In 1990, when i was 4, my Grandma Bournemouth died (Kamma) She had suffered multiple strokes. We often visited Grandad & Grandma in Bournemouth. They lived in a little bungalow, with an amazing back garden with gooseberry plants. Grandad had a lovely blue car in the garage, I never remember seeing this move. But he was loosing his eye site, probably why he never drove it?
Grandma couldn’t use her hands very well. Oddly, I remember her trying to sign a cheque one day & she had a credit card type thing with a guide hole in it for her to put where she needed to write.
They had a huge dinning room table, with a big silver bell on it – I would enjoy annoying Grandad & Dad by dinging it all the time! They had a lovely cabinet with lots of crystal glasses & plates in it.
And a posh room, for posh people & posh occasions, with posh things in it! I always tried to sneak in there & sit on the posh sofas. Just inside the door, on the wall, was a big Danish canvas hanging. My grandma was Danish. I’m not sure what was actually on the canvass, I never worked that out. But one of my sisters have it now, either Fae or Lou. I remember seeing it hanging in one of their houses.
In the entrance way, there was a large cabinet with a record player in it. Opposite was the bathroom. There was always a toilet roll on top of the loo, with a knitted cover over it, it was a lady wearing a big dress – I loved it!!
Grandad would always make me a jelly & I had to guess the colour of it before opening the fridge!
In the kitchen, there was lovely curtains covering the kitchen cabinets & some funny tap extenders that looked like the off cuts of a hose pipe.
In the garden outbuilding there was a hula-hoop for me to play with, I couldn’t ever hula-hoop & still cant now!
I never liked leaving Grandad’s and the drive back to Lymington to get the ferry to Yarmouth felt like it took FOREVER! One drive home it was dark. Dad was flicking the headlights from low to high beam & back again. I had never heard the clicking of the lever before, so asked Dad what it was & he explained. Still to this day whenever I change the headlight beam in my car, I picture and remember that conversation.
Also in Bournemouth was my Great Aunty Maggie (Margaret) She was great, also with an amazing garden. She had a piano in her front room & if I was well behaved, I could have a play – not that I knew how to play at that point! I remember my eldest sister Lou telling me the same story!
In 1996, when I was 10, my Grandad Bournemouth died. He was unwell for some time in a hospital near Uncle Brian. I believe he had cancer. He was then moved to a care home in Totland on the Isle of Wight. We visited him often & I remember the day he died. Dad and I had not long left him. It seemed as if, when we opened the door to leave, his spirit flew out of it too. His funeral was shortly after at a little white church in Totland. This was the first funeral I had been to. He was buried at Mountjoy along side Mum & Grandma. We would visit the cemetery (riverblowingthingy) often & I would sit on the raised grave surround next to mums whilst dad arranged flowers & tidied up. We would then blow kisses & be on our way.
My life! 