Bill

Last month I took the girls home to England for a month. It was the first time Sloan would get to see her extended British family. The decision on our part was spurred on by a close friends loss of her dad and a reminder that you never know what will happen and when. I am very blessed to still have both sets of grandparents and I probably miss them more than anything else. I've always had a wonderful relationship with my grandparents and whereas my parents can visit us they aren't able to fly for the long distance and my heart often longs for them and for the opportunity for the girls to know them more. So after all that sentiment I wanted to write some memories of conversations I had with my grandad Bill while I was home (my mums dad). I love this grumpy old codger and the other important part is I know he loves me and my girls.

I asked him how we met my nan and he told me she was a lifeguard at a pool. Bill was in the military and wearing his big army boots and she was wearin

g my uncle Dans jumper which Bill borrowed and took as a sign that she liked him.

I knew he had been a Jehovah's Witness for a while and so I asked him why he wasn't anymore. I didn't get a straight answer but he did tell me that he believed in a God because the details were too perfect for there not to be. Who else would think to make our arms long enough to be able to wipe our bums?!

He had been in the military and every morning they had to get up and had something like five minutes to make their beds perfectly get washed and dressed and have everything around their sleeping area spotless with not a speck of dust. Then they'd all stand there ready for the inspection. The army general (not sure of the correct ranking term) would then inspect carrying his long riding whip (not sure the correct term for that either!). On

e morning this happened and the general stopped at his bed ran his finger along checking for dust and then stopped. He looked at the bed and got angry and used his 'whip' to knock everything off the shelves and mess the bed up while shouting "EVERYONE DO IT AGAIN!" Bill had no idea why this happened and then turned round and realised one of the guys had come in and put a dusty bag on his bed leaving a huge mark!

I asked Bill about life in WW2 - he told me how hard it could be. He was 8 when it finished and could remember falling in the anderson shelter which was full of water and his mum putting him over her knee to dry him off. They didn't have enough food from

the rationing and so in his words they would "thieve" it. The mayor at that time told his mother what he was doing and he had to stop. She got angry and told him to bring proof before accusing them of such things. I asked Bill why he wasn't worried about being found out and it's pretty much down to bribery. He knew the mayor was taking the red cross packages so if he ever said anything Bill would expose him!

These are things that really wouldn't matter to anyone else but I write them because there's nothing I love more than being with him and hearing his stories. They give some glimpse into the life of my wonderful grandad Bill.