Mums marriage to my father was not a happy or mutually satisfying affair. Growing up I cannot recall a time there wasnt fighting going on in the house. Mum protected Dawn & I as best she could. She also passed on her strength and independance of mind to us. It was this unbreakable spirit she possessed that finally gave her the ability to leave our father. For the second time in her life she ran. This time back to her family in Northern Ireland. Now to say our father had a temper would be to understate the fact! So Mum, Dawn and myself secretly packed away our possessions over the course of a week in preperation for the forthcoming day of liberation. Mum left London with the clothes on her back so Dawn and I could fit more of our things into the smallest car ever chosen for an escape bid, a lime green Fiat 126! Mum must be the only woman in the world to come out of a marriage with less than when she went into it! That was the type of woman she was. She didnt think twice about it because it was for the benefit of her girls. We spent a week driving through England, Wales, Eire and finally to Northern Ireland where she made us a new home. The next years were not easy. Slowly Mum furnished us a home. Mum worked three jobs at one point. She was suffering from stress and insomnia due to her always internalising her problems. She said at the time that if she was awake at night anyway she may as well be earning some money! That was Mum all over. She never sat still for very long. There was always something to do and Mum was never one to put off 'til tomorrow what could be done today. When she wasnt busy with her own life she was always helping someone else with theirs. She had an open door policy to all the friends of Dawns and mine and became like a second mother to many of them. It was during one of her helping moments that she met the best friend she ever had, Sharon Brown. They remained firm gossip buddies until Mums passing and became so close Sharon is regarded now as one of the family! Mum also met my stepdad Tucker Ackerman a few years after moving to Bangor, Northern Ireland. And while in the early days their relationship was a fiery, passionate affair this soon mellowed into a deep, steady love. Indeed they were the love of each others lives and were more married than some married people can ever hope to be. Tucker did ask my Mum if she wanted to get married on a few occassions but Mum always said she didnt need a bit of paper to prove their love. She thought that if that bit of paper didnt do her and my real father any good what was the point in doing it again! And besides Tucker and her were always like strawberries and cream, Morecambe and Wise or a horse and carriage. You couldnt perceive one without thinking of the other, true soulmates. And when my sister gave Mum her beautiful granddaughter Carra Mum was truly happy and life was finally good. Mum revelled in her role as Nanny, as did Tucker as grandpa, and the two of them loved to spoil Carra rotten! Mums health started to decline about a decade ago. She first suffered a few heartattacks and had to take Warfarin tablets for the next few years. But this only slowed her down a bit! To stop Mum you wouldve had to literally tie her to a chair. There was always someonelse worse off in Mums mind and she was always at the ready to help them out. Indeed after moving into a bungalow in Kilcooley a few years ago she did just that. She was appalled at the state of the bungalows at the time. But not for her own self having to live there but rather for the conditions the older residents of the cul-de-sac had to endure. There was ice on the inside of the windows during the winter and the heating systems were ancient. The bungalows were due for improvement by the Housing Executive but not for a few years hence. So Mum started campaigning on behalf of all the residents who couldnt do it themselves. She pestered and annoyed the local MP and authorities until they caved in and the bungalows were put to the top of the to do list. Mum had her picture in the local newspaper for her troubles! I was so proud of her and her neighbours were forever grateful! That is Mums legacy - the nice new bungalows of Ardgheean Gardens Kilcooley!