Page 365 - She's One Crazy Lady!

Local artists held exhibitions and donated pieces of work
(Brenda McKetty, one of our Coffee and Chat ladies, was a very talented artist. I loved her pen and ink coastal and beach scene sketches. Over the course of a few weeks I learned that Brenda also illustrated books and was in the process of writing her own book. This led, of course, to me telling her about my book. A week later she presented me with a notebook, with a title called “The Plan” and four bullet points:
1. Write best selling novel
2. Sell film rights
3. Retire
4. Swan About on a Yacht... I loved her optimism!!
Brenda told me to write in the notebook every day and make a ‘book plan’, saying she wanted to see the plan each week to check on its progress. She really was so supportive and interested and knowledge- able – I always looked forward to seeing her and the encouragement she gave was inspiring. She invited me along to meet her fellow artist friends, to exhibitions and to the launch of a book she had illustrated. (“So that you know what to expect Glennis, when yours is launched!”) Brenda really took me under her wing. She even arranged drawing classes at Colemans where our ladies went along. Then, after a holiday Marilyn and I had in Cornwall, I showed Brenda photographs I had taken in Polperro (a beautiful place!) – photos that resembled her drawings – and she offered to draw one of them to go in my book.
I will always treasure this for when Covid hit, Brenda (who had not been well and had a lot of medical issues), became very poorly and sadly died. Just weeks before she had invited me along to have a go at painting in her studio. I’m not sure if she ever got to finish her book. I was unable to attend her funeral but watched in on a link with the Crematorium and was to learn so much more about her interesting life. Thank you Brenda.
Swansgate Shopping Centre gave us two large windows in the Centre to advertise Crazy Hats and set up an instant card payment scheme whereby passers-by could tap their card on a machine installed to donate.
We had more and more people do more ‘active’ events – cross Channel Swims, London to Brighton Cycle Rides, individual skydives, sponsored swims, triathlons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro the Three Peaks, the White Peak, Machu Picchu, walking Hadrian’s Wall, walking the Coast to Coast walk, cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats, riding motorbikes around the coastline of the UK, riding across the Australian Outback, walking the Great Wall of China, Bungie Jumping, Dance Shows (thank you ‘Miss Sharon’ (Potter) and ‘Miss Barbara’(Al- lebone), Line Dancing, Trolley Dashes, General Donations (many anonymous); Collection Pots...
“Pancake Races
Headshaves and Body Waxes
Race Nights
Sponsored Slims
Bingo Nights
Brass Band Concerts Barbecues
Christmas Lights Fetes
Bake Offs
Cake Sales
Pink Days
Raffles
Ebay Sales
Zumbathons
Jail & Bail Day
Garden Open Days
Goat Open days!
Ferrari Nights
Inkjet Recycling Schemes
Dinner and Dances Mayor’s Civic Balls Skittles Nights ”
...an exhaustive, infinite list!
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