My granddad, who was ex-army (Royal Engineer) passed away on the 28th December 1989. He hadn't been very well with diabetes related illnesses causing him to first of all have one leg amputated and when he had to have the second one amputated he simply gave up the will to live. Though he did live life to the full and one memorable moment was him telling the dietician that he had to die of something, and that he would eat what he liked as she was trying to stop him eating so many bananas.
Being a diabetic, he had to watch his sugar intake and he wasn't a huge chocolate or sweet eater, but he did like his fruit and I can remember buying a large bunch of bananas, a couple of pounds of pears and various other fruits every week.
He was very victorian in his way, though he was born in 1903. I am in contact with my Uncle who now lives in Australia and he remembers his Dad as being somewhat strict, my Mum on the other hand used to tell me that her relationship with her Dad was quite different, and it was her Mum (my grandmother) who was very strict with her. Uncle P and his wife hope to make a visit over here to catch up on some family history in 2011 if finances permit; it would be good to meet them, I haven't seen him since I was a little girl and it is fascinating to hear the other side of the story of my maternal grandparents.
4 comments:
Yes, how true, I love to hear about my grandparents and even their parents. My great grandparents.
Do you remember I did a blog about my grandfather (my mums dad) who died at a very young age with TB?
I've always been fascinated about him.
Probably because I never actually met him, i find it fascinating when they recall their childhood memories.
Different kind of world, they lived in.
Fascinating.
I love it.
Interesting about the family history, which totally absorbs 'B'. Some new-found relatives of hers came over from New Zealand and they all had a 'meet' in London. They now keep in touch.
This time of year reminds me of my Grandmother who died at Christmas. isn't it funny how, people often don't get interested in the history of their folks until after they've gone. I have researched my famiyl tree, but I wish I had asked my Gran more about her life, it's almost as if I never thought we'd be without her.
I love hearing family stories. I hope that they're able to make the trip!
Post a Comment