Probably one of the hardest speeches I have had to write.
Where to start. My grand parents were my second life source; as grandchildren we lost Granddad in 1991, and today we mark the loss of our grandmother in 2018, but not just a loss, a celebration of her life, we must remember the good times, the happy times and the FUNNY times!
We were naughty; as grandchildren we knew better, we knew everything, but in reality and years on, we knew nothing and we learnt from our elders.
My generation of cousins, the grandchildren, was our prime time and has favoured memories, but the second and third generation of cousins and grandchildren will have equal memories and you will hold and keep them and share them yourselves.
We were lucky, we were privileged, from the EastEnd of London to Great Yarmouth, every grandparent visit a holiday – can you ask for more?
We travelled when camping and caravanning as kids, Julie, Paula, Kerry and myself on family holidays, some times with the parents and others just the four of us, we had fun, we formed the Penguin Club! Makes for a good story, ask us outside of here.
Camping with Nan and Granddad, Roy and June, and if my memory is right June and Dave, we had been eating onion rings and all had fluctuations, Julie, more so you! We got kicked out and had to run around the River Lea race course (we were visiting London), we saw hurdles jumped them and one of our number tripped on said hurdle went flat on her face and landed in the water the other side, isn’t that right Julie, may I remind you the first words you said whilst drenched having been running to fight of the farts …. I’ve ripped me tights! She screams
‘Bundles’ in the lounge in Vauxhall Terrace saw us being sent to bed early one night, off to bed we went with the naughtiness carrying on, a scream from granddad with nan in the background at the foot of the stairs ‘I can hear you all down here” with a cheeky laughter from upstairs and a sudden response from Paula ‘Well you shouldn’t be listening’, by the time he climbed those stairs marcoulsy all of us were is the deepest sleep you could ever imagine!
Kerry, ‘Nan, Genes dropped his bone” WELL PICK IT UP THEN Grannie shouted back at the dinner table! The wonderful cook she was we all found ourselves trying to dump something here and there, me, potatoes down the back of the shirt thinking I could escape to the bathroom, others in their pockets.
Little Lee will remember our times at Pleasure Wood Hills and still haunts me with the photos, we had good times!
Grannie, was what I called her, she would say its spelt with a ‘Y’, I would say its now with an ‘IE’ you’re my Grannie and as special to me as you are is my spelling - - which is appalling at times I might add!
Russell, Julie, Paula, Kerry, Myself, Little Lee, Annette, Stephen, Nicola, Sabrina, Luke, Joe and the flowing generations will all have our own memories of Nan, keep them, cherish them, share them and never forget them as she never forgot you and neither will she. Reunited with Granddad they are back as one and for me, I love you as much today as I did when I realised who you were as my grandparents and the love you gave me.
Gene Harrison