Grandchildren are special, anyone who is a similar age to me knows this even if only because when they are younger you can have them all day and load them with sugar just before they get picked up so they are hyper and out of control for your devoted children and partners.
Now this as a strategy works when they are pre teenagers but once the dreaded teens hits it’s an entirely different story.
Tonight Lady Ann and myself have been to Diggle Blues Festival which can I say was fantastic. The Band we saw had a collective age of 180 but they played like they knew each others every second thought and from what I have seen on TV recently that will equate to ten boy bands singing to a backing track.
This was music from my youth, no sync tracks just three guys playing great stuff and enjoying every second. Just think about it baby boomers all the greatest bands from our youth were a trio, The Jimmy Hendricks Experience, Cream and a whole list of others.
These guys raised the roof, they should have been on for an hour and a half and Two hours later they were still going strong, why? Because they love doing what they do, and they do it very well.
So back to my original story about my grandchildren. When they get into the teenage years they do become challenging. Jim Bob who was nine last week is easy, let him loose on your computer playing Minecraft and he is a breeze, his sister Saskia however is a completely different kettle of fish.
She is now 14 and knows everything, sulky and I hate to admit it she is very funny and as bright as a button and has an answer for everything. The one thing she hasn’t learned is subtly.
She has already asked if she can have my Mac when I shuffle off this mortal coil. Even if we arrange for a family holiday like last year we have to check it there is wireless on the complex so she won’t be out of touch with her posse.
But what I find is the biggest cheek of all is that they do visit when you are not at home and make themselves very comfortable. I don’t mean they break in, they have a key but they systematically empty the fridge, drink all the coke and eat all the stuff I shouldn’t eat (which I suppose is a good thing).
So when we arrived home tonight the note at the top of this post is the note that Saskia left on the coffee table so we wouldn’t think we had been burgled. You have to hand it to her she did think to let us know.
God only knows what the future brings but I know one thing for sure I wouldn’t change anything at all. Life is good, we have a great family around us and life is an adventure, and so it should be.
Why would you go to bed thinking you haven’t made a difference to anything or anyone. That would be my vision of hell and hopefully I won’t be visiting there anytime soon.
John d eccles 