forever.Atone
stage,there
wereseven
peoplethere.
MymumMarie
livedwithusfor
years– shediedjusttwo
monthsbeforeTommiecame
along– soit wasalways
a veryfullandbusyhouse.”
Herbestmemories,likethose
ofTommieandKevin,wereof
family“togethertime”andof
theidyllicruralsetting,“the
skiesatnight,thepeacefulness,
thebirds...swimmingatthe
river,cricketonthelawn,
mealsaroundthetable”.
Theyhaveleftsomeoftheir
furniture at the old place, largely.
AndthoughLindahasbeen
loathtopartwithmanyofthe
kids’childhoodmementos,
andKevinstillhasmostof
hisvintageradiocollection,
a bigdoubleshedthathad
accumulatedyearsof“stuff”
didgetcleanedout.
Still,asmuchasdownsizing
hasbeenthemajorfocusforthe
familylately– theircottagehas
onestoreyandthreebedrooms- 2019hasbeena bigyearfor
the Milnes in other ways.
theriver.Wewould
goeelingwiththeboys
orkayaking.Thoseare
t memoriesofmylife,
andtheboys’livesI imagine.”
Susuthepigis nowin TeHoro,
asareLinda’stwohorses,Inky
andClydey,whomshevisits
everyday.
“I’vealwayshadhorses–
therewasnowayI wasgoing
tosellthem!”
Lindaadmitsleavingthe
homethefamilylived,loved
andlaughedin forsomany
yearswasheart-wrenching.
“Itwasprettyupsetting,”
the62-year-oldtells.“Itwasthe
rightthingtodo,butin some
ways I could have stayed thereHappyhousememories!Right:Bigbrothers
(fromleft)Jake,RoryandAlexshowingoff
theirlittlesisterTommie.Belowleft:Linda
withherbelovedhorsesInkyandClydey,
and her Mother’s Day pig Susu.Timeflies:TheWeekly
wastheretocelebrate
Tommie’sarrivalinto
theworld(below),
back in 2001.