Patricia Margaret Miles

Patricia Margaret Miles, better known as Peggy, was born in Chandlers ford on the 26th of April 1921 and was the youngest of 4 children, the rest being all boys.

As a young child she said she used to sit on a swing in her garden and sing to all the girls who worked at the laundry next door while they were on their lunch break.

Nanny moved to Shakespeare Road when still a child and then later she moved to Tennyson Road.

When she first left school she went to work in a library in Eastleigh then went to work at Pirellis where she met her husband Bill. They married in 1953 and their only child Diane was born the following year. Nanny often said that Diane should have been born in the Ice Hockey Arena as it was a sport that she and Bill loved up until the day Diane was born.

Nanny had a few part time jobs, one of which was a dinner lady at Mum’s school, Alderman Quilley, where one day she was given a trifle to take home for tea. Nanny took a fancy to the glass it was made in and decided to keep it but told everybody she didn’t know how she got it and that it must have fallen into her bag; she used that glass every day until she passed away.

Her last job was working in the café at Eastleigh Bus Station which was a job she loved doing.

While Grandad was still here they used to enjoy their holidays usually to Eastbourne or Weymouth, Nanny never once went outside of England. They also loved their sports and spent many days going to watch Hampshire play cricket in either Southampton or Bournemouth. They also used to attend the Pirellis retired members bingo club on a Wednesday afternoon.

Nanny was a very hands-on with her grandchildren Emma, Michael, Kelly, Joanne and myself and used to help Mum look after us when she went to work. She was also very proud of her great grandsons William and Sonny.

We all remember Nanny having a little birdie who sat on her windowsill when we were little and always told her when we were naughty. We used to spend hours with her playing bingo and Jack-Out-of-Doors and when she sent us birthday cards she always wrote our full names on them.

One thing she could never get to grips with was that Emma was a vegetarian and used to say things like “I’ve got some chicken burgers, will they be all right?”

Nanny did have some strange habits; one of which was standing and holding her automatic washing machine in place in case it danced around the kitchen floor and also taking her wet washing and folding it up perfectly when she put it in the washing basket ready to be put out. But when she took it off the line she threw it in the washing basket anyhow. She also said some funny things such as the time she asked mum to get some decapitated coffee; we all decided that she must have wanted a jar of coffee with the lid off!

Nanny and Mum had an arrangement when she was quite poorly: Nanny would phone mum at dead on 7.57 in the morning (why 7.57am) and mum would ring back at 9 in the evening. Mum had to really look out if she was late phoning!

In 2000 Nanny had a massive heart attack which we thought she would never get over but luckily she did. This was the beginning of her ill health and when she started to become quite frail. From then on Nanny had to have carers to help her shower and make her bed every day. She was a very proud lady and no matter how poorly she felt she had to have a good wash before the carers came to give her a shower!

Nanny wasn’t much good at mixing with new people and didn’t have a lot of friends but the friends she did have were true friends and she thought the world of them.

In the last couple of years Nanny only really went out when she had a hospital appointment but if she felt up to it would enjoy a pub lunch on the way home. She was happy in her own company as long as she had a good book and her television, although she never watched a programme right through unless it was Songs of Praise, which she would love singing along to.

Her hearing got quite bad but we couldn’t persuade her to get a hearing aid she said she had selective hearing and heard what she wanted to. She always said she was lucky to have such quiet neighbours but she couldn’t hear what we could. But I don’t think the neighbours were that lucky because of the volume of her telly!

We are all so pleased that Nanny was able to stay in the flat she loved so much and kept her dignity and independence.

Rest in peace Nanny, you will be missed by everyone that was close to you and you will always be in our hearts.