my maternal grandmother, when she was 12.
    Such a beautiful photo of her.
    Happy mothers day to you
    love val xx

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    1. That would be a terrible tragedy for your mother, she was only a young girl. At least I had my mother until my two sons were born. I just feel that she was denied so much in comparison with the pleasures that I have had in watching my grandchildren grow and start to become young adults.

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  17. I'm so sorry for your mother, Rosemary. It's sad that she couldn't see her grandchildren growing and passed away so early. Beautifu pictures. I love your Helleborus. Happy Mothers' Day to you, Rosemary.

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    1. The Helleborous are very good this spring Satu - my mother had a good life, it was just unfortunate that she died too early.

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  18. Dear Rosemary - Your mother was lovely, and I can imagine that the image you've shared is a treasured possession. I'm glad you can and do enjoy your very gifted children and grandchildren.

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    1. Dear Mark - I do cherish the photo very much Mark, I like the way she looks straight out at you as if she know that you are there. In comparison, I am very fortunate.

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  19. Beautiful flowers and a beautiful verse.

    Like you I too have been having special thoughts today about my dear mum.

    It's special being a mum, it's special to have Mothers Day memories .... remember good times

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks Jan - I am pleased that you were thinking about your own dear mother too.

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  20. Hi Rosemary....
    Love the pic of your Mom when she was young.....
    Those Hellebores are gorgeous!
    Happy Mother's Day!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Glad that you are safely returned from Florida Linda. My brother had his vehicle back ended by a truck as he turned off the highway for Anna Maria Island, he is now spending a lot of time trying to get the insurance sorted before they return back to Canada at the end of March.

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    2. Oh dear....bad luck!
      That is just south of where we stay!

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    3. Now my SiL has fallen off her bike and broken her arm.

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  21. Dear Rosemary,
    A Happy Mother's Day. Sorry your beautiful mother left this world too soon. Love those hellebores
    I recall when I first lived in Canada and send a Mother's Day card to my mum in Ireland in May. (US and Canada date). It arrived, in her mind, two months late or ten months early.
    Wishing you a great week
    Helen xx

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    1. The Hellebores are lovely this year, the lack of snow seems to have suited them. It is very strange the way we don't have a universal Mother's Day, but I think that the one in the USA was first and we followed later.

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  22. Dear Rosemary,

    Such a beautiful photo of your dear Mother and so sorry for you, that she was taken so young.
    Hope you had a happy Mothers day - here in NZ we celebrate Mothers day in May.
    The Hellebores are so pretty.
    Have a great week
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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    1. Hello Carolyn - I am very fond of this photo of my mother, and I am pleased that I have it.
      The Hellebores are lovely this spring. Thank you for your kind comment.

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  23. This is really beautiful memory to your mother.
    We spend this day in May.
    Hugs

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    1. Thank you Orvokki - it appears that most countries, apart from us, celebrate in May.

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  24. Dear Rosemary - Sorry to hear about your mother passed away so young in her fifties. She’s such a lovely girl and I imagined how attractive she was in her later years. Enjoy your time with your children and grandchildren enough and her share, too. The past pleasant memory of your mother is full grown when remembered. She’ll be smiling to be remembered in such a nice way. Hellebores are beautiful in my garden, too. I like the way how you displayed them. Belated Happy Mother’s Day! In my country, Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May.

    Yoko

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    1. Thank you for you kind comment Yoko - I decided to pick a few Hellebores because they are quite difficult to photograph with their heads nodding downwards and I now have their heads floating in a bowl. I like the way you say that I should enjoy my mother's share too, that is an excellent piece of advice that I shall remember.

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  25. What a pretty young lady she was. I cherish old photos and I am sure you do too. Happy Mother day to you.

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    1. I am fortunate that I have quite a few lovely old photos which I do cherish like you. Thank you for your kind wishes.

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  26. Dear Rosemary- What a beautiful tribute to your mother! Was she fond of hellebores? We just came home from England. Enjoyed seeing all the daffodils, snowdrops, primroses and hellebores. It's still winter here in DC, although today is lovely. Cheers

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    1. Dear Loi - I am pleased that you have had a safe trip, and hope that you enjoyed some sunny days. I am sure that spring will soon be with you too, once it begins there is not stopping it.
      Do you know I can't recall whether or not my mother liked Hellebores, but surely she must have done, everyone does - don't they?

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  27. A beautiful portrait of your mother Rosemary. Cancer made so many still young victims....The hellebores you have in your garden look beautiful!

    Have a good week!

    Madelief

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    1. Thank you Madelief - I am very fond of this photo of my mother and pleased that I have it. The Hellebores this year are really lovely may be because we had no snow.

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  28. How happy are we who loved our mothers! How lucky are we who love being mothers and how sad that it sometimes doesn't work out this way. Treasure those memories, Rosemary.

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  29. A beautiful tribute to your mother, Rosemary. As a two-time survivor of breast cancer myself, I'm so sorry that she died before the wonderful advances in treatment were made. Treatment back then was radical and brutal and I was sad to read in your reply to Patricia that your mother actually succumbed to the effect of treatment. Mother's Day is very bitter-sweet to those of us who lost our mothers too soon.

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    1. Dear Perpetua - When she died my two sons were young, and I was sad that she would not have a relationship with them. As I have grown older I have realised more and more just how much she actually missed not seeing all her grandchildren grow up. It has made me appreciate how fortunate I have been in comparison to see my grandchildren develop and become young adults.

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    2. I do sympathise, Rosemary, as I've thought the same thing many times over the years since my parents and father-in-law died.within 5 years of each other. They didn't even see all their grandchildren born, let alone grow up and would have been so proud of their achievements and the great-grandchildren who so delight my very elderly mother-in-law.

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    3. It was the same for my mother Perpetua - three of her grandchildren were born several years after she had died.

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  30. Oh Rosemary, what a beautiful photo of your mother. I have a few similar photos of my mother - it looks like they were in the same era. I'm so grateful medicine has advanced from those times - the medicos did what they thought was right at the time - sadly the consequences were not always what we hoped. I'm so sorry you lost your mother - she was far too young.
    I miss my mother who lived to well in her eighties - no one can ever replace our precious mothers.
    Spring is evident in your garden - such exquisite hellebores in lovely colours. I have a few in my garden, they are such good value and just go on and on!
    Take care
    Shane x

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    1. Dear Shane - my mother was born in 1911, and I think that she must have been about 12/13 when this photo was taken. I like it very much, it gives me the impression that she is actually looking out at the viewer.
      I have a lot of hellebores in the garden, but they will hang their heads and make photographs difficult. I now have just the heads from these floating in a bowl and they have lasted very well.
      Thank you for your kind comment.

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    2. And my mother was born in October 1910, she was one of seven girls and one boy who came in the middle and was very spoilt by them all!!
      I imagine you and I could be of a similar age too!

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    3. That is interesting - my mother just scrapped into 1911 as she was an October baby - what a long time ago that was, and I guess you could be right about our ages.

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  31. A beautiful photo Rosemary. My mother died at 51, so I understand, completely, the frustration , sadness and sometimes anger, at not having had the years with her that I would have wanted. The hellebores are gorgeous too....mine have made an appearance in the Hebden Bridge garden.... I thought they were later than usual, but maybe I'm just not remembering things right ! Jx

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    1. I do recall you saying that you lost your mother in her early 50s Janice. In some ways as I get older it saddens me even more realising just how much my mother actually missed out on especially compared with my life.
      I think that you are right about the flowers Janice - although the winter wasn't harsh, no snow here in my corner of the world at all, I think that all of the flowers are a little later too.

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  32. A beautiful photo of your mother Rosemary...a very sad post and I understand you so much. I miss my mother so much too...
    Warm hug,
    Titti

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    1. Thank you Titti - our mothers are so special to us♡

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