'For Frantic Boasts & Foolish Word---'
LEST WE FORGET [11.11.24] -An Inadequate Remembrance +MIXTAPE.
An Inadequate (personal) Remembrance.
My Nana’s Granddad (you do the family-name maths!) - I tried to work out his relation to me and came up with a ‘Semi-detached Granddad, twice removed = HEROIC STEALER OF SWEETS.
He always stole the Dolly Mixtures paper bags of sweets from my Nana’s sideboard where I kept my ‘best’ books, lipgloss, toys, and toffees (I was only a little girl..). I’d come home and be delighted that my ‘big-eared (“size of Pork Chops”) person of great stature and love, who apparently ‘gave you those ears you’ve got’ who I am delighted to have the same taste in toffees as, would greet me with a smile on his face. I was always eager to run up to his wheelchair and hold his hand. I have very limited memory retrieval these days. I remember he showed me his medals.
I remembered he would wait until someone rolled him out of the front door before holding up a bag of stolen goods above his head in victory! To tease me. The first time he did this trick, my Nana had to pull the ribbon on the back of my dress to stop me from trying to chase after him to ‘get MY sweets back!!!’.
After that, I delighted on being privy to the ‘secret’ where I get to pretend to be surprised about everything I knew would happen. The biggest secret was that it wasn’t a secret. It was orchestrated all for me. To make me smile and laugh and excited and giddy.
I wish I could remember the stories of the war, but he didn’t share many with me - at least not directly. He made things up to match my mental age and capacity. My wonderful relative Heroic Granddad was far greater than all the greats in front of his title.
He was from Yorkshire, or just lived there, he had a warm, deep, strong and broad accent of some sort. The huge cup he drank out of was always filthy burnt-orange coloured after he’d drank his tea. Maybe that was the Yorkshire connection.
“He would never forget a good cup of tea he always said ‘Never Wash His Cup’ makes the next brew taste all the better, from the one before, much sweeter.”
I think that is my ‘personal’ connection and understanding of the bravest of all people who went to war and died, fought for us, survived. I think the analogy above was the best way to teach me the importance of ‘Lest We Forget’
ENJOY A RECENT MIXTAPE from me.
Love & Hugs,
