Viv Taken by her Son
Thank you so much for all your kind words, dedications and time given to thinking of Mum/Viv during the time of her funeral. In particular, thanks to Linda Cosgriff, Becky Giles and Restless Jo from the blogging community who managed to make it in person.
Mum and Linda 2013
Linda/Tilly Bud/the Laughing Housewife had a very dramatic journey by train as there was a problem with the overhead lines on the East Coast Mainline and her train was delayed. She sneeked into the funeral late but still managed to get up and read Mum’s epitaph posted earlier.
I read one of Mum’s poems, The Poetry of Every Day, about her life in France. Thanks again to Linda for coming up with a list of good poems of Mum’s to choose from.
Donations on the day and on our Just Giving page raised an impressive total of £277.50 for Cancer Research.
Mum and Jo on the top of Northumberlandia 2013
Restless Jo dedicated the following 6-Word-Saturday to Mum and wrote a lovely blog about the ceremony.
I would like to produce a book/booklet of the best of Mum’s poems but I did not inherit her linguistic skills so need your help to make suggestions about what poems I should include!
Rest assured, her blog will be kept live with me as adminstrator although you will have to put up with lots of bad English and grammar as Mum was my proof reader.
Viv Finally Succeeding in Getting an Arrow on the Board
Vivinfrance's Blog 
I don’t know if this blog is still active, but if it is, I want to add my belated, but very genuine condolences. My name is Rob Kistner. I live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Viv used to visit my blog frequently and read my poetry, leaving very honest, and very meaningful comments. Though we never met, our communication was sincere, and I looked forward to seeing her name and face up in the corner of a comment. We had lost conection when my output of poetry was disrupted 6 years ago by a long period of poor health. I just tonight happened to read a comment she’d left on one of my final poems, posted just before my health broke. I visited tonight to tell Viv I had begun writing again and posting on my Image & Verse poetry blog. I’d hoped we might rekindle communications. My heart is broken to know she has passed. We were very different people, but she accepted me warmly, and I appreciated that. Viv was a wonderful, intelligent, and vital woman.
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Thanks for your comments. I am still administrator for Mum’s blog and was thinking of producing a book of her poetry but it has been a tough couple of years since she died.
It is lovely to hear how much she was appreciated in the blogging world.
Sally (aka Viv’s Daughter)
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Thinking of Viv today. I know her friends and family will be missing her greatly during the festive season. Viv was a great friend to me during several years of study with the OU and beyond. It was evident in all her communications to me how much she loved you all. Wishing you many happy memories
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Thank you for your kind words Sonsy. The OU was the making of Mum – she so wanted to get a degree. Sally
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So glad to hear that you’re trying to put together a book of Viv’s poems. Viv and I first met several years ago when I joined an online poetry writing group and our paths criss-crossed as we joined other ones together. She is sorely missed at Poets United and dVerse Poets Pub where I am a team member for the group. I’m writing in particular today because I surprisingly received a friend request from Viv this week on Facebook! I was especially concerned because she and I were already friends before her passing. When I went to investigate, it appeared to be a new account. I couldn’t see any friends, although today I saw one of our mutual friends on there. Nor could I see any photos or other identifying information. I also noted that her middle name was missing on this account unlike her “real” account. Here is the link if you would like to check it out: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013696479203&fref=ts I reported it to our team members on our private FB page and was warned that this could be someone who stole her identity…although I don’t see the point. Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads-up about this. I deleted the friend request and blocked further contact.
Respectfully,
Gayle Walters Rose from Bodhirose’s Blog
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Thank you for this. Other people are getting this friend request as well and I would advise them to do as you have done and delete it and block it. Sally
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You’re very welcome.
Gayle ~
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Dear Viv’s Family,
I am a semi-regular lurker on Viv’s blog, so I have only just seen with great sadness that she has passed away. I send my deepest condolences and kind thoughts to you and your family during this difficult time. I am no poet myself, but admire people like Viv and Linda (amongst others) who are, this blog has given me many a smile over the years. My only regret is that I too often quietly lurked and did not comment enough.
Viv loved her life, she had a great family and excellent friends and she will be missed. R.I.P. Viv, your poetry was evident in your personality as well as in the written word, you came over as a very kind and sincere lady, full of life, vitality and charm. I was a pleasure to have known you, even as just a reader of your blog from far away in a different country.
Rest in Peace.
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Hello! I am with the D’verse Poets Pub where Viv would regularly link up her poems.
https://dversepoets.com/
We are planning a D’verse Anthology and we would like to include one of her poems.
This poem is entitled Father of Inspiration
Can you please email at sometimesg@yahoo.com to give your consent to including this poem in our anthology? Thanks!
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Hi! Can you please send me a short bio of your mom – 3 to 4 lines at most at sometimesg@yahoo.com ? Thanks very much.
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I have just found this in the pending section of Mum’s blog. Can’t remember if I ever replied to this. It is probably far too late to give permission but I do!
Thanks
Sally Hutt
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Hi there, I hope you include some of mum’s short stories in the book/let too, I loved them. I think the booklet is a wonderful idea and will love having a copy.
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Which is your favourite? If you can’t put in a link please let me know its title and the date it was published so that I can find it? Thanks Sally
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I felt so good inside for being able to help somehow even though I’m so far away, I’m glad you continued her blog being alive so that we can always gave a look when we think of her!
It was not a long period we kept in touch but these over 12 months was great enough to to have a contact with such a brilliant woman!
I had a wonderful dream about Viv last night and that was such a gift … I feel now we’ve met not only virtually!
Thank you Sally xxx
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A lovely idea. I’m not a great poetry reader usually but I loved so many of Viv’s poems. She made me laugh and, on several occasions, cry. I’ve just been looking back over some of them and found it really hard to choose. I liked all of the ones where she remembered specific rooms in her life. I did pick this one though because it’s funny and shows her skill with words. https://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/ode-to-a-mouse/
Good luck with putting something together – I don’t think you could go wrong with whatever you choose to include.
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I remember that one and loving it – that ones in! Thanks Sally
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You could print out most of her posts and find thousands of treasures there. She gave me quite an education of words. I know nothing of poetry but always enjoyed reading hers. Loved her quilts and her delight with the embroidery her husband made.
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The quantity is my problem as I will need to narrow the selection down so much. If you happen to know of a good quilty/embroidery poem please post a link or at least a title and the date it was published and then I can find it. Thanks Sally
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Viv has been much in my thoughts these past few weeks, as I completed a charity quilt to be donated in her name. She was such a bright light, such an encouraging and positive person, and I miss her. I hope you don’t take her blog down, because her smiling face looks out at me every time I go onto mine, from the list of blogs I follow.
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It was Mum’s wish that her blog should never be taken down so rest assured I will keep it open. It is fortunate that Mum set me up as an ‘Administrator’ so I should be able to do most things. Thank you for the quilt dedication! Sally
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That’s great news, thank you so much.
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Can we just have them all? To me, they are such a treasure.
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Sorry there are too many – please think about a favourite and leave a comment here with the poem title and the date of posting so I can find it or better still a link if you can. Sally
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Sally, this is a lovely thought. 🙂 Thanks for the mention. I’m sure Linda will have many favourites. I will need a little time to look back. Viv wrote so much- she was simply amazing! I’ll get back to you in a few days. How can I possibly choose? But it will be a pleasure to try. 🙂
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Glad to read this. I wasn’t a poetry friend but a quilty one. However she did write a poem about my cycling adventures and I thought about her when I cycle toured in Northumberland 3 weeks ago particularly as I passed through Bamburgh. Hope you are all feeling less sad now
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Any idea when this might have been? I did a search for cycling as admin in posts and it came up with 14 possibilities. Thanks Sally
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I am sorry . I thought I had put it on my own blog but cant seem to locate it. I believe it was within the last 2 years if that is any help?
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