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”

Back to school

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.

MOst kids are going back to school tomorrow. I guess you'll be back at nursery school too. Nana Ann used to be a teacher, and she used to teach lots of boys and girls like you, some a litle older perhaps. She loved all the boys and girls ahe taught. They are all gronw up by now. Sometimes grown-up people stop me in the street or in the supermarket and tell me that Nana Ann used to teach them when they were little!

The last thing Nana Ann did before she left was to paint the front door. Why, I don't know. It looked all right to me, the same as it has done for years. There was still plenty of paint left on it, but now it looks really smart. I've just had to change a light bulb, so don't say Grandad never does anything round the house! As we use up our old light bulbs, I replace them with the modern energy-saving ones. One thing I've noticed, Nana Ann leaves the lights on around the house a lot. Now I'm always switching them off as I go from one room to another, but Nana Ann has this theory it uses more electricity and wears out the bulbs faster if you keep switching lights on and off rather than leave them on all the time. Well, not all the time, but you know what I mean.

Grandad is off on his travels tomorrow. I promise I'll send you at least one postcard. You never know, it might do the trick with your Mam, as it did once before (but only once). At least she and your Dad will know we're still thinking of you.

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”

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

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”

Too many sweets

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 sorry I'm not writing to you every day right now, but it is getting towards "wet towel" time and I really have to keep my nose to the grindstone. Today I had to take a break to go to the dentist (for the third of my three sessions) and once again it didn't hurt too much. But it's all down to eating too many sweets, toffees, chocolates, cakes and ice cream when I was a lad. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't resist and I didn't know any better. So I've been made to suffer ever since.

Grandad will be off on his travels again next week, and that's given me an idea. I think I'll send you and your Mam one or two cards from interesting places. Remember it was a "Thomas the Tank Engine" card that did the trick last time, when your Mam phoned me - just the once mind, but it was the first time at least since you were born! And of course that led to us getting to see you for the first (and so far only) time - that was a blessing. So I'll be on the lookout for some really nice, interesting or funny postcards to send you. You never know!

This Sunday Grandad's going in a triathlon, that's like three races in one - swimming, cycling and running. It would eb really great to have you there. "Come on Grandad!" would make me feel like an Olympic champion, even if I trail in nearly last - but I'll beat a few blokes younger than me, you can bet on it.

Your Uncle Norman rang me today. I'm due to pay him a visit, but it'll have to wait until next week.

Yesterday I went to the seaside (on business of course) but I was able to travel on this lift that goes on rails down a very steep cliff. It's a terrific ride, somethign you would realy enjoy. I always think about that, every time I get to go on something nice and interesting.

Nana Ann is hard at work too, but today she rang me at lunchtime. She's seen some pictures for a book, and I said get them - but don't pay 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”

All quiet on the Western Front

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 put Nana Ann on the train to go back to London last night. We had a good talk about things, and we have decided to do nothing more for the present. The way we look at it is this: if your Mam is cross with us (which she seems to be, but why we don't really know) then there is no point in us annoying her further, as it were, by getting back to he so soon after meeting you for the first time just a few short days ago. If she is cros with us, then the best thing to do is to wait until she's no longer cross with us. If we ask her why she feels the way she does, she will just try to prove why she is cross with us. Whether that is something real or just something that she imagines, isn't really the point, in fact it doesn't really matter either way.

So chin up, old lad, at least now you have some idea that soemwhere there are two old people who are relatives of yours, like your other Grandadas and Nanas, who care about you for no other reason than we share the same bloodlines. Blood is thicker than water, they say, and that is certainly the case for us. We do wish and hope that that will be the saem fro you Mam and Dad as well.

So, it's All Quiet on the Westren Front. On the Home Front, Nana Ann wasn't able to dfix the central heating - Barry the Buolder came round today and fixed it in five minutes flat (though what his bill will be I shudder to think) but Nana Ann did get up on the kitchen roof to fix some loose slates. She's left me six more bags of garden runnish to take to the recycling centre (some is from our bag yard I must admit where the treeds and bushes have grown wild for years - the birds who have nested there in recent years will be very annoyed).

My time is up so as always

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”

Our secret garden

You are now four years old. I am you 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.

Nana Ann has got to work on our front garden today, "the jungle" in other words. Remember how I said we could have a great game of hide and seek in there? Well, it's not quite such a jungle now. Nana Ann has got to work with all kinds of cutting implements. Let me tell you, we have had to go to the recycling centre three times today with the car packed to the gunnels (I think that should be gunwales but never mind) with branches and bushes and waht have you. All our small trees and bushes are looking a little sorry for themselves, they've all had the arborial equivalent of crew cuts or at least a pudding-basin cut. But one thing really pleased me.

As Nana Ann was working, an old couple came past. They were going to have their Sunday dinners at the hospital which (for all its shortcomings) provides good, healthy meals at low prices. They go every Sunday, and every Sunday they pass our house and have a look at our front garden. Anyway, they got talking to Nana Ann and what they said was this: every time they go past our house, at least once a week, they always have a look at our graden. We have quite a number of flowers, such as our beautiful roses, and the bushes and trees often have flowers on as well. But most of all they enjoy looking at and taling about what they call "our secret garden." They rejoice in the fact that lots of little creatures live in our garden, hidden away from harm's way. The man even asked Nana Ann if she's ever seen a grass snake in our garden. (Grass snakes are harmless by the way).

But our garden will grow again, and I'm sure it will be a secret garden once more. As to whether you'll ever get the chance to play in it, I wouldn't put money on it. Nana Ann has been so busy with the garden and other things to fix in the house, the central heating which broke down weeks ago, one of our smaoke alarms was off, a new lanmpshade was needed - all things Grandad has been too busy to fix! Plus the fact that I really am in "wet towel" time with my books. "Wet towel time" means you more or less have to lock yourself away in a room so you can get on with your shed-load of work with absolutely no distractions, with a wet towel round your head. I have't actually done the wet towel bit yet, but I've been close.

So I'm sorry to say we haven't yet discussed the position vis a vis you and your Mam and Dad and us in any depth yet. Really we need both to be relaxed and withgout outside pressures. Otherwise we could very well get into an argument between the two of us, and that will never do. One thing I have learned through livig this long is that arguments happen much more readily when you're tired and distrcated. That's grown-up talk and not for you for many years yet. But we do still think about you, a lot, and every single 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”

Nana Ann is very, very cross

You are now four years old. I am you 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.

Nana Ann caught the train from London and I went to the station to collect her. Unfortunately, the train broke down - only a few minutes before it was due to arrive! The reason was that the mechanism on top of the train that slides along the electric overhead wires and gets the electricity into the train to drive it, came loose. With no elecrtic power, the train just stopped and couldn't move. They had to get a diesel locomotive to come from Newcastle, hook on to the front of the train, and drag it into the station before averybody could get off. There were eight other trains coming up from London behind this one and they were all late too, although some of them meanged to get round the broken-down train and go on their way to Newcastle or Edinburgh in Scotland.

The train Nana Annwas on was nearly two hours late, and needless to say Nana Ann was very, very cross. very, very, very cross. Now she couldn't blame Grandad for the train being late, but I did get the rough edge of her tongue when I didn't see her staright away in the crowds of people getting on and off the train. Anyway, Nana Ann macrhed off to get a form to fill in and claim compensation from GNER, the train company. But they're on their way out anyway. Another company is going to take over the trains from them anyway.

Anyway, Nana Ann was far too tired and cross for us to talk about you, or rather the situation with your Mam and Dad, so that will have to wait. In any case, you can't rush these things. We waited four years to see you for the first time, so if we have to wait awhile for the second time, no matter.

Love from

Grandad and (a very cross but not with you) 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”

Tubes and wires

I am you other grandfather, the one you have never met. You are four 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.

What a carry on. Today Grandad had to go to hospital for yet another test. They still can't find out what's wrong with me (but it's not really serious - I'm not going to go just yet). What a palaver. I got changed into my bike gear and climbed onto this exercise bike. That was easy enough, but then they attached all these wires to me - lots of wires, I'm not exagerating - and these go into various computers to record my heart, blood pressure etc, while I'm exercising. Then I had a big tube in my mouth to breath into and a big clip on my nose, worse than a clothes peg, to stop me breathing through my nose. Then it was pedal, pedal, pedal until I couldn't pedal anymore. Of course Grandad thinks he can pedal for ever, but no such luck. This diabolical machine make the bike get a little bit harder to ride, minute by minute, so eventually it's like trying to bike up a very steep hill. I kept it up as long as I could, but eventually I had to give in. God knows what they're going to make of it all.

Then it's back to work and get ready for Nana Ann coming tomorrow. I've been too busy to do anything to the house as I normally do, but I think she knows what to expect. She's promised to let me gte on with my work and not bother me too much.

The beatiful pale pink and white roses are still in bloom, so she'll enjoy seeing those. They might distract her from the state of the garden which is still like a jungle despite my occasional forays with various cutting and chopping instruments. Lots of rain and lots of sunshine make your garden grow. Now I've seen your house, I must say our small garden looks bigger then your tiny one! But in London, houses cost so much, not many people can afford a house with a big garden or even a medium-size one like Nana Ann has.

This weekend, Nana Ann and I will have a long talk about our visit to you last weekend, and what we should do nect. I was going to say, we'll let the situation cool for a while, but it couldn't be any colder that it is now between me and your Mam - I would say deep permafrost and no sign whatsoever of a thaw. But we'll not rush into anything. So I'll keep these letters going for a while till we decide what to do.

Love from

Grandad Kit and Nana Ann