GRANDMA BONKERS

Eve Pollard one of my favourite journalists and one time editor of The Sunday Express and the Sunday Mirror was reviewing the papers on TV this morning during which she revealed that her grandchildren call her Grandma Bonkers. A great name and very distinctive.

My own grandchildren and great-grandchildren, being the fruit of multi-marriages have multi-nannas, some of us with the same christian name so it can get quite confusing. I have been called many things ranging from Nan, Nanny, Big Nan (my mother was Little Nan. They assured me that it refered to my height and not my width, but I didn't actually buy that). Big Nan was pluralized to "The Bigs" to include Davy (now I'm simply called "The Big"). Some of my great-grandchilden call me "Nanny Bullet" originating from their mother who used to say "you're quick, what do they call you? Bullet?"

So... Grandma Bonkers? Yes, it has a certain ring and fits me well.

OUR FIRST "NORMAL" WEEK?

I apologise for not visiting blogging friends or even replying to comments at the moment. I will return to "normal" when the tempo of life settles down. My drum now beats to a different rhythm. This is what I meant when I said that I now have to walk my path alone. I am not alone as in lonely, far from it. I am surrounded by a loving family, wonderful friends and supportive colleagues but I have entered a different stage in life, I am now a widow. It is an entirely different status and needs adjusting to. As I was once told "It's not the lions and tigers that'll get you, it's the rabbits that kick you to death". I just have to watch out for those rabbits.

And this feeling is not unique to me. The children have lost their loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather and his friends and colleagues have lost their sounding board and mentor. Mix this with the fact that he was completely bonkers, most times wrong, so cringingly un-PC that it would take your breath away and you have some idea of the void that is to be filled. But he trained us to believe that no-one is invincible and that we only succeed if, like removing your hand from a bucket of water, the void is filled automatically. His wisdom, passion and drive must live on through us.

As one of my great-granddaughter said some months ago "Grandad is a very unusual man isn't he?" Out of the mouths of babes?! Yes darling, he was a very unusual man, and we give thanks for that. So, deep breath, we have given lip service to his "unusualness", let that now live on in the successes of our daily lives. Let's fill our days with his spirit, especially not forgetting the crazy fun bits! I stake my claim to the un-PC thing! It could be interesting!!