It's time to do what I must do...

...Collect Beryl's clothing and personal things together and take them to a charity shop. In fact I did this yesterday and respectfully laid each top, cardigan, coat, jacket, dress, handbags, shoes etc from her wardrobe and each item brought back memories to me. I remember her wearing that top for that occasion and using that bag for this occasion so it was a difficult thing to do but I remembered that others that have been bereaved having to do the same thing and it was not easy so I did not expect it to be any easier for me. Anyway I carefully placed everything into black bin bags...which made me cry again as I was trying not to think that her things were rubbish, which the bin bags are used for. Anyway five bin bags were filled and ready for taking to a local charity shop which I made sure was not a charity shop that I would deem as a 'fake charity' who received most of it's money from the government to peddle anti lifestyle choices. Bernado's is the shop locally and I have heard some things about them but I'll let that slide as I hope some less fortunate people may benefit from all of Beryl's things.

Anyway tomorrow I expect her brother to take me and her bin bag laden clothes to the charity shop but there are a few things that I couldn't bear to part with. One was her heart shaped makeup case because I remember buying it for her knowing how she was fastidious about putting on her makeup, a thing that she abandoned once that that robber of minds took her over, Alzheimer's. Of course I have retained her wedding and engagement rings in a heart shaped glass dish that she bought many years ago, some things cannot be parted with.

While I went through Beryl's things I chanced upon two photographs I'd never seen before and they set the tears flowing. They were photos of Beryl a few years before I met her, what a sexy lady she was and I can see why I was bewitched by her, even though the second photo is a bit blurred.

 

Beryl at large in London

Don't know where this was taken but it is my Beryl.

And here is a couple of videos taken relatively recently. The first one was taken in the summer of last year, 2011 and is at a BBQ in the flats where we live and we were all banished outside to have a smoke, Beryl is the one with her back to camera all in white.

And the second video is at her brother's 93rd birthday party. She is standing at the back above her brother Colin, who died in January with another form of dementia called Vascular Dementia. So sad that two siblings died within a month of each other. Beryl's death will be remembered by me but her life will be remembered more. Life has more memories in it than death.

To be continued...