Day 134 - Portrait of a woman

Oh a nice change for today i see :) not only is the sun out, but i also knew instantly which photo to use for today.. although ill still have to find a "random" one as the portrait im using was done years and years before i was even born. I always amaze my mother by my very vivid memories of my grandmother, who died when i was only 3 years old. I used to (and still do) adore this woman. She had the patience of a saint with me and i remember the little sandpit my dad put out the back of her flat, where she would sit for hours and hours and make little sandcakes and, dare i say it, cemeteries with me. She always had a forbidden sweet in her apron pocket for me, she would take me across the road to the little corner shop and let me choose any penny sweet i wanted. One time, she offered to change a whole load of copper change i had for a shiny 2 DM coin, i dutifully handed over ALL my pennies and promptly burst into tears, although she had given me far more than my pennies were worth, to me, i had given her "all that money" for "only one coin in return". She had a hard life, bringing up 9 children on her own as my grandfather was executed in a Concentration Camp as a traitor and deserter for hiding Jewish family members throughout the war. I gather from my mother, the only surviving daughter as her twin sisters died, that my grandmother was a very strict mother.. but, as a grandchild i never saw that side of her. To me she was all about hugs when i had been shouted at, somebody safe to hide behind when i knew i had been naughty, a playmate and a constant source of unconditional love. I dont remember much about her dying, she went into hospital and just never came back home.. and as i didnt go to the funeral, i dont really have any recollection of saying goodbye to her. To this day i often "meet" her in my dreams, she will just be there, standing in a corner of a room or quietly sitting at a kitchen table.. but i know that whenever i dreamt of her, things will turn out ok.