Self-service checkouts at supermarkets: These send me into a crazy, ranting rage every time I use them. Unexpected item in baggage area? I don’t think there is, actually. I always seem to do something wrong and then have to spend so long apologizing to the poor checkout assistant that it would have been quicker to just queue up for a normal till in the first place.
Dog poo: Nobody would say that they actively LIKE poo, but I routinely ruin walks with my family by alerting them to the presence of every single bit of poo that we encounter along the way. I can’t help it – I just don’t trust them not to step in it and then the rest of my day will be spent cleaning their trainers. Getting rid of dog poo would make me very happy (I’m not that bothered about other kinds of poo).
Excessive use of exclamation marks: Just kidding! If I am Queen of anything then it’s Queen of Exclamation Marks. I love them and firmly believe that you can never have too many. My great-granny used to say of chocolates that ‘one’s a tease’. I think the same can be said of exclamation marks!!!!!!!
Liv’s Playlist
‘Lovely Day’ by Bill Withers (A bit of an oldie but brilliant. My dad puts this on when he’s in a good mood and sometimes I’d see him and mum dancing together in the kitchen. I played this all night after Ben smiled at me. Some days are totally perfect!)
‘Prince Charming’ by Adam & The Ants (I looked up this band on YouTube after I read the diary entry where Mum wrote that they were her favourite. They’re OK, I s’pose. The video’s pretty funny!)
Pokemon theme tune (Not on MY playlist but I’m forced to listen to it for hours on end when Isaac decides it’s his tune of the day.)
‘Welcome Home’ by Radical Face (this was on my iPod when Dad brought Mum back from St Mary’s Hospice. I really, truly love this song.)
‘This Little Light Of Mine’ (We sang this song at Mum’s funeral. I can’t listen to it without crying, but I know that Mum is somewhere, watching over me and telling me to let my light shine.)
Brahms’ Lullaby (I asked Dad what the lullaby was that I sang to Mum the last time I saw her. He didn’t know but I sang it to Leah and she told me it was Brahms’ Lullaby and she downloaded it for me from iTunes. Sometimes I go to sleep with my earphones in and this on my iPod and I imagine that Mum is singing me to sleep.)
‘Here comes the Sun’ by The Beatles (This was one of Mum’s favourite songs. Playing this song makes me think about Mum doing the washing up and singing at the top of her voice. It makes me smile.)
‘Hall of Fame’ by The Script (I listen to this when I want to remind myself of what Mum wanted me to do – to LIVE LIFE LOUDLY and be the best that I can be.)
Sources of advice
If you or someone you know has been bereaved, you might find these websites helpful:
www.griefencounter.org.uk
www.winstonswish.org.uk
You might also find these fiction books helpful:
5+
Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book by Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake
8+
Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman
The Cat Mummy by Jacqueline Wilson
10+
Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy
12+
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson
Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
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Dandelion Clocks Page 17