Grandad

My Grandad's funeral was in September. He had a lot of waistcoats so myself and some of my family each wore one. 

A large number of my memories of our time together are from my childhood. I think the earliest is going to visit one day and asking where his moustache had gone; he told me it had jumped down the sink. 

We played lots of games when visiting, he taught me a couple of card games, and I remember playing a puzzle game on his computer. He had the Dingbats game, but I would usually just look through the cards trying to guess them (or ask someone else to guess it) instead of actually playing it properly. 

I remember sitting on his knee being told a story (only to have him move me in his lap telling me to sit still). Me and my brother used to go on adventures with him in his old ambulance, eating breakfast in the back and driving around somewhere. 

He used to dress up as Santa for the Christmas party his old work had; one year I dressed up as an elf and helped. I did a work shadowing in his shop as part of school, so spent a day helping out in the shop (we would occasionally visit and help out at the weekend, although helping here would usually mean playing with the little toys). 

We used to holiday in Sark a lot, and one year when he was there he told us how he had been cycling down a steep hill and accidentally swallowed a butterfly!

There would often be "aunties parties" held at his house, which were very busy and a lot of fun. We would go sledging down the big hill in the park up the road when it snowed, and played in the park when it didn't. 

The week after we told my parents that we were expecting Kaleb, my Mum told us that he was in hospital and might not last the week, so we went in straight away to tell him (and show him the scan photo we had). He was out of hospital in time for Christmas, and got to hold Kaleb once he was born. 

He appeared at our house for Kaleb's first Christmas in a Santa costume (brining a spare one for me to wear). One year, for his birthday, his sister got him a clown outfit, which he wore to answer the door (scaring poor Kaleb in the process). 

Earlier this year, he got to hold Evelyn after she was born, and see my aunt getting married. 

I don't think either of my children will have any memories of him; Evelyn certainly wont, and I think Kaleb is too young to have made many long term memories. At the very least, they'll have some photos and videos, and of course, my memories.