REMEMBERING MUM In these troubled Covid-19 Pandemic times, it was heartening to hear that Mum passed away peacefully in her own room and amongst her carers who have looked after her so well over the past few years. Covid spared her, to the great relief of us all! Mum and I had a strange mother to son relationship. In my early life I always considered myself to be the black sheep of the family, while she seemed to value my thoughts and suggestions, and especially so in her later years. Overall I think she could best be described as a life-long accomplished organizer and director. I am sure Dad could not have been the United Reform Church Minister that he was without her considerable administrative skills which she used so well within the church congregations they served in Doncaster, Harrogate, Leicester and Somerset. Indeed, we, her children, were all heavily influenced in this way by her, both at home and outside. Today I feel she truly taught me to be committed and outspoken at all times in my work in overseas development, a trait which served me well for 45 years as a worker and consultant in that sector. Even today this helps me enormously in my retirement hobby role as a regular Columnist in our local Sunday newspaper here in Bohol, Philippines. Mum lived a long and truly comprehensive retirement. To our delight, she showed enormous skills in her gardening, her embroidery work and her water-colour painting. We have a special wall at home here where we display all her paintings that she gave to us, and I still treasure all of her yearly water-colour Christmas cards which were a delight to receive and will be missed from here on. Reaching the family record age of ninety-nine and three quarters was a remarkable achievement. Had Mum lasted to 100, I would have been intrigued to see what HM The Queen would have said to her in her congratulatory letter. Mum didn’t get an MBE, but I am sure she was on the list of those under consideration! RIP Mum, your contributions to worldly life were great everywhere you lived it! Thanks for everything! Your oldest son, David McGavin Baillie