Sunflower Girl how it all began
My name is Svetlana and I want to leave my witness statement about my mother Tamara in her memory as an amazing mother, a loyal friend, a kind and a strong human being, and a beautiful woman. I would like to pay tribute and celebrate her life. She means for me everything.
Tamara was born as a healthy baby, happy and full of life. She became a second baby for my grandmother Rita Agrippina. Unfortunately in her early age infancy, she contracted baby illness – whooping cough, when she was not yet vaccinated. Damaged health caused by this disease affected all her life leading to difficult lung operations in her adulthood, leaving her with just 40 % lungs eventually. Surprisingly it did not break her but made her spirit as strong as metal tempered in a furnace.
She was fighting against the odds. She tried to be the best in everything she was doing. She was very punctual, never late, always arrived fifteen minutes before meetings, and was very unhappy and worrying if she cannot be on time.
I remember one of these diligence episode when she was signing cards for people. She never did this in a rush, always prepared in advance, accurately with a long review, writing nice words and even poems. I saved many cards addressed to me and will publish them here in due course.
My mum was very stubborn, and sometimes it irritated me, but I understand now she wouldn’t be survived without it.
She liked to travel, she travelled at any opportunity she had, she called herself a ”frog traveller” as a personage from a fairy tale. She told me if I will have an opportunity I must go and see the world.
Tamara was intelligent. She likes to study new things, she studied until the end of her life. She was registered as a student with the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. She liked to read books, her favourite author last time was Sidney Sheldon.
She was a very beautiful woman, always in her best suit, jewellery and bespoke made hair, inspired music and songs to be created.
My mum was a very tender and caring person, who always can listen and comfort you, whatever happened she would understand and help. ”You are my baby” she told me. She always put others first.
Tamara had an amazing sense of humour. She made us laugh. We still remember her jokes and joy. Each time we raise a glass of wine we remember her.
She was a good cook, and she had her own recipes. My favourites are an omelette with sweet peppers, an apple pie with cinnamon, a different variety of soup and a chocolate house cake. She was the first who introduced me to pizza. She liked black coffee cooked in a special Turkish coffee pot.
Tamara disliked violence. She did not enjoy watching war films or criminal ones. She liked to watch family or kids’ films. The Christmas Carol in 3D IMAX was her favourite, the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, and the Avatar. She enjoyed going cinema.
She was a practised Christian and visited a Serbian Orthodox church at Bradford almost every week. She prayed for all alive and dead relatives and friends. She was a woman who was responsible to keep Christmas and Easter traditions in our family.