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07/05/2008


my photo

beautiful cherry tree cottage ...

This is the cottage my grandparents lived in for many years, I wonder why they didn't have a pale pink front door? I spent many a Saturday morning here with my brother as a child. I have so many happy memories of this place, I don't know where to start. Here are just a few naughty things me and my brother used to get up to, don't forget we were very young!

Rolling marbles from the top to the bottom of the stairs!

Hiding a hard bristle brush underneath the covers on my grandad's side of the bed!

Planting water bombs on top of granny and grandads' bedroom door!

Here are some more sensible memories!

Watching cult viewing, Pipkins, The Banana Splits and The Double Deckers on their TV!

I would get a spelling lesson from grandad without fail every week. We would sit in the sunroom which was sandwiched between the kitchen and the workshop. Don't ask me why but the spelling of the word onion sticks in my mind to this day!

Once granny took the lid of the pressure cooker too soon and rice pudding exploded all over the ceiling!

We would have prunes and custard and granny had special dishes with rims around the edge to place our stones!

I would play washing-up standing on a stool at the kitchen sink!

I took great pleasure in tidying up granny's store cupboard, putting tins in neat rows, much to my Mum's annoyance!

Granny would make her own cream in a cream-maker. It tasted like Nestles, yummy!

Granny and grandad kept one tin especially for sweet biscuits (pink wafers and Nice) and one tin for savoury ones (Cheddars and Cream Crackers)!

I have told you this one before. Granny's Birds trifles were always on the slant!

I wonder if my brother can remember any more?

This post was inspired after seeing a lovely photo of cherry blossom on Carolyn's blog Willow House.

I'd love to hear of your special memories of your grandparents?

20 comments:

Simone said...

I used to 'style' my grandad's silver short back and sides with hair clips and bobbles and he would just sit there and let me do it to him!!! When the mood took my nan she would whip out her false teeth and chatter them together in front of my face laughing!!!!!!!! No wonder I am a little disturbed!!!

Twiggy said...

Lovely post Louise. I loved Pipkins and I'm a BIG fan of Hartley Hare. Anyhoo, we used to bury marbles under Grandads rose bushes, then deny all knowledge when he dug them up. My grandparents had an outside loo and I bounced a power ball down it and flushed and it got blocked - oops! My Grandad was a gardener so there was always loads of fresh veggies, I used to love dipping radishes in boiled eggs for tea. My Granny used to have a VERY old milk formula tin with biscuits in it and I used to stand at her enormous Belfast sink to help wash up and sometimes have a bath in it when I was tiny :)
I'm whisprering this but I used to go in the front parlour - this was for BEST - tee hee, and jump up and down on the springy sofa and mess about with Grandads violin and when he used it he was always puzzled why it sounded so rubbish - happy memories. apologies for the long list :)
Twiggy x

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Oh wonderful memories Louise.. It is such a comfort to wander down memory lane and recall these treasured moments.
My paternal Grandmother was like a little Miss Pepperpot. She always carried Callard and Bowser Butterscotch in her handbag and had an aura of Devon violets about her.
My maternal Grandmother spoke little English being Belgian. I remember her grand apartment in Ostende stuffed full of huge paintings and large oak furniture. She would spoil me terribly and buy me gorgeous Belgian sweets and chocolates.
Alas.. I never knew my Grandfathers.. They died long before I was born..

Michelexxx

Anonymous said...

My nanna worked in a cake factory so every Saturday afternoon after we had watched Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks wresling we had pink meringues. Granda would also take me to the little farm at the top of the hill to see the budgies. Do you remember Arabian knights that used to be on in the middle of the banana splits?
Lisa x

Linda said...

What lovely memories of your grandparents. I was lucky for even though we lived in Australia and my grandparents lived in New Zealand Mum would take us all over there every three years to stay for 3 months over the Christmas holidays. So I have lots of wonderful memories of them like how my grandmother was only 4 ft tall but always wore really high heels even when doing the housework! You could never let grandad near your wobblie tooth even for just a look, it wasn't wobblie for long it was out. Thanks for reminding me of all these special memories. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Cheers Linda

Grand Life said...

Oh goody, I found another great blog. I love good blogs from England. We have visited several times and hope to visit several more. Both mine and hubby's ancestors immigrated from Great Britain and I actually have a family castle way------back in history that is pretty cool. I'll visit often. Thanks
Judy

Grand Life said...

Sorry to leave two comments but I have several posts on my blog about my grandparents. My grandfather came through England on the way to France to fight in WW I. I was privilged to compile his letters and put together a history of his time there.
Thanks Judy

Rosezilla (Tracie Walker) said...

I tend to think of farm life when I think of my grandparents. My maternal grandparents had a hog farm, which was a lot of fun for a little girl. My grandfather called me Susie Q, and he let me drive the little tractor even tho I had to put both feet on the clutch and stand up to operate it. He'd hang a tire swing for us to play on, and he'd let us play with the baby pigs. He got his pilot's license, built a small airstrip on his farm and took us for rides in his small plane. My paternal grandparents would take us to the dairy farm my uncle had and we'd catch wild kittens, ride horses and visit with our great-grandparents. Grandparents were the highlight of my summers.

Anonymous said...

What lovely memories and what a gorgeous cottage. Sounds like you had some fun times with your grandparents. My grandmother was very sweet and gentle. Grandad was a gentleman farmer. He wore old tweeds and liked to tease us all the time. He lived to be 97!
Margaret (and Noreen)

Ragged Roses said...

Hello Louise. Yes, a pink door would be perfect wouldn't it. You have such lovely memories of your time there and being with your grandparents.
I remember my grandad always testing me on my times tables and my grandmother getting all her little rose covered plates out for me to eat my cake on. Happy times
Kimx

Sandra Evertson said...

Lovely post, what a wonderful cottage and sweet little tree!
Sandra Evertson

Nicola said...

I'd like to write a post about my grandparents too - must see if I can dig out some photos first.
Thanks for the inspiration.

Lucy Bloom said...

Hi Louise, what a pretty house and lovely memories. I have some great memories of my grandparents too, it's lovely to reminisce.
Have a great weekend,
Lucy x

Country Cottage Chic said...

What a lovely post! Sadly I didn't have my grandparents around when I was growing up as we lived in South Africa & they were all here in England.

carolyn said...

This is so lovely, I think I could probably write a whole blog called In My Grandmother's House, so many memories, all good.

Anonymous said...

Hi Louise

You have some wonderful memories. Sadly, I never knew my grandfathers and I only had one grandmother by the age of 7. She was always a very busy, active woman, having raised 8 children. I remember making toast on an open fire with the toasting fork on cold winter days ~ I still love toast to this day, but it doesn't taste as good out of the toaster.

Marie x

Carol said...

Hi Louise,
I always wished that I knew my grandparnents. My Dad was the youngest of 9 and my Mum the youngest of 7, so they had passed away long before I was born.
I did pretend that my favorite aunts and uncles were my grandparents!
They would have so many wonderful tales to tell, all 4 of them were born in London, just streets apart.
I remember staying in a tiny caravan that my godparents owned and kept at Dymchurch, everything in miniture it seemed and gas lamps! myabe this is where my love of vintage caravans started.
Carol xx

Gina said...

I love your fun childhood memories Louise, especially the Banana Splits, which I loved too and the hard bristled brush.. My dear of Nan lived on her own and still did her washing in a copper tub.. she had a huge willow tree in the back yard and the branches all reached the ground so you couldn't see inside, it was my sister and my secret room..where we got up to all sorts of things.. I also loved watching nan make her wonderful rich chocolatey lamingtons and square scones and as she was always in and out of hospital she would get us heaps of Archie comics from the Red Cross..not to mention the lolly jars always full to the brim when we arrived and given in secret when my parent's weren't watching..
Thanks for bringing back these special times.. Gxox

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

You have so many wonderful memories of your grandparents, Louise! It was fun to read them!

I had only one grandmother still alive when I was a child. She had immigrated from the Ukraine (she was my mother's Mom) and did not speak English, so she was always a little bit of a mystery to me. She lived in the country and had chickens and a large vegetable garden, and I mainly remember how good all her food tasted. Someday I will blog about her after I get some photos from my Mom.
Thanks for bringing back some of my memories today :-)
Hugs, Pat

Anonymous said...

I love your post. So many wonderful memories of your grandparents.