Grandparents - What makes you smile??

[XPhile2868]

I don't remember my maternal grandmother as she died quite young in 1968, but from what I've heard she was a clever, warm person who never let her kidney disease upset her, even though it caused her death at just 35.

My maternal grandfather is 73 years old and usually comes round to visit on saturday mornings. He actually looks a bit younger than 73, although he is slightly bald. He's a great person who I can see living a lot longer.

My paternal grandmother died when i was 12 (she was only 63 and died in hospital from pneumonia after a fall) but from what i can remember she was a small woman who was very cheerful.

My paternal grandfather is almost 76 and is very musically talented (he was a bass guitarist in a jazz band called Savannah and a country band called Nancy Rivers Country Band) who is a very independant person and taught himself how to use a computer - he is very fond of eBay.

Stephen

[dawnwas]

 :)Still a fantastic thread...I have just read all the entries again and enjoyed everyone.Funny thing is they are all so similar,and isn't it great to remember and share these memories.I guess we live in an age when we nolonger "storytell" in the family and pass memories on...so it is great to let it all out on threads like this!!!
One of the memories I just read was about blackleading the fireplace///that brought a warm glow to me because my Nan used to do that...Grandad used to brush his teeth with salt and soot from the fireplace :-Xmakes me smile...as I am a Dental Hygienist...and apparantly he had nearly all his teeth when he died at 85!!!!
My Grandad always used to whistle!!!!

[nort]

one incident i can remember concerning my grandad, he liked going on walks and often took me with him.He had made himself a walking stick and put a brass knob on the end for a handle and we were out one time when i was about 7 or 8 yr old and i had borrowed the stick off him and was throwing it up in the air like you do at that age.But this one time it fell into the road and i was just about to rush into the road to get it when i looked and saw a big lorry coming,it ran over the stick and flattened the brass end,grandad did'nt see this happen as he was way in front and i was frightened to give it back to him.Eventually he took it back and saw it, he said i had been banging it on a wall to flatten it but i never told him i was nearly run over so he never knew the truth.The next time we were together he had put a new knob on the stick but it was'nt as good as the old one and i felt awful but still never told him what happened.
Another thing he liked to do was collect old copper or brass to sell to the scrap man who came around,he never got much for it though.He used to get this copper wire that still had the plastic on it and he would put it on the fire in the sitting room to burn the plastic off.He did this when grandma was out obviously but when she got back she always knew cos the place was stinking. Thinking of it now always makes me smile.

Steve

[chrissiepoos]

I saw my grandparents nearly every day as our gardens joined up with each other, a happy memory was sitting on my grandads lap and putting my fingers near his moustache while he used to try and  bite them, or a bad one was when ever I got a splinter in my finger I was sent round to him so he could get it out, and that really hurt.
When I left home to live with boyfriend, I had to tell my Nan, and she said, Oh you naughty girl, but we have now been married for 22 years, she was rather old fashioned.
My other Grandparents also lived near us, so I saw them nearly every week, I was very luckly.

[Tephra]

Everybody has/had such lovely Grandparents, and aren't our experiences so much alike??

Both sets of my Grandparents died when I was in my early teens, so I didn't get to have them very long and I miss them like crazy.  Especially my Granny (Mum's Mum) who was my best friend.   She had her own special chair in front of the hob and we would sit in it for hours.  We'd talk about silly things or things that happened during the war, like my Uncle refusing to go under the stairs when the sirens went off and taking his dinner under the table instead.  Or how her hands were always yellow from working at the munitions factory - they called them 'Canary Girls'.
One day my Dad had Granny convinced spaghetti grew on trees and that the Italians at harvest time, draped the cut spaghetti over wires to dry it out . . ..  . Poor Granny!!

I miss her.             

Barbara             

[Elliebob]

I hope that I am helping my grandaughter to have a lot of happy memories.  I am enjoying reliving my happy memories too!  For example we have loved reading "Susannah of the Mounties" together which was my favourite book at primary school.  We spent a few days together in London last year looking at all sorts of things that interested us both.

We are lucky that she lives so close to us.  She also shares watching rugby and World Rally Cross with Grandad.

Ellen

[Tephra]

My favourite book was 'The Silver Brumby' which started my lifelong love of horses and Granny and I would sit and read it together.
Nanna started my love of clasical music along with music from the old stage shows  . . . ..   Oh how that woman could sing, wish I'd got half her talent         

Barbara           

[hettie2000]

Wow....memories....what a lovely thread! (I loved the Silver Brumby too, Barbara!).

My nan (mum's mum) had a mynah bird that used to say hello to me whenever I walked in the room. My grandad taught it to say 'phewwww, who's got stinky feet?!' whenever my nan took her shoes off....

Nan made the best doughnuts ever. And cheese melted onto a tin plate till it went crispy - we'd scrape it off with a knife and eat with bread and butter!! Sounds strange now I've described it...

Nan and Grandad had the original pantry in their Victorian terraced house, so they didn't need a fridge....but I remember them caving in and buying one in their later years. And the back room which they used as the living room had the original black open fire with ovens either side. And a huge waist height cupboard with a big, thick slab of wood on top, presumably used for food preparation originally - they put their telly on it instead  . It was a lovely house, full of original features, but I think the people who bought it did a 'renovation' job and no doubt it lost it's character. I wouldn't be able to face going back now....

Sigh 

[Emmeline]

Wonderful stories. I think I may have shown this photo before of me and Gt.Grandma. I had been urged to come away from the dustbin to have the photo taken but refused point-blank.
Gt.Grandma lived with her spinster daughters. There was always great activity - sheets being blued etc.
There was a pussy-cat I loved - totally black but called Buster Brown. ' Listen with Mother ' was on the radio and sometimes the Gt. Aunts would put  ' The Laughing Policeman ' for me on the player !
Gt.Grandma would swing me on her leg and recite the alphabet backwards and I remember that I was always given sixpence on leaving for home.