Our mum was a character, one of a kind,
There was no one quite like her, I think you’ll find,
She loved us completely, with all of her heart,
And taught us life lessons, right from the start,
We remember some now as we think of her,
The stories and memories start to stir,
Her antics and foibles will live on forever,
She’d also be proud we worked on this poem together.
 
Mum, you were born in the 60s and always told us,
Your love for The Osmonds and The Bay City Rollers,
You loved all your music, even if you did think,
One of the greatest singers was Engelbert Humperdinck,
The juke box we owned was your favourite toy,
Filled with your records, it brought so much joy,
We’d dance in the back room on Christmas morning,
No one could say that our family was boring.
 
Your childhood stories were a big part of showing us,
It’s ok to be naughty, just a little mischievous, 
Like the time that you locked Jackie up in a cupboard,
Climbed out of a window, or turned all the ovens up,
Sugar’s to blame, from all of the treats,
Who can blame you? You lived above a shop selling sweets,
With us, you made sure our house was always stocked,
With liquorice and biscuits and sweets and some choc.
 
Just one of the reasons our friends chose to come round,
You made everyone welcome; though your dinners did astound,
You taught us that cooking from scratch was laborious,
A sausage on a fork would do, it’s easy, no fuss,
And if there’s no rice in the house, it’s no disaster,
You can always eat Thai green curry on pasta,
Your culinary creations were known all over town,
You embraced being everyone’s kitchen clown.
 
Your childhood was amazing, you had such a whirl,
John and Queenie would have been so proud of their baby girl,
You taught us the importance of seeing your family,
Weekends visiting relatives and holidays at Rockley, 
You hosted dozens of parties and loved a good knees-up,
Invited everyone round though you hated the clean-up,
You made sure that even now that you have gone,
Our family links all remain strong.
 
You taught us to work hard and take every chance,
Drama, athletics, tutors and dance,
Our Christmas visits to Disney were always magic,
But spending weekends in a field, in the rain, could be tragic,
Boat trips and beer tents, concerts, we did it all,
Our childhoods were jam-packed and we are so grateful,
We’ve petted alpacas and played with pigs in the mud,
The queen of experiences, you booked them with love.
 
Holidays were always your favourite place,
Skiing with friends or the sun in your face,
City breaks in Europe with your family or friends,
Lisbon, Malta and Prague, the list never ends,
You taught us to travel, to wander, explore,
To see the things we’ve never seen before,
The joy of a funicular railway cannot be overlooked,
So make sure that you always have a holiday booked.
 
You taught us to stand up for what’s right and what’s true,
To be loyal and generous and to always be you,
You were the person who knew us the most,
The only mum to send ham and cheese in the post,
You showed us how to be brave, to be caring and strong,
You taught us the difference between right and wrong,
You loved to called us ‘oaf’, ‘sod’, ‘cow’ and ‘moo’,
So many unique ways of saying, “I love you.”
 
You taught us to love and to put others first,
You were proud of our best and forgave us our worst,
We were never a family that you could call huggers,
But we’d love one right now, for you to tell us you love us,
Of your two children, you were constantly proud,
“They were in Harry Potter,” you’d shout out loud,
You taught us so much and we’re proud of you too,
You are the best mum ever and we’ll always love you