For most of my life, my name has been Audrey, except for intervals of 'Doo Dah' and 'Dodo' while at school, and 'Aud' by my parents and sister Joan from time to time. My yorkshire born father had his own nickname for me. Then it developed into 'Aunty Audrey', or Auntie, by nieces and nephews and the children of close friends, into Mummy, then Mum, by my children, and into 'Nanna Audrey' in latter years, by steadily increasing grandchildren, a name which seemed to be adopted by my children too, as parents, so that they and their children were seen to be referring to the same person. Me. Then, as grandchildren matured, some preferred to call me 'Nan'.
On one fantastic summer day in 2015, something very magical happened. I was given an altogether new name, a truly beautiful and inspired new name. Thanks to the difficulty my great grand-daughter Sophie, aged two, going on three, had in saying my name Audrey. It happened like this.
I had enjoyed my cereal and toast breakfast while looking out of the window at the clear blue skies ove my back garden and the golden sunshine filtering through the trees which surrounded it, when the thought came to me, 'I wonder if Emma and Sophie would like to go to New Brighton with me today?' So I telephoned Emma who quickly agreed it was a great idea, and said they would soon be with me at my home.
I greeted them at my open front door, Sophie tightly holding her Mummy's hand with one hand and a red beach bucket in her other hand. She looked rather apprehensive. Her Mummy explained. 'Nan, Sophie is worried, she cannot say your name Audrey so she calls you 'Nanna Strawberry'. I told Sophie that I would LOVE to be called 'Nanna Strawberry' - it was a lovely name, all my very own ! Sophie beamed with relief !
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