I have five grandchildren : one granddaughter here in Bath where we live, and four grandsons living in Spain. The two youngest boys are here with us for a week with their parents of course – their ages of three and a half and seven months necessitate it! We have been having some interesting times during this eventful Easter holiday. The experience has had two main consequences.
The first is to be reminded of the sheer pleasure and privilege of being a grandparent. It’s nothing I really anticipated, which shows my lack of imagination. The joy of our three daughters, our hope that life would work out well for them, our care for them turning into deep friendship, was as far as my thinking went. We weren’t into dynasties! And now here is this delightful second generation and perhaps my wife at least may one day meet a third. Extraordinary.
The second consequence is that it has become plain to us, certainly to me, that the subject of these blogs is very relevant to my life and I cite just one example.
Our car is too small for us to travel in when our four visitors, plus the driver, the pram and a car seat pile into it. So when Saturday’s morning’s outing was a visit to the local Farmers’ Market and supermarket, I went on the bus, intending to meet up with the family in the market. The bus was on time, I was the first there, looked around at the stalls and mixed with the plentiful crowds in a dreamy sort of way, expecting to meet up with the family when they arrived and wondering where they would park the car. Chicken and ham were on the shopping list, so I surveyed the options, and ended up in the supermarket.
I took out my mobile to seek advice on what sort of ham and found that my wife had called me eleven times. (My phone hasn’t a loud ring but a tiny buzz and my hearing isn’t what it was). I tried to respond but the phone was locked (perhaps in shame) and wouldn’t unlock. I paid for a gammon joint, thinking at least I had done one thing satisfactorily. Moved outside, found I could now use the phone, and got through to my wife on her mobile. ‘You’ve got both car keys’ she said. ‘We’ve had to catch the bus, and one father and baby in the pram are walking down’.
The reunion was quite amicable, considering the frustration I had caused as three adults had searched the house for a non-existent bunch of keys. (My wife is very forgiving). But the incident is one of several all to do with the confusion of age. (And on this occasion I got very confused indeed!). Part of the reason – I plead – is that as plans are made, re-made, re-re-made and I become dismayed, the dynamic of an enlarged family is not easy. But so very welcome!
Bryan
