Thanks for the memories

 
I had such plans to blog about the final of Strictly, having dutifully reported on every show up until final week, but then Christmas came and went, and with it my impetus to continue! Suffice it to say that in my opinion the right couple won on the night, and congrats to Kara and Artem on lifting the glitterball. I was sorry that Pamela and James never got second spot as I would love to have seen their AT, but it was not to be.

England have lifted the Ashes and given the Aussies a damn good thrashing in the process. The best tribute I can give to them is that I went in to the series as a complete neutral and ended up an England convert. Okay, the fact that Mr Tremlett was playing certainly helped but I have to be honest and say I was impressed with the way Andrew Strauss quietly and solidly went about marshalling his troops. I’m pretty sure this was his finest moment to date. His dignified leadership pretty much made him the unsung hero in Australia.

It was fitting that Surrey man Chris Tremlett claimed the winning wicket in what otherwise was a very sad day for the Rampants as we discovered that Deirdre, Ramps fan of many years and Surrey radio devotee, had passed away just before Christmas. Whilst Dee wasn’t in great health over the last few years she never complained or mentioned how poorly she may have been, and as such it came as a considerable shock to us all to find out that she had died.

Dee had an amazing sense of humour and was a genuinely warm person who took a real interest in how everyone else was. She also had possibly the greatest, loudest laugh I have ever heard! Although she was not well enough to come to our very first Rampant Annual General Meeting back in 2007 she was nevertheless given a special place at our gathering care of a mobile phone which was passed joyfully between us all, so that we each had several minutes of time to speak with her. My only regret in retrospect was that I couldn’t think of anything particularly intelligent to say!

But that wouldn’t have bothered Dee at all, who was a fun-loving individual. Her collection of huge – and sometimes rude – earrings, bargain hunting on e-bay (which once resulted in her becoming the proud owner of several Barbie dolls) and nail polish kept us amused over the years that we knew her. Those amongst the Rampants who follow the Surrey cricket commentaries will have often heard her e-mails read out by Mark Church, and it feels very strange to think that she won’t be around to contribute any more. She was a wholehearted supporter of Surrey as a club, of Mark Ramprakash in particular, and was delighted to be able to listen in to his exploits via the ball by ball coverage on the internet. I think it may have helped to take her mind off the fact that due to ill health her world had become somewhat limited, so I extend a thank you to Churchy on all our behalf.

Whilst we sadly won’t be able to pass the mobile phone around our assorted band of cricket/dance enthusiasts and hear that wonderful, booming laugh, many of us are hoping to meet up this year...maybe watch some cricket and raise a glass or several in her honour. And above all I think it should be about having fun, because that is exactly how we will all remember her: laughing, and making us laugh with her.

We’ll miss you, Deirdre! xxx