Today, my task was to help my Mum. She has been shielding since early March and spending all the time in the house, whilst doing so, she has managed to create a healthy list of tasks for herself and ones that she needs assistance with.

One of those tasks is to reclaim and redecorate her front bedroom.

The girls and I have offered to help and today we made a strong start.

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This room holds many memories for me as it was my old bedroom. I have lots of memories in this room, the nights spent hanging out the window having a “sneaky fag”, while Mum was downstairs chatting with her mates. The constant mess I would be told to clear up, time and time again. The weekend I missed going to see Jason Donovan in concert because my bedroom was such a mess, and the bedroom that was my solace.

The one thing that I remember most about this bedroom, was the mural that was created for me by my best friend Leon.

Leon and I had the best of friendships, we would sit for hours talking and talking. He would meet me after work and make sure I got home safely, he would sit with me if my mum was working late at the pub and we would sit up till early hours putting the world to rights. He was my best friend and I still love him dearly.

So today, I felt overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude when clearing the one wall to find my mural still in place, just hidden slightly by blue paint.

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There are a few clear signs that when I moved out, my brother took great delight and added his own design to the mural, but the bones of it all are still there.

Now we have stripped the walls of all the wallpaper, I have no doubt the mural will be again covered, but just for today, it was great to remember. ❤️