Over the last few weeks a number of relatives and friends have said what they remember of Annette more than anything was her wonderful smile and sense of fun. She seemed to enter the world smiling. I am sure we have all had the experience of being wrapped up in that blanket of love and generosity that was so much part of her.
“Lovely” was a big part of Annette’s vocabulary. Those of us who experienced her bubble of joy and “loveliness” have a great many fond memories which no doubt will be of comfort in the coming months and years.
Annette was a loyal friend and sister always around when any of her siblings needed support, rubbing an arm as if rubbing the worries away and making us laugh when there didn’t seem much to little laugh about.
Along with Mum, Annette, Angela and I, shared some fun filled  weekends away. There was always a pattern to those trips. It usually started with me getting lost on a dual carriageway somewhere across the country with our elderly Mum in situ. After a stressful journey there was lunch, with Annette soothing our cares away as she poured copious glasses of wine [one of her many talents] before we headed for the shops to buy stuff that we never really wanted or used. The pig shaped crumb hoover, springs to mind, that Angela and I decided was a perfect gift for George. With her dislike of “stuff” even Annette failed to see the funny side of that one. The moral of that story is never go shopping after a boozy lunch.
Apart from the sense of fun, Annette was also very brave. We all saw evidence of that in the last few weeks of her life. She did not shy away from difficult decisions or discussions.
In 2013, our wonderful Mum was struck down by a devastating stroke and we fell apart as a family. Annette played a major role in getting us around the table to talk about how best to manage the situation.
I could wax lyrical about the many talents of our wonderful sister such as her linguistic skills, [I do hope that the French people have found it in their hearts to forgive that terrible accent]. Her literary skills were in evidence in the diaries of “Madame Le Blanc “and then there was the “Sugar Plum Phareo” to name but a few, but there isn’t time.  
Annette and George had many adventures together but the greatest adventure of all was her life.
I want to end this short tribute with a poem in loving memory of Annette from her siblings Marie, Richard, Michael, Angela and Philip.
 
To our darling sister Annette,
How can we find the words to say how much we miss you
Throughout every single day
We will miss the little chats
And how you would listen to us moan
And how you would always cheer us up
Whenever you would phone
Living life without you is so very hard to bear
We’d give all we have to waken
And see you standing there