I struggled a bit with deciding how to interpret today's
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sunshine_challenge but then it occurred to me that pink is often looked at as a female colour, but quartz implies something strong. And I thought of the women in my family, and how that summed the generations up.
So, beginning with my grandmother, who died in 1980, sadly a few months before we married. She was a very determined lady, who regretted having to stop teaching when she married, which would have been in the first half of the 1920s. As soon as she was able to have a bank account of her own, she opened one at the bank which was the opposite end of the high street from the bank my grandfather used.
My mother, despite her physical state, remains as sharp as ever. She will have a laugh with the staff, and although a product of her own times, seems willing to accept things are changing. She cared for my father as long as she could, and he was only admitted to hospital when she could no longer manage physically - she is just over 5 foot, he was about 6 foot, so if he fell out of bed she had to get a neighbour to help, or call an ambulance. A few years later she sold their property and moved to live closer to us. She remained resolutely independent until illness overtook her, and then accepted the need first for respite care and then promptly agreed that it was better to remain in the care home - signing the forms herself.
My daughter has always carved her own path. She didn't take A-levels, but went to college to study Outdoor Education, staying away during the week. Failing to get into uni immediately, she had a year out and then studied as a paediatric nurse, where she worked for 7 years, before starting training to be a paramedic. She's currently an Ambulance Technician and back at uni part-time, alternating studies with working as a technician. One of the highlights has been driving down the motorway at 104mph.
And lastly, mini Hobbit, my son's daughter, and my granddaughter. She's only 5, but she's bright and very logical - you definitely need to be one step in advance all the time (good job I had plenty of practice with her auntie!). Initially deemed as lacking social skills when she started school last September, a change of teacher halfway through the first term and she's got excellent social skills, but is quite independent. Like the rest of the family, if she doesn't see the point of doing something, she won't!
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melagan is running a Plot Bunny Dust-Off Challenge, which is running from now until 31 July, here
