“Freddie the Fox was a strange fellow, announced on stage as if he was the returning conquering hero. He was taller than me and dressed in a multi-coloured stripped jacket. The response from the assembled crowd, (about a dozen small children) was immediate. They sat mesmerised as Freddie the Fox appeared at the front – and right at the front was our Alana. Now as Freddie didn’t actually say a lot (nothing in fact – he just nodded occasionally) it was left to our glamorous host to engage with her now captivated audience and get them up and dancing and doing all the games that you do as four/five years old. The room wasn’t blessed with that many people, and it would seem pretty apparent that a lot of mums had been dispatched with their off-spring to kiddies-club while the Dads had five minutes peace. And then it happens – that dreaded moment when the glamorous compere thinks it would be fun to see some of the adults up on the floor with their children, or as in this case grandchild. The fact that I won a ‘not even announced’ competition the best (but only) dancing Grandad was bad enough, however the humiliation wasn’t completed until I went on stage to collect my ‘certificate’ from no other than Freddie the Fox, and was made to perform again with him – like a pair of performing seals! Jesus. The things I do for love.”
Written over a few months, before and during the Covid 19 Pandemic, “Nought to Sixteen – A Grandad’s Journey is part memoir and diary snippets, part ‘how to,’ and part travelogue. Mainly, it’s about celebrating and welcoming a new generation.
On the day the clocks have gone back one hour it’s a timely reminder that in reality you can “never go back in time”. Thoughts that you had wished you had done things differently will not change your past, missed opportunities will always be just that – “missed opportunities”. From an unexpected pregnancy to the challenges of being a grandparent in a vastly different society, and yes the Pandemic – it’s all here in “Nought to Sixteen – A Grandad’s Journey”. Brilliantly edited by the wonderful Di Toft I hope it makes you smile, makes you laugh and hopefully makes you think.
“Nought To Sixteen – A Grandad’s Journey” will shortly be available to purchase through Amazon, or you can pre-order a copy direct from myself at andylewis1953@gmail.com
Finally – in Glasgow today they gather for the UN Climate Change Conference. If we are to secure the future for our grandchildren then we all need to take action. We can only hope to understand the world of our grandchildren by being part of their lives now. The giving of our time costs nothing but the rewards are immeasurable.
The Ramblings of a Retired Utility Worker 