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”

The wrong cafe

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.

I was sitting in this cafe today, waiting to see a man about a dog (you know what that means, seeing a man about a dog is simply a way of saying you're seeing someone on buisiness). He gave me the name of the cafe, and there I was, doing a puzzle in the paper, because this man was very, very late. Then he came along and said he was very sorry, but he's been waiting in another cafe, just round the corner. He'd forgotten the name of the cafe where he said we would meet. But never mind, we got together eventually.

I wnet for a run this evening, along the new road with the new bridge. It's all finished now, and very handy for me to run along. Add to that, the air was cool and damp - just how I like it when I'm running. Do you like to run? I bet you can run very fast, faster than Grandad. I'll never forget the day your cousin Elaine found out she had grown big enough and strong enough and FAST enough to run faster than me! She had great fun, running away from me and causing me a fright. I bet you will do the same, if and when you get the chance.

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”

Birthday cards and your present

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.

Today Grandad posted off two birthday cards, one for you - you will be four years old in just a few days - and another birthday card to your Auntie Rosie, who will be, well, a lot older than you.And I posted off your present as well. I guess you'll have to wait until you come back from your little holiday with your Mam and Dad before you can use it, but I'll let you into a secret. I'm going to break all the rules and tell you what it is.

It's a tiny little motor boat, so tiny you can use it in the bath. And it's got your name on it! The great thing is, this motor boat is steam powered - yes it is. When you see it puffing along in your bath, you'll be amazed. Now I've wrapped the engine part separately, for your Mam or your Dad to look at. One of them will have to put the engine, actually a small piece of candle and a wick on a sort of shovel thing, light the candle and put it inside your motor boat, which by the way is bright red and yellow. You'r too young to work the engine, but once it's going you'll be able to guide it which way you want it to go. Maybe one day we'll see you playing with your motor boat in your bath.

This is a very special little motor boat, and very rare. In fact, I think there's only one man in the whole of the country who makes them, or so he says. I met him when I went to london a few months ago, to go to a boxing match. There was this unusual man, who looked like a tramp, but he was making these canny little motor boats. As soon as I saw them, I knew you would like one. So this man made one, just for you, with your name on 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”

Hacking away in the garden

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.

I hardly saw Nana Ann today. She spent most of the day in the front garden, hacking away at all the overgrown plants and bushes. You've missed your chance to have a great game in the garden, hiding there, but you if you had been here you could have made yourself useful, helping to put all the stuff into plastic bags. Then it was off to the tip (sorry, recycling centre) to put all the green stuff into the green stuf container. What they do with it, I've no idea. When we go there, I have to restrain Nana Ann. There are so many things that people throw away, almost new sometimes, that Nana Ann can't resists bringing home with her. But we've got enough usleess rubbish of our own, practically filling the house, there just isn't anymore room for other people's rubbish as well.

We'll have to get up very, very early in the morning. I have to take Nana Ann to the station so she can catch the train to London in time to start work. It's easy for Grandad - I work at home (like your Mam does sometimes) so I don't have to catch a train or a bus or a plane, or drive my car, to get to work. Soon it'll be your fourth birthday!

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”

I talk to your Mam on the phone

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.

I told your Mam about the little present we have got for you, and your mam said it was all right for us to send it. So it will be coming in the post, along with a nice birthdat card. We hope you get lots of cards and presents. Unfortunatel, we will not be able to come and see you on your birthday, but your Mam says she and your Dad will take you to the seaside. As long as the sun shines, you are sure to have a great time on the beach. I hope its a beach with lots of nice sand, and not just pebbles like so many beaches in the south (sorry to keep going on about thsi, but it's true).

Otherwise, your Mam and I did not have much to talk about. She told me about the work she is doing, but she has to spernd a lot of time at home with you, so she can't go out to work and do a full-time job like she used to. But you come first of course!

Nana Ann has been busy seeing to the house and garden. I've had to go to the supermarket and get some extra food in to feed Nana Ann, because she didn't tell me she was coming! But at least she sent me a message, not like a week ago when she just turned up on the doorstep.

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”

Lots of driving

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.

Today Grandad was in derby to see another man about another book. Driving across the country this morning was a nightmare! Most of the main roads in our country go to and from London (lucky you, living in London) and that means the ones in the North of England go from north to south. So if you want to tarvel from east to west, or from wset to east as I did today, you have to use musch smaller raods and go through lots of little towns. This is all very nice, as I like to see these little towns (and I know most of them) but it does take a long time.

Then I eventually got back home. How glad I was! But then there was another surprise, a message from Nana Ann saying she was coming up from London and would I pick her up at the station. Now she was here only a few days ago, so that makes it two visits in a week. I can guess why. When she was here a few days ago, she found the house and garden in "such a state" she's decided to come back and finish the job. But it's nice to see her anyway.

Tonight I'g going to ring you Mam, so keep your fingers crossed for me - and you. We are still a very long way from us getting to see you (for the first time!) but let's hope this will eventually happen. I know it's your fourth birthday coming up very soon, but that will probably be too soon. Let's hope!

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”

Beside the seaside

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.

I bet you love going to the seaside - we all do. Today I saw a lot of seaside places in North Wales. I was there to do work for my books, as usual, but I also was able to see an old auntie and uncle. Because they live in North Wales, I don't get to see them very often. And they have both been quite ill in recent years. But it was nice to see them and have a chat. They live in a bungalow very close to the sea shore.

I also saw two very famous bridges in North Wales, across the Menai Strait which is a narrow part of the sea that separates Wales from the Island of Anglesey. I went across one of these bridges today. Unforntunately, it was raining very heavily at the time and a mist was down, so it wasn't suitable for taking photographs.

A few years agao Nana Ann and Grandad went all the way round the coast of Wales, looking at every little seaside resort. Perhaps ne day we'll be able to take you to the seaside.

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”

The Manx cat has no tail!

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.

The postcard I sent you shows a picture of a Manx cat - Manx is tha name for anything belonging to the Isle of Man. The thing about the Manx cat - and I mean all of them, not just this one cat - is that it has no tail! I hve no idea why that should be. The Manx cats are the only cats in the world that have no tails.

There are other things to see on the Isle of Man, for example, the Laxey Wheel. This is a huge great water wheel. I used to have a picture of it on my bedroom wall, as well as a map of the Isle of Man. So you can see why I've always wanted to coem here. The only question is, why have I waited so long? Never mind, I'm here now, but just for the day. I'm sailing back tonight.

The boat crossing was ok. The sea was calm - no big waves to rock the ship. Besides. it was a great big ship - big enough to take a load of cars and lorries on board. I watched them coming off the ship this morning. A great big door at the front of the ship opens up, a metal bridge coems down and rests on the dockside, and out come all the cars and lorries.

The roads in the Isle of Man are very narrow, rather like the Channel Islands. Today I have been on a bus, careering along these narrow roads, really hair-raising! And then I went on the electric railway. The rails are very close together, so the tram - or rather train - shakes about from side to side. It's also very noisy. But it's a great way to see the island as it goes up from the coats into the hills and back down again.

I've taken some more photographs for one of my books, plus a lot more to show to Nana Ann.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann