grandad kit

Thank you for reading my blog. If you have difficulty seeing your grandchildren, or have any views about my situation, I would welcome your messages by e-mail through this blog site. If you wish, just use a first name or a nickname and your identity will be protected, like mine – “Grandad Kit.”

Dear “Tom”

Yachts tipping over

I am you other grandfather, the one you have never met. You are three years old, and although I have never met you, I love you dearly and always will. You are my flesh and blood, and always will be. We will meet one day, I am sure. I am writing this daily "blog" to you to make up for the fact that I can't speak to you right now. I hope that one day you will be able to read this.

Grandad hired a car so that we could drive all the way round the Isle of Wight - it's quite a distance, and most of the roads are bendy and narrow. It was amazing how many people were camping and picnicking near the shore, all the way round the isaland. They were there to watch the yachts race. There are all kinds of yachts, bir and small. Your Mam can sail big yacths, and we wondered if she was sailing any of the ones we saw. One race we saw involved a fleet of Catamarans, that's boats with two separate hulls, like two boats joined together. When they satrt they all have to get in a line between two boats. If they cross the line before the starting gun goes, they have to go round and back again, losing a lot of time in the race and in effect having to start at the back. This did happen in the race we saw.

So everybody tried to get just behind the line, moving forward, just before the gun goes - very, very trciky, especially in a sailing boat! But after that, it was amazing to watch these catamarans. They tipped almost right over, with one half - like a boat in itself - right out of the water, with the crew sitiong on top to weigh it down. It looks dangerous (you won't catch me doing it) but it must be thrilling.

We decided to send a card to your Mam. It has some funny jokes on it, which she might tell you. Like, for example, where are the Needles that you can't sew with? On the Isle of Wight, the Needles are very sharp rocks that stick out of the sea. So you can't sew with them. Well, we think its funny. The last time I sent a card to your Mam (it was about Thomas the Tank Engine) she gave me a ring - the first tiem for years. So maybe she'll do so again. Let's hope so.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann