My grandad. It's just hit 10 years since his death. I miss him so much every day. I dread the day my parents leave this world, and I can't imagine how hard it is sometimes for my dad and my aunt. Honestly, it scares me.
A little bit about my grandad before we hit off my memories again. So my Grandad was born Malcolm. He to me was absolutely everything. I didn't know it then, which just makes it harder now. My grandad worked in the foundries. My dad worked alongside him for a period of time. I only just realised that I then went on to work alongside my dad for a bit. Does that mean my son will work alongside me for a bit? Now that would be special. I am moving off-topic. Grandad was not tea total, but if it was a hot drink, it was only ever tea. Maybe a biccy (biscuit) to dunk, usually a good ol' McVities digestive. Grandad never really did drink around me, but I remember a couple of tiples, not sure of the exact alcoholic beverages but I'm sure he did. Around Christmas nan would make a tasty punch I remember haha. I'm sure he had some of that. Grandad loved card games, crib, bridge and newmarket to name a few. New market was a particular favourite of mine and the family.
My grandad was an engineer in his own right. Such that he made all his own planters for nan and this would be something I went on to love doing. Some carpentry which he took an avid interest in at my high school.
I know that my grandad missed his sister who immigrated to Australia to be with her husband, Uncle Frank who was just outright hilarious. They did talk on the phone a lot where possible as long-distance calls were an expensive luxury.
Im, sure there are many things I'm missing out here, but it will come to me in future posts I'm sure.
I cannot remember my exact very 1st memory of my grandad, but I do remember early memories.
One of the 1st memories that I do remember is nan and grandad taking us to Blackpool. Now I don't remember much of the holiday, but I do remember being at the top of the Blackpool tower, in a place I remember being called Jungle Jim's. It was essentially a massive ball pit where kids ran around on a massive scale. Think wacky warehouse but bigger. Unfortunately, I don't remember much more about this holiday, but that Jungle Jim's really stuck with me. No idea why.
My other oldest memory of my grandad for me potentially would be when we went to his mum and dad's house. I think it was myself, my brother and my 2 cousins. I remember walking down the hallway and seeing - well this is testing my memory I may even be wrong here so, I expect a message from my dad or aunt and uncle to say my memory has warped or introduced things that were not there. Walking down the hallway I saw I think a grandfather clock initially. From there I guess the best way to explain this is by numbers. Again something my grandad was ace at. So coming through the main door about 10 meters in was a glass cabinet with a wooden back. I suppose something like this is here. I just remembered after writing this article I didn't say what I remember what was in the cabinet. Well, I don't remember much haha. But I do remember the steam engine-looking type train thing. This was directly in front of me where the wall becomes offset so that you have to take a 90-degree left turn to go into the living room, or a side step left and continue forward if you wanted to go into the kitchen. I think I vaguely remember a downstairs toilet. But I'm not sure. I don't believe I ever went upstairs so that may be why I remember a downstairs toilet. I also don't remember ever staying long at my grandad's mom and dad's house.
I'm not sure if I'm remembering it wrong because my nan had a good friend Dorothy. We used to visit on a semi-regular basis. Dorothy became aunty Dorothy and she bought us gifts for birthdays and Christmas. It was only ever Radox shower gel blue or green. But even then I knew that was more than she needed to buy us. I was always thankful for that. I have no idea how many years that went on, but it was at least maybe... 5 or 6 years that I remember getting Radox. My brother got some too. I honestly have no idea if my cousins got some. Weirdly, I don't remember now that I think about it.