4 August 2010 Funeral, Aunty Rita, Edna Collingwood

Frank Smith RIP


Wall to wall Rollers at Wilford Hill Cemetery - not Frank's funeral



Now THAT'S a memorial. It is not Frank Smiths


Mole Hills in Wilford Hill Cemetery


Mick with Aunty Rita


Practical Mick, Lovely Lyn and Charming Edna


4 August 2010

As forecast, we awoke to rain this morning, which seemed appropriate as we were attending the funeral of Frank Smith, the husband of Mick’s father’s cousin, Mercia.

The funeral was held at the Wilford Hill Cemetery in Nottingham.

Apart from us, there were 21 people in attendance and the rain cleared for the service.

As funerals go it was a simple affair and was over in 20 minutes with the vicar presiding over the whole affair.

After a stroll around the cemetery we decided to drive out to Harby, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire to see if we could find out what happened to Mick’s best mate, Keith, whom he had not heard from for many years.

Yesterday we found out that he had left his wife, Edna, and run off with a younger woman 15 years ago so we thought if we went to his ex wife’s house, we could find out more detail as to where he had gone.

When we arrived in Harby we found a quaint little village with Edna’s house in the main street but found that there was noone home. We tried several neighbours who didn’t seem to know a lot (or did and didn’t want to say).

We left a note with all our contact details and headed down to the shop/garage/post office/café (all in one) to get a coffee and to see if they had any information. They confirmed what we already knew and the lady in the café said it was a very messy split! She also said that Edna pretty much kept to herself.

So we headed off to Arnold for a final visit Mick’s aunty Rita, someone who he had visited often as a child with his mother when he lived in England.

Visit over, we headed back to our hotel for dinner.

About 30 minutes after we arrived home Mick’s mobile rang and it was Edna, Keith’s ex wife, who was very happy to come into town to meet with us. We decided we would have a meal together at the Premier Inn Restaurant.

Edna arrived at about 5.30pm and was so pleased that we had contacted her. We had dinner and spent the evening discussing the events over our lives and she freely discussed her desertion by Keith for a younger woman (very young). The Bastard! She referred to his new woman as his bit of fluff! She said that she was happy to put us in touch with him although she doesn’t have anything to do with him now.

Mick declined her offer.

Edna Collingwood was a genuinely lovely, charming lady. She and Keith had two daughters and he went off with this new younger woman after 25 years marriage. The daughters were then 16 and 18 years old. The new woman was 20yo.

Her daughters are now happily married with children.

We talked until 10.00pm and then walked her to her car and said our goodbyes. We were so pleased to have met her.

PS
Edna is still friendly with Roger Sharp and his wife, another mate of mine from another life, so she rang them whilst we were having dinner and as a result, we are going around to see them today before we leave for Lincoln.