My grandparents

These wonderful people are my grandparents.

I love this photo.

I love these people.

Only Grandma is with us now (on right), but I was a real lucky duck to have all of them in my life until I was 18. Isn't that wonderful?

I showed you the crocheted strawberries my mum made and mentioned I come from a long line of creative people. I'm not sure how long the line is, but I'll bet it's long. People had to be creative back in the day anyway, didn't they?

My grandparents certainly were. It's amazing, really. I've got some stories and bits and pieces that I'm going to share on them another time soon. For now though, here's a few memories/snippets etc about the photo above:

~ Pappa and Gran (Dad's parents) are on the left and Grandpa and Grandma (Mum's) are on the right.

~ I love that they have their own grandparent names.

~ I bet this photo was taken at my sister's birthday dinner. Jumpers and strawberries = August.

~ That's the family cake.

The cake is a sponge with jam, cream and strawberries. It's what we all had...for every birthday...for the whole of our lives...

Mum's coughing and spluttering right now because she remembers full well all the novelty cakes she made us - I particularly remember the house with the chocolate freckles roof for my 8th birthday - but what I didn't finish saying was ...we had the strawberry sponge for the whole of our lives after the novelty cakes were over.

And they were over at about age 8.

I think.

Must've been the house with the chocolate freckles.

Must've collasped (summer birthday; no air con) and Mum said no more to the novelty cake and yes to the store bought.

Am I right about that, Mum? I don't know really, I'm just making it up.

Back to photo observations:

~ I used to set the table for family dinners and finish with a flower in the middle when I was feeling creative.

~ Mum likes to upgrade her cutlery, plates, placemats and stuff like that. She got these black little numbers from her mother for a couple of birthdays and a Christmas.

Here, Claire, I got you some coasters. Thanks, Mum, how'd you know?

Here, Claire, I got you some placemats. Thanks, Mum, how'd you know?

Here, Claire, I got you some more placemats. Thanks, Mum, how'd you know?

You know what mothers are like. They just know.

(Because you told 'em)

Anyway... :o)

~ Granny and Pappa were the more old-fashioned ones.

They drove an old style Rover, didn't have a microwave, had salted peanuts and boiled lollies as treats, drank tea out of pretty china cups and had huge cutlery that tasted tinny. I couldn't fit the spoons in my mouth...

If Pappa and I were walking down the street, he'd walk on the road side. On purpose. Because he was a gentleman.

~ Grandma and Grandpa were mod.

They had the microwave, a second fridge, a record player, a TV in the room we stayed in when we were on holidays, an Atari (Grandpa bought for the grandkids), 2 hand-held computer games (again, for us. So he said), tape players, a video player with remote control, jelly beans, chocolate frogs and potato chips (Grandma called them potato flakes).

And they all gave great presents too! Grandparents usually do, don't they?

Thanks, Grandma, how'd you know?

Well, darling, I just knew.