Nan and Grandad

By jolono

Sat, 12 Apr 2014
  • 4148 reads
17 comments
 

She smelt of soap, hairspray and Californian Poppy.

He smelt of pipe tobacco, brylcreem and hard work.

They always had the strangest fizzy drinks

The ones that mum and dad refused to buy

The ones that made us kids go bonkers.

 

They had their own way of doing things

She kept her bread in an old tin and cut it

with a knife while holding it under her left arm

He tapped out his pipe in the fireplace and

mended his punctures in the kitchen.

 

They let us do things Mum and dad wouldn’t

Stay up just that little bit later playing bingo

Slide down their bannister in our pyjamas

Dig up their garden looking for treasure

Make cakes with her, ride on his crossbar.

 

I never saw them fight or argue

They just “niggled” at each other from time to time

He would give me a wink while calling her

a “moaner”. She would laugh and tell him

to stop leaving his socks on the kitchen table.

 

Things tasted better in their house

Her bread pudding was better than Mum’s

The roast dinners seemed bigger and the

greens didn’t taste as disgusting as the

greens that mum boiled up on Sundays.

 

They bought us things. Things we wanted.

The Beano for me, the Dandy for sis.

Wagon wheels, liquorice allsorts, jamboree bags

toffee on a stick and the best treat of all

Lucozade when we were ill.

 

They seemed to have more time.

More time for us, more time to do the

things we wanted them to do.

I sometimes wonder, will we become them

one day. I sincerely hope so....

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Poems of Life and Love
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Enjoyed the musings and happy memories flowing gently on. Is the photo them? Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Bee on

I'm glad I read this this morning because you have brought back so many memories of my own. Your grandparents were lovely and so is your poem - so evocative of childhood visits to those who had the time busy parents couldn't spare and who seemed more fun because they spoilt us. What a dear photo. It's really captured the characters you described.

Bee

Submitted by Syphon on

Lovely Poem Jolono, I think so many people can relate this to their own grandparents. 

Submitted by celticman on

Lucozade. ha. greens that turn to mush. yeh, I like that and it has the ring of truth (whatever that is).

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Jolono,

it's so great when you can recall those special memories of loved ones.  I so enjoyed reading yours.

Your Grandparents sound like they were a wonderful couple and your memorable moments brought back many of my own.

Thanks so much for sharing this.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by jolono on

Thank you Rhiannonw, happy memories indeed.

 

Submitted by jolono on

Hi Bee, they were a lovely couple sadly gone many years now but they always had time for us and like most grandparents, spoilt us rotten.

 

Submitted by jolono on

Thanks for reading and enjoying Syphon, and CM, yes its all true. Nan's bread pudding was always better than Mums.

 

Submitted by jolono on

Hi Jenny. Lovely people who gave us anything and everything they could afford.

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

Reminiscence a la bisto with a soupconne of melancholia thrown in. You do these old world themes so well that they seem like centuries ago, not decades. How we've 'evolved'

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

Reminiscence a la bisto with a soupconne of melancholia thrown in. You do these old world themes so well that they seem like centuries ago, not decades. How we've 'evolved'

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

Reminiscence a la bisto with a soupconne of melancholia thrown in. You do these old world themes so well that they seem like centuries ago, not decades. How we've 'evolved'

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

Reminiscence a la bisto with a soupconne of melancholia thrown in. You do these old world themes so well that they seem like centuries ago, not decades. How we've 'evolved'

 

Submitted by jolono on

Cheers Blighters. It does seem like a lifetime ago and in reality i suppose it was! Coming up for fifty years ago. Wow, a lots changed in that time....

 

Submitted by Canonette on

I really enjoyed this poem, brought back some lovely memories of my own.  An affectionate and touching portrait.

 

Submitted by jolono on

Thank you Cannonette, a simple poem about very ordinary people. But extra ordinary to us kids.

 

Submitted by VeraClark on

There's nothing ordinary about grandparents if you get a good set like that, you remember them for eternity like they were gold. I'd pay hard cash for another ten minutes with Grandad any day of the week. This touched me deeply, so many things to nod at - the bread, the greens, the Lucozade, ditching their garden. You've got a crisp memory for nostalgia.