The Key

Key. Such a small word and in most cases, a small object too but with so much history, meaning and  metaphoric innuendo.

When I was at boarding school, the request to the senior girls "Do you have the key to my heart?" referred to the key for the food cupboard that our oft over-refreshed matron hadn't noticed had been removed, copied and returned. The legacy of 'the key' was legendary and we all vied for custody in our final year.

Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, et al have all been searching for a key - or have the key and are searching for what it opens. It's a familiar theme in stories old and new.

We give a symbol of a key to someone turning 21 (or used to!) as a symbol of being adult enough to have a key to the family home's front door.

Tiffany have done a gorgeous range of keys as pendants over the last few years.

It represents the solution to a problem, the pointy bit of an argument, the critical part of an arch's construction is the keystone and a keynote speaker is particularly expert (yes, you Penny Burke!)

And yet, the humble key can cause so much consternation.

You may recall Eleanor's initial departure to boarding school earlier this year that involved a key.

And today....

I'm in a meeting and Eleanor has kindly taken Sass to the movies. I get a call.
Mum, where are you?
I'm in a meeting.
We're locked out of the house.
Use the rock key.  (You know, the outdoor spare key holder disguised as a rock in the garden.)
It's not there. And you can't blame me, I've been away and haven't used it.
Well, I'm not far away, best you walk down to my meeting and get it.

Lucky the production company is literally down the road. And no, I don't mind sharing that we have a rock key - no security issue there because it's NEVER there!!!!!

Down they trot and I hand them my key.

Forty minutes later and I'm rushing to my nail appointment.
Elle, where's my key??
I don't know. (Vague, pretend attempt on her behalf to look.... I'm in a hurry so I leave.)

An hour later and I arrive home. Geoff is at the supermarket, Sass is at a sleep over and Elle is at McDonald's with her mates - and I'm locked out of the house.

For f*&k's sake!!! How hard is a key???

Ten Things About George

George was a remarkable guy. If you had the privilege to have known him, some of these will be familiar. For others, it'll give you more of a sense of who he was.

1. George went through a stage of answering the phone with 'Yo!' Nothing else. He thought it was hilarious. His grandparents didn't understand it at all.

2. 'Keep the change you filthy animal' was a line from the movie Home Alone that he latched on to for a while... which was extremely awkward if we were out and he was buying something. He tended to 'toss the granade' and then disappear leaving me to face the strange looks from the person behind the counter.

3. Through Make A Wish, George got to meet the Killers. He asked how they met. Ronnie (drummer) said it was at karaoke at a gay bar. "Really?" asked George, mesmerised. "No!" said Ronnie, kindly. Brandon Flowers, the lead singer had not been overly engaged at the meet and greet. Fair enough I thought, right before he had to go on stage and perform. But he dedicated the last song of the show, "When We Were Young" to George in front of thousands of people. I nearly cried.

4. Had a bad habit of saying 'sorry' and apologising when I needed to take him to the toilet, get him dressed, get him into bed. 'Bad' because it broke my heart and he kept doing it - despite my pleading that there was no need to be because I certainly wasn't sorry, he persisted.

5. His favourite meal - before he started being tube fed in April - was a roast. He also ate ice cream nearly every day -and was still as thin as a string bean.

6. He loved Dr Who, Torchwood, Smallville, The Simpsons

7. He loved books. We spent hours together while I read him the Harry Potter series, the Alex Rider series, all the Skulduggery Pleasance books, The Hunger Games, Eragon and Gone - amongst others. What a privileged to have spent that time together with such a shared interest.

8. He love playing Call Of Duty 2: Modern Warfare. He played on line and was shot regularly with that splattering of blood on the inside of the computer screen. He rarely killed or came close to wounding anyone, but he loved playing anyway. Even when his ability to control the mouse and keyboard were tenuous, he played.

9. He loved an action movie. He loved going to the movies, the drive inn, or watching a DVD at home.

10. George was extremely humble and had no idea of the enormous impact his charm left on everyone who met him.

It's been 8 weeks today and I still can't believe he's gone. Love you George.