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My grandma died this afternoon. Her ailment turned out to be oesophageal cancer; we'd known it was terminal for days, but hadn't expected it to be this quick. I'd had a feeling it might be sooner rather than later when I heard on the phone from my mother that she was hardly eating or drinking.

I got the phone call while on the train home. My mother had made it to the hospital just in time; the nurse said that Grandma was waiting for her. All the other locally based relations were there. She said a few words to her then closed her eyes.

Grandma was 94. At least she went painlessly and peacefully.

My mother just phoned me again now for a bit of a chat. We recalled a few memorable moments from over the years.

Here's Where The Story Ends

Went to the Arsenal Women v Juventus Women friendly today. After two and a half years of trying to pin down Lianne Sanderson, the one member of England's 2015 Women's World Cup squad yet to sign my programme, she recently signed for the Bianconere, and told me on Twitter that she'd sign if I came to this game.

I wore my 2015 Women's World Cup third place play-off commemorative T-shirt and the 2015 Women's World Cup baseball cap sent me by a wellwisher after I lost my original. After the long walk to the station this morning, a cancelled train left me sitting in the hall for 45 minutes, so on arrival at Elstree & Borehamwood there wasn't time for a visit to Jenny's Cafe. I nipped into KFC and went for a fillet wrap to eat on the walk to the ground.

The sun was a demon. I managed to find a seat near the front, conveniently placed for heading for pitchside at the final whistle, just in the shade - though in the second half the sun was beating down on my row like anything. Thank goodness people periodically wandered along the front of the stand selling bottles of water, cans of pop and ice creams.

I wanted Juve to win, not so much because I never much cared for Arsenal thanks to the animosity with Notts Ladies, but because it would put Lianne in a good mood. But most of all, I wanted Lianne to end the match fully fit and not get carried off on a stretcher.

Arsenal won 5-0. Once the third went in, with the game dead I mostly sat willing the clock on towards full time. Lianne was a substitute and came on with about 20 minutes to go. As an Arsenal legend, she got a generous cheer from the home fans which I joined in wholeheartedly. I roared encouragement whenever she got near the ball.

After full time Lianne was far out on the pitch for a while, periodically talking to some of the other players, before she ventured over to the throng of selfie- and autograph-seeking fans crammed along the section of rail between the tunnel and the dugout. My spirits fell as I noticed she seemed a bit fed up. Unable to get on the front row, I had to move along behind the fans in front as she swiftly moved along the row signing. At fourth attempt, I managed to get her attention. As I passed her my programme she said "Finally" and signed. I said thank you very much, she went on to the next person and I joined the trickle of fans heading for the exit.

So the journey begun three years ago in Canada has finally reached its end. Mission undoubtedly accomplished, with all 23 signatures collected. And what a journey it's been.

The irony is I met the whole England squad in Moncton airport during the World Cup. If the idea had only occurred to me, I could have got the whole set of autographs in minutes. Though no-one else was approaching them, so maybe I subconsciously thought it wouldn't be appropriate. Or, if I'm honest, at the time there was still a possibility we'd be knocked in the first round; was it the joy of the subsequent run to the semis that made me desire the autographs?

Taking a couple of holidays just after the World Cup to travel to an evening game at Notts County Ladies, with the twin intentions of meeting up with a couple of friends who lived locally and trying for some Lioness autographs. Got my first four that night, including Laura Bassett. So lovely that she complimented my World Cup hat and was well impressed that I'd been at the tournament. (Yet it was to be 10 more months before I fell for her.) Had Desiree Scott sign the Canada page for good measure.

Seven more collected in Estonia. The England pages still carry, all over, the marks of Estonian rain. I can now see that as a living memory rather than a blemish, but at the time it felt like a blow, and it was then, in my hotel room in Tallinn, that I vowed to get all 23 to make up for the rain damage.

A couple of club games in the next couple of weeks gave me six more, taking me to 17, and then...

The night that changed my life, in more than one way. 8th October 2015. Chelsea v Glasgow City. Champions' League Round of 32 first leg. My downfall was arriving at Wheatsheaf Park a couple of hours early. Seeing two Chelsea players walking along a street near the ground eating chips. Saying to one of them "Claire?"

Why, oh why, did she answer yes to the name Claire?? Why, oh why, did she unquestioningly sign a programme from a tournament that she had absolutely nothing to do with??

The unwanted autograph of Rosella Fucking Ayane - who soon moved on to Bristol City, then in WSL2, and despite an England Under-19 cap never made it and now plays her football in Cyprus - means that my achievement of collecting all the real signatures has an asterisk next to it. As my friend Amy put it, "It's like having a Beatles album cover signed by all four Beatles - and Wagner from X Factor 2010."

Realising during the game that my programme had been desecrated shattered my world. And it made me mega disillusioned with humankind, as the 'just shrug it off' attitude pervaded from just about everyone I spoke to. The only person who made any attempt to come up with any helpful suggestions was my dear friend jenni_blog.

It did lead to my diagnosis, which was undoubtedly a positive. And because I identified with the World Cup 2015 heartaches of Laura Bassett and Sophie Bradley, it made me a Notts County Ladies fan. That went on to give me some great memories (much on-pitch heartbreak notwithstanding) and lead to my making some great friends, even if it did end in disaster.

I collected the real Claire Rafferty, plus Katie Chapman, that night, to take my total of real signatures to 19; I missed Fran Kirby, but an advert in the ground told me she would be meeting and greeting at the Chelsea Store in Kingston two days later. I still remember the guy in front of me in the queue that day engaging me in conversation, and so my having to pretend I was an avid fan of Chelsea men. So Fran made 20.

Next day, up to Widnes, a night in a room in a pub for a Liverpool v Notts County night game to get Fara Williams, then of the Reds. 21.

A month later, to Merseyside for a Tranmere Rovers men's match, where my old pal Jodie Taylor was special guest for a pre-match 'This Girl Can' event. 22. So many of my other old friends from my Tranmere Ladies days were there, it was a lovely reunion. It was honestly the first thing to put a smile on my face since that night at Staines five weeks earlier.

Only Lianne Sanderson to go. Sod's Law : she never made an England squad again, and has been based in the States all that time until her recent move to Italy. And so, from 21 November 2015, I sat on 22, wondering whether I'd ever meet the elusive Lianne.

Until today.

As the Scots say : well, there's the end of an auld sang.