10 things that remind me of my grandparents

This is a collaborative post.

As it is nearly Christmas I know that I am not alone in thinking about people I miss this year, for me, it is my grandparents. Of course, I don’t miss my dad (more about that here), but I do miss my Grandma so much it still really hurts.

I am sure many of you have people you miss as much too. Instead of feeling sad, I thought I would reflect a little on the things that remind me of her, my Grandpa and My Great Grandma (My grandma’s mum).

The above photo is my Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day, a photo I love!

Bed socks

My Great Grandma died when I was about 17, she would have been 122 in January! She was such a lovely old lady, of course, I only knew her as an old lady.

She loved knitting and I remember her knitting me some bed socks when I was about 9, I adored those socks for keeping me warm at night, they were pink and so soft.

Now, whenever I see bed socks anywhere they remind me of my Great Grandma.

Rock cakes

My Grandma was quite an eclectic cook, she mixed things that you would not normally imagine would go together well and was the queen of being frugal.

There were times she crunched up cornflakes on top of quiche, just because they needed using up to bake them for a crunchy top!

Rock cakes remind me of my Grandma as once when I stayed with her when Ben was young, when we were in bed she made rock cakes before she went to bed and then put them in the cupboard.

Then when morning came she thought she was losing her mind as she couldn’t remember where she had put them but was sure she had made them!

Canals

My Grandma lived near a canal and spent a lot of time in her more mobile years walking along the canal so it really reminds me of my Grandma.

Especially a particular part of the canal that she took me to when I was young and kept telling me it was just around another bend and we would be finished – it seemed to last forever!

Bicycles

My Grandpa used to love riding his bike and spent hours out on it riding all over the countryside so now whenever I see an older man riding a bike it reminds me of my lovely Grandpa.

Jane Eyre

My Grandma’s favourite book was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. She had a book she received as a child that she treasured and I now have which always makes me smile as it reminds me of my Grandma.

Supper before bed

This is something else that reminds me of my grandparents, they always offered supper before bed when we stayed at their house.

This usually consisted of cereal or toast but it really reminds me of them and sleeping at their house.

Grandfather clocks

My grandparents had a gorgeous old Grandfather clock in the hall that chimed on the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour.

It is a sound I really love as it reminds me of those happy times of visiting them.

My grandparents loved Birds

My Grandma was a keen bird watcher and whenever I see a nice or unusual bird I really wish I could call my Grandma and tell her.

She was always excited to hear about local wildlife and birds we saw in the garden. Ben loves birdwatching so he reminds me so much of my Grandma.

Both my grandparents loved wildlife but I remember my grandma for it more.

Recycling

My Grandma was recycling long before it became “popular”. I remember helping her carry bags of recyclables to the local council offices where they had bins for each item.

Every week she would walk a few miles to do this as it was so important to her to care for the planet. She was so pleased when they started adding collections from your door as part of the usual refuse collecting.

Luggage scales

This is going to seem a really random thing to remind me of my Grandma but hear me out.

Luggage scales will always remind me of her as she wanted to ensure she got the best from her washing machine and used water well.

She weighed every load of laundry to ensure it was perfect for a wash in the machine. She hated the idea of doing a half load and wasting water.

Do you miss your grandparents?

Do you have people you are missing this year? Perhaps sitting and doing as I have, writing a list of happy memories and things that remind you of them my help.

know this has helped me think about my grandparents!