Tag: grandparents

Gramps.

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When I was between 1 and 2 years old I would stand in my cot and shout DAN-DAD at the top of my voice until my Gramps came home from work, much to my Mum’s dismay I would not sleep until I knew he was at the house. When I was 7 I went to London to go on the London Eye, go on a boat and see the Tower of London. When I was 13 I would go and sit every Sunday I could and watch TV and have cups of tea while talking about history. When I was 16 I would debate politics for hours. When I was 18 I was taken to the station to get my train to university for the first time. Now I’m 21 and I have a gym buddy and I still sit for hours drinking tea and talking and I still debate politics, although it gets a little more intense now. Today, my Gramps turns 70, he’s one of my favourite people in the world. We’re so close and I count my blessings every day that we are that close and have that relationship.

Happy Birthday Gramps, you’re one in a million.

Workouts and Willpower

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Work it!! 

For the last 6 weeks I’ve been trying really hard to get fitter and healthier. As soon as I was told that I was allowed to attempt a little more exercise I wanted to work on it. I went to physio religiously and only missed one week because I had the sickness bug and wasn’t allowed to. I’ve never really had the kick up the butt I needed before, but after the accident I had a huge appreciation for, you know, a working body.

Now I’m at home it would be easy for me to say ‘oh well! I’ll just start again in January!’ and then eat everything, ignore my routine and then cry in January. I refuse to forget my progress. So, a few weeks ago I called the biggest gym enthusiast I knew and asked if he could be my gym buddy once I was home. This morning I was picked up by my Gramps and we headed to the gym for my induction and his work out.

It is very weird that my Gramps is so much healthier than me and while I was being shown around, he was on all the machines! Eventually I got started and we were doing some of our exercises side by side. It’s nice because we’ve always been super close, to the point where I wouldn’t sleep as a toddler until he’d come home from work, so having this to do just the two of us was nice. Hopefully I’ll get at least 2 more sessions in before I go back to London.

I left feeling energised and really proud of myself. No one forced me to go and work out today I wanted too and felt so good after. My new gym buddy was pretty pleased too. If 16 year old me had been told I’d love the gym she would have fainted (I’ve never been sporty at all, riding was the only thing and, well, you know how that went).

Now, the other thing I need to work on over the holidays is not over indulging on sweets, chocolates, my Mum’s amazing cooking and my sisters delicious baking. Over the past few days I’ve been very good. I’m using my app and still eating my recommended amount of calories but it is hard. I don’t want to just not eat but at the same time I don’t want to seem rude. It’s a tough balance and on days like today sometimes I don’t want to eat because I know I’ve done so well, then I quickly remind myself that I’m not getting into that cycle again. I’m doing this the healthy way or not at all, hence why I won’t have any scales in my flat.

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Mine and Summer’s Gingerbread House…looks so yummy!

My willpower is being pushed to the limit but so far, so good. I feel healthy, happy and actually really accomplished that I’m sticking to something I’ve found so difficult in the past. Unlike a lot of the ‘new year, new me’ types that will head into the gym January I’m not doing this to lose that big of extra weight or because I ‘should’, I’m doing it because I’m really proud of my body. After all the healing and growing new bone after so much damage (some of which may be permanent) I’m going to treat it as well as I damn well can.

 

6 things about my amazing Nanna

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Mum and Nanna last christmas

As much as I wanted a charmingly embarrassing picture of me and my Nanna from when I was little, I think they’re all been hidden, she’s pretty glam my Nan. So today is her 65th birthday and I could write pages and pages about this lovely lady I wanted to do one for the 6 and a half decades she’s been on this planet.

1. I don’t know anyone who loves pink more! 

If in doubt, go with pink. That’s just Nanna’s way.

2. She was able to put up with The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmations on repeat. every.single.day. 

So after I was born my Mum and I lived with my grandparents until I was almost 3 years old, while my Mum had to go to work I’d stay with Nanna. She must have watched those two films so many times and half memorised them that along with Tots TV, Come Outside, Noddy and so many more. Oh and there were farm trips too 😀

3. When I was younger she could make me fall asleep within 5 minutes 

Stroking my face and giving me a cuddle and I was out like a light…could still work now to be fair.

4. She’s a great peace maker

Every time I needed new school shoes, Nanna had to come because we NEVER agreed. While me and Mum would almost start world war 3 in the Clarks kids section, Nanna somehow smoothed it over before coffee and cake after.

5. She knows me a lot better than most people

I’m not girly unlike my Mum, Aunt, Sister and Cousins but that doesn’t mean that Nanna doesn’t know what I’ll like. We might not agree on clothes (in fact we rarely do) but Micheal Kors handbags and designer watches? Nanna knows me all over!

6. She’s the best Nanna you could ever ask for

And I mean that too, there is absolutely no one else like my Nanna. She’s there, always, she can damn stand up for herself, she’s strong, she’s kind and I’m sorry guys but she’s mine.

Happy Birthday, I love you so much xx

My Gramps

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Today is my Gramp’s birthday. I could write pages about it him because he is one of my favourite people in the entire world and he has been since I was a tiny baby. I would stand in my cot and wait for him to get me up, I wouldn’t go to sleep until he’d come home (much to my Mum’s annoyance, especially when she had things to do) and he’s one of the few people in my life to sit and talk about history, religion, politics. 

In light of his birthday I wanted to share one of my favourite memories. I’d been taken into hospital for stomach problems. My Mum had to go and get my overnight bag and my Dad was at home looking after my sister. So I didn’t have to wait on my own Gramps came up to sit with me, because we’re a normal set of people we decided to discuss religion and family history. These are the kind of things we do and as I’ve gotten older they haven’t changed. After he retired we’d sit on Sundays and have these kinds of talks, mostly history. 

So happy birthday to one of the most wonderful men in the world!