memorablemeanders.blogspot.com

Saturday, November 28, 2020

In memory

 Good evening dear Blogger friends. Many of you may remember how, three years ago, I lost my darling husband, Grant very suddenly. You can read about it here

Today is the anniversary of his death and I have been inundated with wishes, phone calls and WhatsApp messages from friends and family. 

I scrolled through my external hard drive for photos and posted on Facebook. Here too, I was showered with loving comments and kind words about Grant. 

I thought I'd share these here too. 

Grant with his mum, Pam . She outlived him by two years
Easy Rider Circa 2002
Our first years as bikers 

In 2006, Grant moved an entire earthmoving fleet from a gold mine in Guinea to another in Mali. He traversed a distance of 1800 across the wildest and roughest terrain known to man. It took him 53 days. He kept a journal and took over 700 digital photos. I intended to write about his odyssey but somehow life got in the way. I hope to write it one day - soon! 
He was meticulous about the condition of his trucks and other machines; even in the wilds of Africa! He was approaching the his destination in Mali so the roads are kept in peak condition by the mining company. The previous 1600km were so rough that some days he only covered 25km and it always fascinated me how happy he was for this progress!
Grant was a keen on the outdoors and loved fishing. Here he is fly fishing in the Niger river, the border between Guinea and Mali, West Africa 

Grant and I spent two years in Khartoum, North Africa. I blogged extensively about our experiences at the time. Am I glad I did. I have had a few forays into my archives reliving these times. 
Grant and I spent many a Friday (Sunday in the Islamic calendar) touring the Nubian desert in his Landcruiser 
We attended a Sudanese wedding while we were there 

On our breaks in South Africa, we toured the country and neighboring states on our BMW motorcycle.

Namibia on two wheels 
SA national roads boast sweeping passes which are a biker's delight and architecturally superior bridges across our many major rivers. Photo ops of  the bike on a bridge was my forte and my old biker always obliged by posing in a relaxed manner while I clicked away 
Posing at the Tropic of Capricorn in Namibia in 2014

Grant and I at a friend's funeral in 2014 

Lake Victoria in Tanzania
Grant, project manager in Mwadui diamond mine doing a presentation 
At Grant's niece's wedding in 2013

At a motorcycle rally in Bloemfontein in 2017

On the farm in the Drakensberg 2017. Grant was my trusty gardener 
Day hikes in the Drakensberg 
Grant striding out at Parkrun early 2017 

Six months after Grant's death, friend and at the time, employer, artist, Steve Bull commissioned a painting of Grant. He said it was an honor and a pleasure immortalize his old friend on canvas 


Missed greatly; never forgotten




9 comments:

  1. Such precious, precious memories. Of course you miss him - but I am so glad that friends and family reached out to you today.

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  2. Hello Jo,
    What a beautiful tribute post on Grant! I can only imagine how much you miss him. You have many happy memories and photos of you and Grant. Take care, have a good day!

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  3. these are all new photos to me, there are three that I remember seeing on past blogs. so glad you posted these, it shows how wonderful your lives together were. I did not realize it has been 3 years. So sorry for the loss I know you still feel... photos bring back memories of moments in time.. i like to browse through the blogs and see what i have forgotten

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  4. This is a beautiful tribute to your wonderful husband. Sending hugs and prayers for this difficult day.

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  5. Beautiful tribute to Grant and such wonderful photos to complement your precious memories. Hugs. xx

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  6. Grant would be proud of this beautiful tribute you put together. Thanks for sharing Jo.
    Sending a hug to you from Ireland.

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  7. A wonderful tribute to Grant jo and I am sure you miss him so much but I am glad friends have rallied round a this time. Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  8. Such a wonderful tribute to a great man.
    Thanks for sharing these super photos of your beloved. I can imagine Grant was a lot of fun to be with.
    Stay well - be brave dear Jo.

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  9. Oh the memories of a very special man. I am glad I met him, and you too of course.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo