Great Grandma Stevie

Sadly, Paul's maternal Grandmother, Iris 'Stevie' Hodges died on 28 September, aged 94. If you didn't have the pleasure of meeting her, but you did attend our wedding, you may remember the poem that she wrote and recited (by heart) about our engagement in Venice. The fact that she stood up in front of hundred people and did that at the ripe old age of 91 is very much indicative of the type of person that she was. She was a special and talented lady who we miss very much.

We visited Yorkshire at the end of August and Stevie got to meet her Great Granddaughter for the second time. It was lovely seeing them together. I know that Lola is a sociable baby who gets on with pretty much everyone, but occasionally you'll see her really connect with people and she did just that with her Great Grandma. She kept touching her face and wanted to be held by her, which broke my heart as Stevie wasn't quite strong enough at this stage.

I have some brilliant memories of my Great Nana Smith, but as I was only about two when she died, it's unlikely that they're real ones. They've probably been created by the stories and photographs, but they're just as good as the real thing. We're going to make damn sure that Lola grows up with similar memories.