My Roly-Poly Nan

As some of you may know a month ago my lovely Nan, Vera Gallantry passed away. Despite Nan's age she was a vibrant, vivacious and fun loving person and it feels like she has been taken from us shockingly quickly - although indeed she led a wonderful life and I think we are all in some ways grateful that there was no long lasting disability or illness.... Still...  a shock.

Anyway - whilst in the midst of some declutering (which is one of my mini-retirement goals) I found some old school books and within one a little ditti I wrote about my Nan. I thought I wrote this when I was about five but clearly from the cover of my English Language exercise book I was 14.

This was written with the innocence of that age and I shall not change... it was written with some bemusement and some humour... I think that perhaps it was supposed to be a poem but it doesn't end up like one and was written in the past tense... maybe I was writing it at the age of 14 of the memory of her when I was a young child of 5 or 6 - that would make sense I think.

Here you go;

My Roly-Poly Nan

My Roly-Poly Nan and her waddling walk, acts like a child in my presence.
She wants to play games, ball games in the garden the back of course.
She would jump for it, but not too often.

Once we had finished that it would be inside to either play monopoly or cards.
My Nan has even got a trophy for badminton.
I can't exactly imagine my plump Nan playing badminton,
but life always holds surprises and this was certainly one to me.

My Nan's hair often changes colour.
Whether it's meant to be blue, orange or pink I don't know.
My Nan's hair was like an ever changing rainbow of colours.
Every-time I saw her it seemed to be different.

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My family and I have been blessed with such a lovely person in our lives...  and so fortunate to have only recently, before she died, have such a wonderfully large and loving family gathering for my Dad's 65th birthday.

I will miss my Nan, her infectious laugh, her wise eyes and knowing smile.... but I have the memories of those special moments between the two of us which will last for my lifetime.  I love you Nan xx