In memory of Phoenix (Rachel)

Such a lovely sentiment, Maw. Dear Phoenix.

Very good, Kitty. haven't seen this before.

allsorts

Lovely Poem.

I read on a FB post today that while someone's name is spoken a part of them lives on.

Phoenix, her wit and wisdom lives on in the memory so many GNers especially at this time of year when many of us identify with The Cursing of the Gammon.

Thank you Maw for the pome and for those who shared The Cursing of The Gammon.

kitty classic Phoenix. Thank you for the memory ?

Thank you Maw that is really lovely. We certainly do miss Phoenix

My gammon seems fine but I thought you might like this curse that Rachel penned for DD3's Idiot.

I'm busy cursing the gammon this afternoon, although at least the pan seems to be the right size! Impossible to do Christmas without thinking of phoenix

Lovely poem.
Christmas is hard for many people, including those of us widowed, after this one I think I will spend Christmas Day on my own. I have always painted the smile on and had fun, inside sometimes, although with family, felt I wanted to be on my own to remember, my husband who died at Christmas.

Thank you!

No, me neither

Sorry, Maw I didn’t spot it.

Lizzie72

Oops, sorry, Merlotgran

You may not have noticed that there is in fact a thread headed “ Cursing the Gammon “
I thought it deserved its own space.

Oops, sorry, Merlotgran

^Cursing The Gammon:

Start by getting out all of your biggest pans and finding that none of them is quite the right size/shape for the meat. Apply your first curse. Then you set it to boil on your newly cleaned hob, and wait for the spitting and splashing to begin. You can now curse again, even if you haven't rolled a 6.

You then realise that you forgot to make a note of the weight for timing purposes. Rummage in the bin for the wrapper and miss two goes. Now experiment with different positions for the lid in an attempt to minimise the splashing. Have another curse when you realise that none of the positions works. Say to anyone within earshot that it's the same every year, and why on earth didn't they remind you of that when you bought it. (Deflecting blame earns you an extra 10 points and a small sherry).

Realise that you forgot to set the timer, and try to estimate how long it has been boiling so far. Don't worry too much about accuracy; you are bound to be wrong. Apply an extra 30 minutes to be on the safe side, miss one go and have a sherry. After an appropriate length of time, drain and leave to cool. Award extra points if all of the water goes down the sink, but miss 2 sherries if any goes either on the draining board or your feet.

Cover with something to protect from cats (extra points available if a colander will actually fit over it, but deductions if you have to deploy either a tea towel or tin foil).

Apply final curse and enjoy^

For anyone who hasn't already seen it and for those who have and would just like to remember Phoenix's wonderful sense of humour www.gransnet.com/forums/chat/1232688-By-request-The-Annual-Christmas-Ritual-of-Cursing-the-Gammon

Thanks Maw. As you are aware she still had a sense of humour up to the time she was able to communicate before she died. She was one in a million.

My apologies I do not have the "gammon" story but somebody will.

I came too late to this site to be able to remember much about Phoenix but she clearly touched the hearts of all who knew her❤️.
I would love to know more about her Gammon story. Would anyone, please, be prepared to share the joy which some of us here were not fortunate enough to be part of at the time?
That way, we too can be 'connected' - if only fleetingly.
Thank you.

Would you believe that after I'd " tuned-in " to gransnet yesterday, the last pm was from Rachel ? Around 6 months ago.
My first thought was that she was thinking about me, bless her.
It then vanished in the ether.

How lovely to put this up Maw , thankyou so much. x

Lovely Maw
I used to live near Rachel so we pmd about local places we knew.Felt sure we would meet for a drink sometime in a pub we both liked.Sadly never happened.Do hope that her DH is coping.

A lovely poem. Thank you.

Thank you Maw, such lovely words for those who are struggling at this time. I remember Phoenix, now sad to know she has died

Lovely words Maw brought tears to my eyes but they are not too far away this week as its just 2 years this week that I lost my wonderful OH.
Phoenix was a very special part of GN and will always be remembered with love & affection.

For all who will be missing someone at Christmas and indeed every day

Beautiful words.

Thank you for the poem, Maw. Rachel will live in my memory for a long time. To encounter her, even if we didn't 'know' her as well as we sometimes must have thought, her humour and her spirit put a smile on our lips and laughter in our hearts.