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”

Catching a boat

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've always wanted to go to the Isle of Man. Well, tomorrow I'll be there for the first time - I'm catching the boat tonight. We sail at two o'clock in the morning, so I won't get much sleep! The Isle of man is an island in the middle of the Irish Sea, between England and Ireland. It's a very unusual place. For a start, it has its own parliament that's even older than our own parliament in London. It has its own laws and its own money.

Every year there hold motorbike races on the Isle of Man, and lots of people go there to watch the races and ride in them. They race all round the island on the normal roads, so it's nothing like racing round a track. When I was a boy and I was ill and had to spend a lot of time in bed, I used to listen to these races - they are called the TT Races - on the radio. It was very exciting. I used to imagine the motorbikes going very fast round all these sharp bends in the raods. Now I'll be able to see the oads for myself, although the TT races for this year - and it's the 100th anniversary - have just finished.

I'll send you a postcard.

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”

Grandad's an Alderman!

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.

Ok, what's an Alderman? Well, to be honest, it's only an "honorary" title in that it doesn't carry any powers with it, but it's just something that is given, very rarely mind, to people like me who have been councillors for a long time - in my case, forty years. You've heard of Dick Whittington, Lord Mayor of London? Well, he was an Alderman - although being an Aldermand was much more important in those days. But I am very pleased to have this "honorary title" to my name. I have a plaque and a scroll to mark the occasion. Afterwards there was a big party with eats and drinks.

That's why Nana Ann came up this weekend, to see me made into an Alderman (and not just to put the house to rights, although she did that as well!). But it was better even than that. As well as lots of friends, also at the meeting were your Uncle Norman, your Auntie Rosie and your cousin Elaine. I was so pleased they were there.

You know there's been a lot of rain in the past few days, and many places throughout the country have had floods. There has been flooding on the main railway line, so Nana Ann coiuld be delayed going down to London tonight. I'll let you know how she gets on tomorrow.

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”

Eye getting better

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.

For once I didn't sleep to well last night, but today my eye has felt a lot better. I hope it's fully recovered for tomorrow, which is a big day for me (that's the main reason why Nana Ann has come up this weekend - I wasn't expecting her till Monday). What she has done is to have a real go at the garden. All the stuff she's hacked off she loaded into plastic bags which we then had to transport to the tip, or rather, to give it its proper name, community recycling centre.

This is an excellent place where there are blokes who are always on the lookout to see what they can salvage and sell. I think that's a jolly good thing. If they can sell things that the rest of us throw away, well, good luck to them. You could have leant us a nad, tiping the bags into the skip. As well as the bracnhes etc, we had cardboard and wood and an old computer.

When she was on the phone the other day, I told your Mam about the present Nana Ann and I have got you for your fourth birthday which is coming up soon. I had to make sure you are stil living at the same address - I didn't want to send it to an old address if you had moved, but she told me you are in the same house as before. Now it's going to take some time before we get round to talking about coming to see you, and after all this time I dn't want to "rush my fences" and try to go too quickly. So for the moment me and your Mam are just going to talk on the phone, but that's a huge improvement on not talking atall! And it means I can send you postcards from all the places that I go to, just as I do for other memebers of the family. I'll try and choose pictures that you will like.

Grandad was a bit tired today, with everything that has happened in the past week - including travelling half way across the country - but I'm sure I'll be up bright and breezy first thing tomorrow morning for my "big day." I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

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”

Sore eye

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.

After all the excitement yeserday, it's poerhaps not surprising that today was a bit of a let-down, "after the Lord Mayor's Show" as we say. The fact is that I woke up with a sore eye, a very sore eye. It was so sore, I've had to go around all day with a black eye-patch, like a pirate. I think this is the way God or Nature tells us that we can't expect life to be a "bed of roses" all the time. Into each life a little rain must fall, but hopefully not too much rain. In fact it has been raining quite hard up here in the North country these last two days, and there has been some flooding hereabouts.

The rain didn,t bother me when I was at the runnign trcak today, in three races. I didn't do very well, but I was able to pick up quite a few points for myself and for my club team. Our team is equal top of the league at present, so every point counts. We have won the league these last two years, so we want to make it three in a row by winning it again this year.

Meantime, Nana Ann has been "putting the house to rights." Everywhere she's been, she's found dust, untidymess and in some parts there has been plaster falling down. I've never noticed! But the gouse is warm and comfortable. And of course Nana Ann got her cup of tea in bed when she woke up this morning, as she always does when we are together. And I've made the breakfats, lunch and dinner, as I usually do when we don't go out to eat. I made Nana Ann one of her favourite meals - cheese omelette with mushrooms, baked potato, green beans and asparagus. I had corn on the cob as well, which Nana Ann doesn't like.

I hope my eye will be better tomorrow - and I hope Nana Ann doesn't mind me having a glass of wine before we go to bed!

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”

Two wonderful surprises

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.

We all like surprises - good ones, that is - and to have two great surprises in one day is a millions-to-one chance. But that's what happened today. First there was something almost as nice, but it wasn't a surprise. This morning I went to the printers and got a copy of my new book - the first to come off the printing press. It looks good, I'm really proud of it, and it's got lots of pictures in it that I can show you one day. Now that wasn't a surprise, but the next thing was.

I'd had my tea and wa working when the doorbell rang. We have a really loud doorbell, because this is a big house. I wasn't expecting anybody, so before I opened the door I looked out through our little spy window to see who it was. Guess what, it was Nana Ann! Now I wasn't expecting her to come until Monday, and here she was, three days early. Once again she'd played a little trick on me. The reason she came early was that she'd seen the photo I sent her of our front garden ("the jungle") so she thought she's better come eraly and sort it out.

Naturally I was very pleased to see Nana Ann. I got her a cup of tea after her long journey by train and bus fromn London, and we talked together instead of our havin g our usual conversation on the telephone. While we were talking, the telephone rang. I went out into the hall to answer it and lo and behond, you will never, ever guess who it was. It was your Mam!

Now you know I've never been to see you, and the reason for that is because me and your Mam had an argument a long time ago. It was nothing to do with you - in fact it was before you were born - and this is the very first time that your Mam has rung me for a very long time. But you did have something to do with this happy event - a lot to do with it in fcat. Remember a little while agi I sent her a postcard with Thomas the Tank Engine and his freinds on it? I asked you Mam to show it to you, if you liked Thomas the Tank Engine. Well, it turns out that you do like the Thomas the Tank Engine stories, and she did show you the card that I sent. And thta is why your Mam decided to ring me after all this time.

Now this doesn't mean that we will get to see you for the first time, but I am hoping that me and your Mam will eventually make up our quarrel and then we can all be friends again. But it is far too soon to be talking about that. For the present, me and your Mam will talk on the phone from time to time. I kow you have your fourth birthday coming up soon, so that might be the occasion when we all get together - but it might be too soon. So we can only hope. But this is very good news.

That's all I can write about for the present - three lovely things happening in one day is almost too much!

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”

Blackpool Tower

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.

Have you ever been up Blackpool Tower? Yo should have. I'm sure you've seen pictures of it - it's juts like the Eiffel Tower in Paris in France but not quite as big, but it looks just as nice. And of course yoyu can see all the countryside aroubnd, and (on the Blackpool Tower) you can see way out to sea as well, even as far as the Isle on Man in the Irish Sea. I hope to go to the Isle of Man very soon. I've never been, but I've always wanted to go.

one of my books is coming out tomorrow and I can't wait to see what it looks like. I know what the cover is like, as I chose the picture on the front, but I haven't seen the whole book all put together. Then, lo and behold, I got an email today asking me to do yet another book! It never rains but it pours. THis time last year I couldn't get anybody to ask me to write a pamphlet, let alone a book. Now I've got lots (well, quite a few) books to write. Shows you just have to be persistent in this life.

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”

Where my Nana lived

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 went by car to Lancashire where my Nana used to live (she died many years ago). I was just passing through, but it was nice to see the place. I used to ride there on my bicycle, quite a way, but I used to do that all the time when I was a boy. Then it was on to Blackpool (where Nana Ann and I stayed a few weeks ago) for one night. We always look for the cheapest place to stay. The hotel where we were was ful;l, but I managed to find another place that was even cheaper. Nana Ann was pleased.

I've been very lucky with the weather. When I've been driving it's ben raining, but when I've stopped to look at something and photograph it (for a book fo course) it's bee sun-shining! I forgot to say I went past the lake where my Grandad taught me to sail in a little dingy with a single, tiny sail. It ws great fun and I really loved doing things with him.

Now sailing is one thing I am definitely not going to try to teach you - simply because your Mam is a top class sailor. You should ask her to teach you to sail - she can sail big yachts with lots od sails and a crew on board. I bet she shouts out the orders! But I would like to go sailing with you one day, when you have learnt how to do it, but on a lake, definitely not out to sea.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann