02-11-2010, 11:28 PM
1
Grand parents
Moving on from the thread that AB started by his quotes..What was /is your memories of your grandparents it is sad Dancing sky you never knew yours... My maternal grandparents I loved so much as I mentioned Nan died when I was 5 but grandad had a passion for his garden and never had a weed in it up until about 5 years before he died (aged 97) he grew vegatables and flowers Chrysanths that were huge which he used to show I can always remember the brown paper bags on their blooms to protect them... He didn't fight in either of the wars don't know why but must have been ill health as he wasn't a conciencous objecter (sorry for spelling)he did work on making Spitfires and had a brass model of one he made at work I used to spend hours combing his white hair as a child I loved it and playing his 78 records on his gramaphone...MY paternal grandparents my Nan terrified me she was really strict and had warts on her face and I used to think she was a witch which was awful really but she wasn't a woman I ever got close too though she had 5 children and they all adored her they called her the duchess my paternal grandad was a very quiet nice man but I never got close to him either ... AB you have made me bring to mind so many memories of grandparents now long gone thank you....
03-11-2010, 12:33 AM
2
Re: Grand parents
I never knew my Dad's mother, she died a few years before I was born. Only met my Dad's father a couple of times but don't remember him. I vaguely remember my Mum's parents but they too died when I was about 2 years old, Mum's dad died first and then Mum's mother died a few months later! I never really thought of either side being grandparents as I didn't really know them.
03-11-2010, 08:26 AM
4
Re: Grand parents
I only remember my Italian grandad, and he was a real eccentric. I have a photo of him sitting in our garden with a rhubarb leaf on his head to shelter from the sun! His English was still quite fractured and he would reply to "I'm going up the road" with "is it?" He had a fierce temper, my mum said, and once apparently threw a lodger down the stairs when she was a child in London - but he was certainly a one-off.03-11-2010, 09:14 AM
5
Re: Grand parents
Suey I knew both my grandmothers, but from all accounts relieved I didn't know my grandfathers. I loved my maternal grandmother very much, probably the person I loved most in the world as a kid. She was a no nonsense northerner, not touchy feely, but we got on very well indeed. I hated my Irish paternal grandmother though, she took a huge delight in describing her vision of the tortures of hell to me from the age of two years old.
She had beaten religion into her own kids. Unfortunately she didn't do us all a favour and die until she was 96, having blighted the lives of her children into their late middle age. Needless to say I didn't bother to attend her funderal!
03-11-2010, 11:21 AM
7
Re: Grand parents
I didn't really know my grand parents although I actually met my mother's parents when I was quite young.I don't remember anything about my father's family at all and as he's no longer with us either I can't ask him now.
My parents did not really get on with their parents from what I understand now, especially on my mother's side.
This is why I try to be a good grand parent myself as I feel that I missed out on so much because my parents divorced and neither one tried to maintain any real contact with family at all, let alone my grand parents.
I actually became a father long before I was really capable of being a good father. I did my best and my daughter has nothing but praise for me but I don't feel good about it.
This is another reason for my trying to be a good grandad now - to make up to myself what I think I failed at as a parent. I've got 6 grand children altogether but I only see three regularly now as one family has moved to Devon, but we do keep in touch. For me it's a bit harder because I'm hearing-impaired so I can't really talk to any of them on the phone now. I think I enjoy being a grand father perhaps more than a father but that's probably because I was away working a lot then I too got divorced. stevmk2
03-11-2010, 03:31 PM
9
Re: Grand parents
My maternal grandfather was the only one close to me. He taught me to play cribbage and a few other card games.Later I would come down from University and bring him a couple of bottles of beer and a packet of fags(much against those then looking after him by then!!)
Then he started to really open up,he had told tales of WW1 before but he came close and said
"Boy I pray to God you will never see what I saw, dead bodies everywhere bits of bodies and the smell and noise"-and he sobbed
I think he knew his time was up and he just wanted to cry for all he had seen when they were just meant to come home and get on with life
03-11-2010, 03:45 PM
10
Re: Grand parents
Both my grandfathers and one of my grandmothers died before I was born. I didn't see my paternal grandmother very often and when I did she always looked stern and never smiled. She died when I was about 8 or 9.I love being a grandmother, I love my grandchildren and love the fact that they often cling on to me as they don't want me to leave then when it's time for them to go home.
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