I was going to write about our adventures over the school half-term break but my Gangan died yesterday afternoon and so those will have to wait a while.
Gangan was my Mum's mum. For the last 12 or so years she has suffered from Altzheimers and since my Gampy's sudden death in 1999 she's been in a nursing home. When my daughter was born at the end of 1999 I took her to the nursing home to see Gangan but it's been years since we last visited her. I think it's because I found it hard that there was no recognition on her face when she looked at me. I so wanted Gangan to know that the baby she was cradling was her great granddaughter, but it was too late and she was not sure who we were.
Gangan was a wonderful Gran and she always made me feel like a princess. She spolit me and my brother rotten when we were growing up - she was always ready with little treats and our favourite things to eat or play with. She knitted and sewed many
of her own clothes including outfits for ballroom dancing and, along with my mum, she helped me learn to knit. When you concentrate all your attention on something it sometimes becomes hard to bring it into focus, so it's not easy right now to recall many of the memories that I know are there. But I do remember flashes:
the sound of her funny little fiat car that we knicknamed noisy
snuggling into bed between both of my grandparents when they came on holiday with us and sharing their early morning ginger biscuits
drinking PLJ (pure lemon juice drink) in Gangan's kitchen with it's formica table and pantry full of goodies
eating her delicious special concoction of desicated coconut mixed with drinking chocolate and the cream from the top of the milk
her devotion to our dog Brindle
back tickles
the way she treasured all of the little things my brother and I made (even after we could see how bad they were!)
swinging on the garden swing chair in my grandparents garden
homegrown loganberries straight from the bush
the painted spanish wine bottle in her lounge which was really a musical box
the wonderful sets of clothes that she hand sewed for my favourite doll Angela (the doll is long lost but the clothes are very much treasured)
I wanted to share some of these special memories of my special Gran, my Gangan. Thanks for reading.
