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”

Actually a Baron

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.

As I told you yesterday, today Nana Ann and I went to see one of the Lords in the House of Lords which is in the Houses of Parliament by the River Thames (next to Big Ben) which is very close to where Nana Ann works during the week. This Lord is actually a Baron which is I suppose even more important than just being a Lord. Anyway, he is a very nice man indeed and we talked about me helping him with a book he is writing. But before that, I have to tell you what happened on the train, or rather what didn't happen.

The train came late and got later and later as it got closer to London. The reason was the overhead line - this is the electric cable over the railway lines that give the power to the locomotives - near London had been damaged and we could only get as far as Peterborough. Then we were told we would have to get on a bus and go part of the way to the next station down the line, and then catch another train to get to London. And I was gettign alter and later. I din't want to keep this Lord, the Baron waiting.

In the end we got off the elelctric train and got onto another train with a diesel engine. Diesel is fuel like petrol - my car runs on diesel - and it does't need any electricity from the electric cables, so it could go straight to London. But the problem wa that it was very, very slow and when we eventually arrived in London it was three hours late. That meant I was over an hour late for meeting Nana Ann and the Lord.

The Lord was very nice about it and said it wasn't my fault I was so late. While she was waiting for me, Nana Ann had tea in the House of Lords (very nice!) and also sat in the Chamber of the House of Lords (even nices, I didn't know ordinary people could sit there) to listen to a debate about whether or not to pass this particular law. That's what MPs and Lords do, it's a bit boring really but very interesting to me and Nana Ann. Both of us saw several Lords that we kn ow and said hello to them. One particular Lord has seen us three times in the Houes of Lords recently, so I bet he wonders how we get to go so often!

Then it was out for a quick meal with Nana Ann (at quite a posh restuarant) and Grandad had to catch the train back home. Tomorrow is another day and another journey.

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”

Old town hall

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 travelled down to Yorkshire today to talk to a lot of old people (and I'm old myself, but never mind) and sign my books. Actually, I sold quite a few and it was a grand occasion. The best part was that we had the event in an old town hall, a really nice old building that has stained glass windows, lots of big staircases and corridoors, all kinds of interesting rooms and cupboards, and lots of wooden panelling. You could easily get lost there.

When I got there there were lots and lots of people going in and out. The reasson was that two other town halls nearby were closed, so all the people who had to do business with the council about their council houses and so on, had to come to this one town hall.

Then I had to get everything ready to go to London tomorrow. Nana Ann and I are going to the House of Lords (again!) to see one of the Lords (again!) and discuss writing a book. And also I had to get Nana Ann's train tickets for when she comes up from London next week. She says she's got some very rare books for me to study, to save me going to the Biritish Library in London (where they have every book that's ever been published in thsi country!).

It's a busy life1

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”

Bed of roses

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 had to go out into the front garden and chop down a lot of branches of bushes and plants that have started growing across our front path - so much so that they were starting to meet in the middle! These polants etc have been growing like billy-o because we've been having a lot of sunshine and showers and it's been very warm - ideal growing weather, especially for weeds. Nana Ann is cominu up in a week's time, and she would take a fit if she saw the garden as it was before I started chopping. As it is, she'll not be best pleased. But when we got married 30 years ago she knew I was no gardner and would do no gardening whatsoever - so there!

There's been a big display of roses from two rose busges in the garden. One is bright pink with a little white - not pale pink like it usually is (this is the one thatt's been blooming right through the winter). I wonder why that is. The other is a pale yellow with curly petals like silk that haver fallen off in great profusion onto the path. So anyone coming to our house has been walking on a bed of roses!

I've told Nana Ann that Grandad has been far too busy with his books to see to the house, so she'll juts have to take me as she finds me, worse than ever I'm afraid.

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”

A shed-load of work

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.

"A shed-load of work" - that's a funny expression, I hear you say, or rather I thnik you would say "what does that mean, Grandad?" I often have imaginary conversations with you. One day I hope they'll be real. Anyway, "A shed-load of work" simply means Grandad has lots and lots of work to do. It's always the same when I've been away. As well as all the information I've got on my travels, which I have to "write up" as they say, there's all the work I would ahgve done at home if I'd been here (only I wasn't) and that has to be done too. But I can't complain. It's all my own fault, taking all these differemt jobs on, but it's better to have too much work to do than too little.

One day I hope to do a "video blog" so that I can actually talk to you. But Grandad is not very good at mechanical things, let alone computer type things, so I'm having to take it bit by bit. The first thing is to get the video camera working. For most people, that would be as easy as pie, but not for Grandad. First I had to get the battery charged up, but I've nlost (or mislaid) the battery charger. So I have had to get a new battery charger - and it has to be the right one. It wasn't exactly the right one, but by taping the batter to it, I've more or less got it working. I'll let you know how I get 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”

Southend Pier - the longest in the world

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.

Remeber I said that the beaches in the south were not up to much? Well, today I was in Southend. To be fair, it is on the River Thames and not exactly on the sea, but it is a huge hoiday resort. And Southport has the longest pier in the world! Its's nearly a mile and a half, well actuall a mile and a third long. So Grandad went on it. It's so long, it has its own train to take people to the end of the pier and back. So I took the train out, and walked back. It was great. And I saw the lady who is in charge of the pier, and she was very nice.

But driving back home was raelly horrible. You saw on the tv all those people whose houses were flooeded due to the very heavy rain? Well, I had to drive through all that rian with thousands of other motorists and lorry drivers, and it was really really horrible. Then when I went into a garage for diesel for my car, they had no diesel. Then I wnet into another garage, and they had no diesel either. Fortnately, when I wnet into the third garage - and this was quite a few miles further on - they did have diesel. It was a lot more expensive than usual, but I didn't mind. Fortunately I wasn't on mys last drop of fuel, otherwise I woulds have run out of diesel and been stranded by the roadside. It would have been a long time before anyone sould have come and rescued me!

I got home just in time for Nana Ann to ring up and find that I was in fact back home safe and sound. She had sen all about the flooding on the tv, and naturally she was worried about me. Of course I told her not to worry and I was never in any trouble - but I might have been.

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”

Thomas the Tank Engine

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.

Every place I've been to at the seaside, I've sent postcards to Nana Ann and other people in our family, but not to you. I don't want to make your Mam and Dad cross! But today I saw a postcard of Thomas the Tank Engine and his engine friends, and I couldn't resist sending it. Actually I addressed it to your Mam, but I hope you get to see it anyway. I signed it "Dad" as I'm your Mam's dad. Perhaps you will ask her who her Dad is, and perhaps she will tell you that it's me and I'm your Grandad!

This mornign I was surprised to be told at the hotel that breakfast was not until nine o'cloc! That is far too late for me, as I usually get up at seven o'clock and I want to be "up and doing" no later than eight o'clock. Besides, I've got a lot of places to visit this week. The reason this particular hotel doesn't have breakfast until nine o'clock is that they don't serve breakfast atall, they get a local cafe to do it for them! And the cafe doesn't open until nine, so off I went to find a cafe that was opena nd have my breakfast there. So there!

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 a thousand miles

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.

Sorry I've got a little bit behind with my daily blog to you, but I promise you I will catch up. The reason is that Grandad has been on his travels (agian!) and I've driven nealt a thousand miles in three days. But I'll take it day by day.

Today I met a man who promised to help me with one of my books. I'm very pleased, because this man knows a huge amount. First I got up very early to go and take some photogrpahs of a new house that's being built (I'm writing about it) then I went to see a man who puts roofs on buildings - very interesting. Then it was off the meet the man I told you about first.

I'll let you into a little secret about what I'm doing. I'm visiting all the different seaside places around the country. Well, not all of them, but quite a few. If you came along, you could tell me what were your favourite things to do at the seaside, apart from play in the sand that is. Nearly all the places I'm visiting this week (on the East coast) have lovely sandy beaches, not like most of those on the south coast. Sorry if I keep going on about that, but it's true!

When I go to the seasid I've got to be careful not to eat too many ice creams otherwise I'll get really fat - and I love ice cream! So I ration myself to no more than one a day. Nana Ann likes the seaside too (and ice cream) but she can't be with me this wek - she's busy at work in London.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann