Grandparents - What makes you smile??

[dawnwas]

Reading through all these memories of grandparents, is my imagination or do people here seem to have been very close to grandparents? I wonder what it is that makes the relationship with grandparents so special!

Kerry

yes I agree Kerry...we all seem very close to our Grandparents and it is such a lovely bond.
There is a scene in the movie " When Peggy Sue got married",that brings tears to my eyes when I think of it.Peggy has gone back in time and she actually gets to see her Grandparents again..it is so sad...because they had of course died...it would be so fantastic if we could just go back in time for another taste of life with our loved ones...
I guess that we sort of do that by sharing our memories with other people....I've said it before but I love this thread...reading other peoples postings has jogged my memory on so many things that I could almost remember but not quite pin down.
dawn

[buttonmoon]

Hello all. I have many happy memories of my maternal nan who lived in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. I remember baking Welsh Cakes with her (best in the world!) and whenever we would visit she would always have a shepherds pie in the oven waiting for us and a bowl of strawberry jelly waiting for me, yum!
 I remember that on my sisters birthday she would always give me a box of matchmakers and vice versa on my birthday, so that the other would not feel left out.
 She never had a bad word for anyone and would do anything for you, even when you didn't ask, everyone who knew her had the greatest respect for her.
 I remember walking her to the labour club for her dancing, which she loved and going to church and bingo with her, I also remember going to the hairdressers with her for her blue rinse.
  When I was little I always used to tell my mum that when I grow up I want to be just like my nan and I still do, although I doubt I'll ever get there.
 Best nan and lady in the world! She sadly passed away at Christmas aged 97. Sorely missed and dearly loved.
  I have vague recollections of my great nan, who died when I was four aged 96, I remember her as being much like my nan and from what I'm told she was, so maybe I'll be lucky and it'll be in the genes.

I did not know either of my Grandfathers who sadly died a long time before I was born. I do remember my dad's mum who lived in Ireland. We didn't get to see her much but she was a great character. I remember having tea at her house and she always gave us liver and bacon which I would hide under my mash tatoes or give to the dogs under the table, she always thought I enjoyed it so much she would then give me more (yuk!) that taught me!

Its nice to read everyone else's memories as grandparents are so special and we're all very lucky to have known them.

Regards
Kate.

[Mogsmum]

Where to start, considering I was lucky enough to know all of my Grandparents right up until the mid 1970s.

What do I remember most?   My 'little Gran' I suppose.   She was a tiny thing (hence the nickname), knee-high to a smurf reaching about 4'11" in thick socks, and weighed about 6 stone fully clothed.

The youngest of 5, she had to leave school at the age of 8 (after her Mother died), to look after her father and brothers.   The youngest brother was 15!!!!! 

I later discovered she was at the same school with my other Grandmother, although they subsequently finished up at opposite ends of the county before my parents met at a dance in London in 1945.

What made me smile though was at how fiesty she must have been.  She looked after these 5 men from the age of 8 until she was 12 when, to use her word, she "decided" she didn't get on with her Father.   So, she did no more than pack her bags and went to live with her Aunt 10 miles away.  She spoke to her Father once after that - he turned up at her wedding, arrived just after the ceremony, stayed long enough to have his picture taken, handed her a 'present' (a letter telling her how much he loved her  ) then left!   My Mother remembers my Grandfather pointing out a complete stranger in the street once and saying 'That man's your Grandfather'!!!

But I digress, between the age of 12 and her marriage on her 21st birthday, she'd been down a coalmine (just visiting), queued "for hours" to go on 5 minute plane ride, nearly died by getting sucked into some quicksand and taught herself enough maths to subsequently get a job as a book-keeper.  Later on she got "a little job", proof-reading manuscripts for a scientific publication.   And not a SATs, GCSE or A level in sight!!!

[nort]

I was lucky enough to have known my great grandmother and a quirk of hers was if the table was set for a meal and it began to thunder and lightning outside she would put the knives and forks under the tablecloth.She would also cover the mirror above the fireplace and i was sometimes put under the table for safety!!!  Hard to believe nowadays but true.

Steve

[Tephra]

thunder and lightning outside she would put the knives and forks under the tablecloth.She would also cover the mirror above the fireplace and i was sometimes put under the table for safety!!!
Steve

I believe you Steve, my Granny would do the same with the mirrors and close all the curtains so the lightning couldn't get in!!  Bless her         

Barbara               

[Mogsmum]

My Gran loved storms and taught me to do the same - unfortunately it didn't rub off on my Mother who, as above, would go through the close curtains, cover mirrors routine!  When I learnt to drive as recently as 1971, and bought my first car, Mother nearly had a fit everytime I drove in a thunder storm - she never could understand the theory behind a Faraday cage!!!

[Simon G.]

I've got such fond memories of my maternal grandmother.  Grandma was the kind of person everyone loved.  I always remember her drinking, 'cause she just seemed to love doing it so much.  Everytime you'd go for a walk, she'd pass a pub and proclaim "Hmm, it's a bit dry today...leave me here."  You'd come back a few hours later, and she'd be sitting there with a lager telling everyone her life story.  The way she told it, you couldn't help but be fascinated.
An eternal memory of her we've all got in our family...we were in Spain on holiday, and going out for the night.  It had be raining, so she told us to mind the puddles.  Next moment we heard her shouting and swearing.  She'd just stepped in the puddle she told us to watch out for. hehe.  How we laughed.

[Tephra]

It seems to be a recurring theme that we all have a favourite Grandparent, and it seems to be the maternal Grandmother . . .. .   I wonder why that is??     


Barbara           

[Su]

It seems to be a recurring theme that we all have a favourite Grandparent, and it seems to be the maternal Grandmother . . .. .   I wonder why that is??     

I must be the odd one out then Barbara.

My favorite granny was my Dad's Mum.  I never got on with my Mum's Mum, that's why I haven't mentioned her or my grandfather.

I can only describe her as 'sharpe', I can't think of another suitable word.  She was never the warm loving cuddly grandmother, and I hated visiting her.  She always favoured my sister, and my sister thought she was wonderful.  I could never fathom out why.  Gran used to take me into the bedroom and say...see those wardrobes, I'm leaving them to your sister.  At the age of Eight I wasn't remotely interested in wardrobes, and thought she was weird.

She died when I was Nine, and was laid out in the bedroom.  My Mum made me go in and kiss her when she had been there several days.  I had nightmares, and to this day can still feel the cold waxey skin on my lips.  I hated my Gran after that, and my Mum came a close second for quite some time.  I didn't cry for her when she died, and Mum told me I was 'hard'....this is to a nine year old!

In later life Mum told me that Gran had had a very hard life with Grandad who used to knock her around.  He used to drink a lot and spent the housekeeping money on drink.  Mum says to this day she still feels the humiliation of having to take his best suit to the Pawn Brokers on a Friday to get money for food.

So even though I now understand all this, I still can't feel any love toward my Gran, although I am now old enough to sympathise with the hardship she endured.

By the way, two days ago, Mum, when talking to her Carer piped up that she had had a sister Elizabeth, who died as a baby.  That's the first I've ever heard of it, so it came as a complete surprise.  I shall now have to look for a birth.

I've done my best to research Mum's family, but they are proving extremely hard to find.

I have traced Dad's side back to 1629, and feel a great deal of affection for them all.  I am wondering if it is the lack of affection I feel for Mum's side, that is causing this brick wall.

Su