Dee always knew how to put on a party. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the parties she hosted at Selwyn House with Father. There was always great music, a large number of people and copious amounts of wine and cheese (that's probably where my obsession came from).
Today, I was thinking about Dee's 60th birthday celebrations. Dee had picked some lovely little cottages in Oysterhaven, a beautiful spot in Ireland near Kinsale, Cork and a regular haunt for us when I was growing up. Perfect cottages with a perfect view over a perfect bay. Dee organised for all her friends and family to fly out and spend the week celebrating with her.
This nostalgic moment came after I'd come across some old emails from friends and family, all telling great stories about their adventures with Dee. I'd put together a book of memories to give to her for her 60th, collecting tales and digging out some incredible old photos of them all (with a lot of help from her sister). I had no idea how important this book would become in such a short space of time, only five years after it was put together.
I had no idea where this book was and hadn't thought about it really 'till today. Then, whilst trying to usher Dee away from the kitchen so Father could get on with dinner, I spotted it by the CD rack, as clear as day, as if it had been there all this time. (It hadn't. Anyone who has to deal with a Dementia sufferer will know how impossible it is to keep things in the same place. The amount of bizarre things I've found in the fridge and cupboards can make up an entire post, so let's not go over it now eh?)
The stories are just brilliant. Some are of those legendary parties, one mention in particular of a black and white party in 1989 where two of our family friends met. (They married just four months later and have been together since.) Another was of an adventure in 1977 that ended with a lock-in in a Greek restaurant where the police were called! Her unbelievable gardening skills, last minute hair dying that made her late to her sister's wedding, gatecrashing of a private view at an art exhibition, learning to drive and managing to rip the gear stick out of the car... the list goes on.
There are also so many mentions of the happenstance ways in which she met all these important people in her life. It's funny, this book has become somewhat of a time capsule. Possibly the closest thing to a memory Dee has. The capacity to realise the stories are about her will fade, but I'm thankful for finding that book on the very same day I thought about. Those stories will live on. It's funny how things work out.
