When I think of Vanessa I think of us on holiday in the rain, reading a book. When we'd finished we'd swap. At the start of the holidays we'd go to the book shop, grab some peas in the pod and with a crabbing net and a bucket we'd be sorted. We flew kites, flirted with the boys at the park, did the wig wam bam, made amazing sandcastles, made weird tablemats out of wool, ate giant ice creams and I'll never forget her yellow hat. Treasure hunts, children's menus, coke floats, woodpecker cider, tin trays, Judy Blume, sleeping on pull down shelves, baths in the awning, welly's stuck in mud and she once sent me to Coventry. Can you tell we grew up on Enid Blyton? At Christmas we would creep outside Rachel's room with bells to make her think Father Christmas was almost there. Then run back before her mum shouted at us. We made our nightdresses crackle in the dark under the covers and did anything possible to hide the stringy beans from dinner. Girls world, strange game with coloured pegs and her mum would put lippy on us so we looked like demented butterflies. She was with me for most of the big growing up milestones. We giggled, gossiped and most of my big memories in life we with her. When I got my first bra she'd ask every 12 seconds..'have you still got it on??' And many more things that should remain between cousins. Love you Vanessa. Always will.