Happy Birthday Grandad

It would have been my dear Grandads birthday today. 96 years.

I miss him.

He would have loved Robyn and Katie. He would have teased them like mad and would have spoiled them rotten just like he used to with me and my sister.

As kids we used to visit Grandad and within minutes he would shuffle off to his cupboard and rustle through bags and boxes. He would reappear with sweets, chocolates and biscuits of all kinds… strawberry chocolate bars, wagon wheels and broken biscuits seem to stick in my mind! Nearly all were out of date where he had bought them cheap.

I remember one day Grandad disappeared and came back with a blue plastic money box that was like a safe with a combination. Ali and I were told “If you can get it open you can share what’s inside between you”. We spent ages trying to get this money box open. We were led to believe that Grandad had forgotten the code to the combination… of course he hadn’t! He gave us some hints as to what the code might be and eventually we opened it… it was full to the brim of all kinds of coins. It was every child’s dream… like finding a box of treasure!!!!

Grandad used to tap his foot… and his hand… and he used to whistle all the time. I can see him now sitting in his armchair, the newspaper on the arm open on the horseracing page. He is tapping, whistling and smiling.

Happy Birthday Grandad. I will never forget you