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”

Poo what a stink!

You are now four years old. I am your other grandfather, the one you have just met, but only the once. At the moment, it looks highly unlikely that we will ever see you again, but whatever happens please believe that I love you dearly and always will. You are my flesh and blood, and always will be. We will meet again 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.

Did I tell you Nana Ann had decided to come up this weekend at the last minute? Not only that, today she told me she's staying on Monday as well. Now I've never known Nana Ann take days off work for any reason (she was sent off to the dentist recently) but she's now decided to paint the front door and do other thinggs that I don't even know about. BUt she will come and interrupt me when I'm working, despite promising not to do so! "I know you're really busy, but...." is the usual introduction. Never mind, at least when she coems to stay with me she gets fed properly - I make all the meals - and it eases her mind about the house. She says Grandad is now "set for the winter" so I guess thsi is her last visit for a while - but I'll be down in your neck of thewoods next weekend.

Today Grandad did his trialthlon. As it happens, the world triathlon championships were in Hamburg in Germany this weekend, and they showed highlights on the television. Today we swam in the baths, not in open water with wet-suits, as they do in the Olympics and so on. Then we had the bike ride and finally the run. I did beat a few blokes younger than me, but there was only one other man in my age group and I beat him. But I didn't get a prize, apart from a tee-shirt and a Mars Bar that everyone gets.

Oh yes, about the stink. I ws riding past a field and the farmer was spreading manure. It flew up into the air behind his tractor, and made a heck of a stink! But that's what you can expect if you live in the country. I live in a samll town, but we are very close to lots of woberful countryside - nit like London where you live. Your cousin Malcolm lived in London like you, but he came to us for his holidays every year for a lot of years. he really enjoyed the change. He used to bring a school pal with him, and they got out and went bike riding, swimming, skiing (on an artificial slope), exploring forest and castles and river valleys. You could do all that in years to come.

On the other hand, when I took your Mam and your uncle Norman and your Auntie Rosie when they were all children to London, they also had a great time, going on the Underground, the River Thames, Madame Tussauds, clibing on the lions in Trafalgar Square and so on. So London's not a bad place. In fact, it's a great place. I go there often. But I wouldn't like to live ther.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann