General Chat

I had two Grandma's both lovely but oh so different.My Gran Bennett my Dads Mum was really nice but a bit on the posh side but very kind but not the sort to give you a cuddle or a love when you needed it, she was beautiful and so well dressed.When I was about 15 she came away with us in a caravan for a week,and half the week she was complaining she had constipation the other half the week she had diarhoea but we did have a laugh about it when she was out of earshot and I loved her very much. My other Grandma Moran was the most important lady in my younger life.I dont know where to start on her.She was warm she was cuddly she was so loving and it broke my heart when she died in 1980 aged 85.She had had a tough upbringing with 7 brothers and one sister.She had 3 children of her own My Aunt Vera who died of TB in 1942 aged 21 and my Uncle Bernard who died the year after aged 20 after an accident where he fell on the snow and ruptured his kidney after complications set in he died. So all that was left for my Gran was my Mum who had 5 children and of course my Grandad Jim.My Grandad was old fashioned and used to give my Gran a slap across the face but feel guilty after and give her money, she told me sometimes she used to antagonise him to get the money! When my Grandad died in 1957 they were comfortable for the first time in her life and I asked if we could have the TV now Grandad had died I was 7 of course she gave it to our family we could have anything off her!.When I was about 10-12 my Mum and Dad had troubles and my Mum left us 3 or 4 times and who stepped in to help us in those trying times of course my Gran my Mums Mum . She took us away on holiday to Butlins about 3 times and every time we got there she was unwell for the first day with the travelling but once she came round she made us enjoy the week.When my Mum was away she painted the bedroom wall in the dark you should have seen it the next day but that was my Gran.When she was 80 she used to come and see us where we live about 15 miles from her on the bus, on the way home she would get off at Salford where she lived as a young girl and walk alone through the streets she played in when young and walk home about 7 miles. She was so funny and so warm and I loved her so very much.Even though she died in 1985 under suspicious circumstances the front door where she lived was open and she was on the floor and died of hyporthermia the coroner gave an open verdict, I thought she would live forever and a day and i can still imagine her laughter and kindness.My Mum fell out with her for about 6 weeks but she used to come every day to where we were playing to make sure she could give us all a love.I suppose you all have strong feelings about your Grandma's if you can remember them but to me my Gran Moran was the best Gran a boy could ever have.She was a great letter writer and used to write two letters to me every week even though I saw her often. I treasure those letters even now. 'She was my Darling' Davexx

well I,m a grandma now &&& A great Gran & I HOPE I,m the best I can be. My two grown grandchildren I have a great rapore(spelling) with & my three grt grandkids aged 7 5 & 18months are learning ,I Hope ,that nanny & gramps are there for them. Shirley

Dave, a wonderful, heartwarming story. She must have been some special lady. Thanks to everyone for sharing today, both good and bad. XXXBC

Oh Dave She sounds like an absolute Gem. My Maternal gran was the same type of lady. I miss her still altho she died in 1958. Shirley

I never had a Granny awwww, both were dead before I was born. But now I am a Granny and I love my wee Grandson to bit's. I am more 'openly' cuddly to him than I was to my own kid's, for some funny reason. Bring's a lot out of you being a Granny I think. :))) Cheers to all Grannies out there. Marion

Hi Buttercup, Your Grandma sounds good, have you grown into her shoes, l think you're probably the same kinda person lol I lost my Nana when l was 5 but l have some special memories of her, she was a woman who could find something good in every one, my mum did'nt talk too much about her because it made her cry. My Gran, what to say about her, well she did'nt like me from day one, and always used to call me 'busy body' (i'm still a nosy old cow) my mum said it was because she was jealous that she did'nt have a beautiful daughter like me lol bless my mum, Gran did'nt like her either but she loved my 4 brothers and sister and her darling son. Anne xx

My Nanny was my world. I always used to tell her I loved her best in the world, and it was true. She was the most important person in my life. She was such a big hearted lady but strong as well. She was widowed when my Mum and her sister were 11 and 6, and never wanted to remarry- no one could of replaced her Sid. Her hair had turned white at 21, after her beloved younger brother died from rheumatic fever. She was born in Bethnal green, but spoke the queen's english beautifully, I would be corrected for saying Thanks instead of thank you! I was so jealous of my Aunty who got to live with my Nanny all the time! Although my wonderful Nanny died when I was 5 my memories of her are numerous and crystal clear, because she was such a big part of my life. My Granny was a lady who I appreciated more as I got older. She was a liverpudlian, and was very glamourous and attractive well into her 60's. She wasn't particualy demonstrative but I think now we would have sooooo much in common. I recently found a victorian photo and on the back she had written 'Annie's 3x Gt Grandmother, Susan Morgan, born 1843' THANKS GRAN! Sadly she died when I was 14, so I never fully appreciated her, but we did have some good chats about past family members etc. Wish I'd written it down! She was also the only grown up I knew who admitted to me they believed in ghosts. I used to always ask her what she thought happened when we died, and she would say that if she could she would come back. Of course spent the week after she died with my head under the duvet begging her not to. lol! Anyway looking at my youngest daughter I wonder if her prophecy did come true after all, but that's another thread! I can't believe I've waffled on so much, but feel quite refreshed for it! [probably is so garbled no one will make head nor tail of it, lol]

My Mum's Mum died when she was only 47 so I never knew her, but from what my Mum told me I think she would have been the cuddly sort - I have some letters passed between them when she was ill and they always make me cry. My Grandma on my father's side was a typical northern matriac, she ruled her house of mostly men only one daughter but I loved her dearly she had her cuddly moments too. I was only about 10 when she died and this was all a long long time ago!!!!! Jacquie

I have just read all your wonderful stories about your grandparents I know you will all treasure these stories as I never met any of my grandparents as my mum's mum died when she was 2yrs old and her dad died when I was 6yrs old but he was in hospital with dementia so never ever seen him. My dad's dad died in 1940 and his mum died in 1952 so I never met them but a cousin sent me pictures of my dad's parents and I have one of his gran but I always wished I could have memorys like you all have but I don't so treasure them

Hi BC. Both my grandmothers were total opposites. The one my Granny, was rather posh. We did not see her too often. She smelt funny. 'Cigarettes' We had to wear our best Sunday dresses. I can remember a few times me and my younger sister wearing out Bridesmaids dresses on a couple of occasions. When I was in the Brownies. We did something like the Scouts Bob a Job Week. So Mum asked if I could wash up for her and she could give a couple of pennies. She stuck her nose up in the air and said, ' I am not paying any Grandaughter of mine to wash up for me' I was in tears. My other Grandama, was great. I was always staying there at the weekend. She was bedridden for years. For the last six months of her life, I lived with her and looked after her until the night she died. It broke my heart to loose her. Funnily enough this was the lady who is in my 'Ghost Photograph' She appeared on a photo taken 8 years after her death. We have never got to the bottom of it. Jenny

I am so touched by all your replies, and memories.....thank you...BC XX

BC that is the one thing i missed out on never knew any of my grandparents, Wendy.x

My paternal grandma is 85 and is wonderful. She is now widowed and has diabetes and problems with her eyesight but is really modern thinking. I always turn to her for some common sense chats and a laugh. She was a farmer's wife and cook for the nobility and has worked hard all her life so it surprises people when they hear how old she is because she sounds so young on the phone. I've told her that she's not to pop off until she's at least 100. My maternal grandmother was a teacher and had 7 children and was a farmer's daughter who always had a really productive garden. A staunch Labour supporter, she hated the Conservatives with a passion. She was a wonderful crocheter and made me lots of dolly clothes that I've passed down to my daughters. I used to stay the night at her house when I was young, and she'd let me drink my Horlicks whilst watching the Hammer House of Horror. Louise

BC, both my grandmothers were smashing. Wish I could show you photos, I find it difficult to describe them. They were not alike to look at. They were both kind and generous. :-) Joy

I love reading all the replies here. I never knew either of my grandmothers as one died before I was born and one when I was 2. I love my 4 grandchildren to bits and just hope that they will say some of the nice things about me that you are saying about your grandmothers. Love and Peace Marianne.xxxx

My maternal grandma died when my mum was only 16 so I never knew her but she looked a kindly lady on photographs and one of my mum's older sisters looked like her, and was a bit like a granny to me instead. Mum's dad died in the April 1947 and I was born in July '47 so I didn't know him either. My dad's father was also dead before I was born and I really didn't know my paternal grandmother very well as she lived in Buckinghamshire and we were in Norfolk. I do remember her coming to stay once or twice and being very nervous and in awe of her - she used to tie my very straight fine hair up in rags to make it curl. It used to be so tight I used to have to ask my mum to undo them a bit - don't remember what my hair looked like when they came out! I also remember Gran coming to stay with us at a holiday bungalow in the dunes at Hemsby, with someone called 'Uncle Will'. A cousin on that side of the family who I have recently got to know tells me that there was some kind of scandal about Gran and 'Uncle Will' but we don't know what it was. I remember my mum didn't get on well with Gran; apparently after my mum and dad met and married here in Norfolk, they moved to live near Gran in a little village near Buckingham where the family had lived for years. My Gran was very unkind to my mum and when my brother was stillborn she was really callous so my parents moved back to Norwich. I did meet my Gran again when I was older and I visited Buckingham - she knew I liked reading and gave me a tatty old paperback book called The Al Johnson Story, which I loved. I think later the film The Jazz Singer was based on that book, and it is a very significant film for me, (but that is another story.) Gran died at the age of 90, on my mum's birthday in 1974, just a month after my premature baby daughter had died, so when I went to her funeral I was crying for my daughter more than my Gran. Now I am tracing my family tree, I wish I had known more about my Gran and been able to know her better. Another relative from Gran's family in Wales, sent me some old photos of Gran on her own and Gran with all her children round her, and I do have a bit of a likeness to her. Wonder how much I am like her in my ways -we shall never know.

My nan's expression of surprise was'Well I'll go to sea in a tar-tub!'

Id just like to add further to my earlier comments.I can also remember my great-grandma.She died in1968 aged 88 when I was 18.She was very nice too,she had been a widow since the First World War when her husband my Great Grandad was killed in action in The Battle of the Somme.She was Gran Moran too like my favourite Gran I mentioned earlier and was nice but had some strange ways.I can remember when she used to visit my Grandma she always used to bring her own sandwiches and I was puzzled by that!Anyway her and my Gran were very close and she outlived her son my Grandad Jim by over 10 years.Funnily when I met my wife after who lived about 15 miles from me, her mother was showing me some pics of her M-I-L and my Great Gran was on it strange because I wondered how they knew each other and it turned out that my Great Gran and my wife's Grandma were best friends its a small world isnt it?

I am nudging this because I liked it.....

Mine wasn't at all scary and we knew she loved us, but she was not cuddly (this was dad's Mum). She was a 'lady', she was very well spoken, very quietly spoken, never raised her voice, loved her church (Baptist) and was president of the Womens' meeting for many years. When she came to us for Christmas she always put an overall on so we wouldn't make her clothes dirty with our sticky fingers and would sit in the armchair in the corner just moving for her meals. I never saw her offer to help my Mum at all. She died when I was 20. My other Grandma was cuddly to me but she died when I was 4. Ann Glos