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”

Let's say goodbye for a while

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.

I'm pretty busy now as I've got a book to finsih by the end of this month. After that, we start a new chapter - in my case, a new book - and I've ben thinking it's getting to the point where I need to bring this chapter of our lives to a close as well. I've done my best over the past year to put down my thoughts on paper, putting down what I would have liked to say to you if you and I had been a proper Grandad and Grandson, as Nana Ann and I have always fervently wished but it was not to be.

And it's not juts because this particular "blog" is coming to an end, although I'm sure I will start a new one, but it will be on a differenmt subject. You see, I think at present I've said everything I could possibly say to you. Without proper contact and real knowledge of what you are doing, it's all in a vacuum. I still think it's been a very valubale hting to do, it has helped me immensely, and I still hope very much you will read it all some day whether or not it come out in a book (!) But I think I'm starting to repeat myself, and it's time to move on. Hopefully we can have a real dialogue one day.

I think we'll give it one more try with your Mam and then leave it either for her to thaw a little or for you to grow up and come looking for us. Wouldn't that be fantastic. You see, for any relationship to work, there has to be someone willing on both sides. From our one visit to see you a few weeks ago, it was all to obvious that your Mam and Dad just don't want anything to do with us. Fortunately, we do have other relatives who do care about us, and we are only human. You can only take so much rejection.

That one visit was a blessing for us. You are a lively, intelligent lad who clearly enjoys life and is curious about the world. That's a great start. We don't want to burden you with the silly arguments that adults get themselves into, at your age that would not be right. So carry on enjoying life and if and when you ever do ask about us, at least you will know that we do care for you and always will.

But I'll keep my letters going for another week or so.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann

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”

News from the pond

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.

Back at Nana Ann's, I have good news from the pond. By the way, this is quite a lrage pond, just about large enough to sail a small dinghy in. All the geese were on the pond in a big flotilla, like a load of ships, when I spotted him - broken wing. He was born earlier this year, but now is fully grown. He looks very healhty, but I'm still not sure if he can fly or not because he has two large parts of his wings that stick out on either side. Anyway, I got Nana Ann out of the house,a nd broken wing then decided to have a bath. He aws diving his head under the water and letting the water run doen his back, very vifgorously. he was really enjoying it (so were we). And then he cleaned all his braest feathers with his beak, very thoroughly. and finall he flapped his wings to dry himeslf off and did he look smart.

Then we were off to the seaside for various meetings. Our hotel has a balcony overlooking the sea. We watched the bords - the big,c heeky seguls who jump on top of cars and slide down the windscreen (I'm not kidding), and the pigeos who gather on top of a small dome. There's room only for a dozen pigeons there, so when another pigeon comes along, the others say "you can't land here, there's not enough room" (or at least Nana Ann says it for them, she's good at that sort of thing).

I met a frined of mine with his wife and their little boy - just like you. It made me think. Last tiem we were here, we met your cousins and their little girl They've had another baby since then, but they are living in another country now so it may be a while before we see them again.

No word from your Mam

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann

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”

Soggy breakfast

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.

The last couple of days, I've noticed that my breakfast cereal packets were a little bit damp. At first I didn't take any notice, but then I decided to investigate. Do you know, all my breakfast cereal packets were soaking wet. All the cardboard boxes were wringing wet and I've had to throw them away. Fortunaely, all the various cereals I keep (I keep a big variety just in case some fussy young relative comes to stay and must have one particular type of cereal!). The culprit was our boiler, which Nana Ann was supposed to ahve fixed the last time she was here. Well, it's leaking. On the phone, she told me what to do (turn this black knob a quarter of a turn clockwise) but it hasn't had any effect. So I'll just have to get Barry the builder to come and fix it.

You know, the QE2 is coming up here to the north east and she's going to be in the Tyne on Sunday. Now if you were living anywhere within 50 miles radius, I would insist on taking you to see this wonderful ship. But I don't have a handy young relative to take along, so I'm going to have to give it a miss myslef. You see all the tjhings I'm missing just because you're not around. Never mind, we'll make up for it one day.

I'm having to get everything ready for my trip to London on Sunday. Heaven help me from nana Ann's wrath if I forget a single thing. Of course - there's the bag she left behind! As long as I remember to take it, that'll keep her quite for a while at least.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann

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”

Work work work

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.

Enjoy being a kid, because when you grow up there's bound to be a time when you have to work, work, work. That time is now for Grandad. I absolutely must finish this book by the end of this month, and there's two more waiting to be done when that's finished! Trouble is, various people have ben promising me pictures for my book but just haven't sent them. You can sent pictures from one computer to another, I think it's marvellous. But, while computers are marvellous (when they work!) and do everything in a blink of an eye (including sending everything you did in the last half hour into the ether, never to return) unfortunately people just haven't caught up. Lazy people are still lazy, people who promise and don't deleiver still promise and don't deliver. I'd rather they just said "no" - it would be more honest and would save me a lot of bother, waiting on and wondering if and when to send a reminder. But, I've never missed a deadline yet!

But enough of my troubles. You certainly don't want to hear about them. Did you know I've got a whole bag full of dinky cars, just waiting for a little lad to play with them. I originally gave them to your Uncle Norman, thinking he would like to have a sort of exhibition of them, as he has a few on display (you saw these and played with a few of them when you and your Mam and Dad went to see him last year, and I've got a photo to prove it! But he gave them me back, so since then they've been languishing in a bag in the hall. Some little lad's going to get them one day. If it's not you, I'll just have to find someone else to give them to.#

There'll be lots of pictures of funny little railways and trains in my new book, when it comes out (next year, if you can wait that long). I just know you'll like them. Now it's back to the grindstone.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann

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”

Nana Ann forgot her bag

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.

Now Nana Ann never forgets anything, ever. In fact, she's always reminding me of the things I've forgotten - which I do often. But today the tables were turned. When we got to the station for Nana Ann to catch the train back to London (that's another day off from work she's taken, mind, what is the world coming to?) at the last minute (as usual, that's just her way) she realised that she'd forgotten the little bag she always carries. The bag with all her money in it. The bag with all her cards in it (credit cards, libray cards, meberships of at least a dozen different organistaions). So with the London train due any second, we had to have all her bags and cases (Nana Ann always carries enough stuff for a three-month stay wherever she goes, even for a day) open, there was no little bag. So off she went after reluctantly accepting some money from me. I keep telling her it's our money whatI have is hers, and so on, but she never takes any notice. Sh'e a real independent woman.

So back hom, I found the bag straight away, hidden behind a cushion (in case a burglar broke in, in which case that'd be the first place he'd look). So Nana Ann will just have to manage on the bit money I gave her until the weekend when I'm due to go down.

Nothing as yet from your Mam. I'm pondering on whether we should try to meet in London, rather than at your house like last time. Maybe your Mam and Dad would unbend a little, although to be honets I can't see it.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann

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”

Nearly cut off by the tide

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.

Grandad's back home tonight after a hectic four days when I've driven about 1500 miles. I nearly had a bit of bothert yesterday. I was walking along a beach looking for something to photogrpah when I came to a fence. Well, fences are for getting round, and there was a gap between this big steel fence and the sea. So round I went, and along the beach, looking for this thing (and I never did find it). And it was gettign dark. So eventually I decided enough was enough and I wasn't going to find what I wanted, and I couldn't get any further along the beach, and it was getting dark. Then I realised that the tide was coming in. I sort of knew that alreday, but there were no waves atall, only the wake from pasing ships. I diid know the tide would be coing in, but only gradually. Then I realised the tide was coming in faster and faster. If I wasn't careful, I would be cut off!

There was no danger of Grandad getting drowned, because I could have climbed up the bank, well above tide level, but there was no way I could climb over this steel fence which wa about eight foot high. The worst thing that could happen would be that I would be stranded all night, waiting till the tide wnet out agaiin. if I couldn't get back in time to go round the end of the fence where I'd come through. I didn'tt mind that so much, it wasn't too cold and the wether was dry, but what would Nana Ann say when she rang me up? I'd have to tell her where I was, then she would undoubtedly have got the coastguard out to come and resuce me! It would have been really embarrasing.

Anyway, at least I can runa nd this I did with a vengeance. When I got back to the fence - and it was further than I thought - the sea was alreday lapping around it, but not too deep for me to get across. But when I did eventually get home to Nana Ann, she realised that somethig had happened. My shoes were caked in mud. So I was in trouble after all!

Yesterday I met my old school friend and stayed with him and his wife. I was a bit worried about the wife, but she was very nice. Soem wives don't like their husbands asking people to stay without gettting their permission first, although that's only right. Needless to say, me and Kit jawed and jawed the whole night away. Kit has an amazing memory. He remebers things I've forgotten. He even knew every single exam that I took, all those years ago. Kit is a grandad, jusy like me. he has three grandaughters (not one grandson like you) although they live in Australia, but he and his wife do go out there once a year. Maybe we shoulkd try that with your Mam and Dad, visit once a year. But that's not possible riow.

I sent another card to you and your Mam yesterday. In for a penny, in for a pound. Or, may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. I'll tell you what these things mean one day.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann

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”

Nearly at Land's End

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.

I'll bet you know what Land's End is, even if you don't know exactly where it is. Land's End is the end of the land, that is, when you go acros the country until you can't travel any further, that's wher Land's End is. You can go right ot the edge3 and loo out to sea. Apart from a few islands, there's nothing but sea until you get to America!

Anyway, I've sent you and your Mam a nice card, so you never know she might give us a call. There's yachts on it, for her, and donkeys and a land train for you. I've been looking at some very nice seaside places. The only trouble was, this is so far out, by the time I got there it was dark and I didn't have anywhere to stay. I wnet to several places, bu they were all full, or they'd shut up shop for the night. Just as I was thinking I'd have to kip down in the car for the night, I went back to a place I'd been told was full to find that one bloke who'd booked a room hadn't turned up, so I got his room, and very nice it was.

There was a big bed and two bunk beds in the troom. Your Mam always liked sleeping in a bunk bed when she was a little girl, and I gues you are the same. Of course, she always had to have the top bunk! There's something quite exciting about climbing up a ladder to go to sleep!

At least I know where I'm going to sleep tomorrow night. Today I got a phone mesage from a lad I used to go to school with. I haven't seen him or spoken to him for fifty years, yet today he rang up out of the blue. As he lives round these parts, I asked if I could stay the night at his house and he said yes. So that'l be good. The funny thing is, his name is the same as mine, shallwe say "Kit." So I ws going to play a trick on Nana Ann. When she rings up, I'm going to get my friend to answer the phone. And when Nana Ann says "can I speak to Kit please" my freind can say "this is Kit speaking!"

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann