My Grandfather

I came down to Tassie for Christmas last Sunday. It was a really early flight. Y'know- at the time of day that shouldn't exist. Well, in my world it doesn't.
So when I got back to my old bed in my Mum's house I thought we needed to catch up on old-times and I slept for a few hours. I emerged from my room feeling much more jovial and ready to take on the world of 'catch-ups' and everything else that Christmas entails.

In the afternoon, I went round to my grandfather's place. I call him Fa because my sister called him Fa. My childhood was filled with visits to Nanna and Fa's place. I think the order in which we said their names was indicative of the way the relationship worked and the house was run. Now I see him in the same house but it's just 'Fa's' now. It's 9 years since my grandmother died and he will often say things like "It's awhile since I lost the old duck," like he's just misplaced her or something. Fa doesn't shy away from a good understatement.

They were married for 55 years and they adored each other. They seemed to complement each other in so many ways. Fa was incredibly physically fit, but had a stroke in his 50s. Nanna had a very sharp mind but was always quite over weight. Fa was gentle and softly spoken. Nanna could be heard within a 10 km radius and certainly said some harsh, critical things that really got her into trouble. No comments on who I'm more like- please!

They were both, however, extremely hard workers from poor backgrounds who provided for their family and managed to live comfortably.

And, honestly, I'm never gonna know how tough it was. Fa always gives me money at Christmas. I'm the youngest of their 5 grandchildren and I think, even if I was a CEO, Fa would see me as 'scratching'. At the moment, he's right and I value that he remembers my situation.

Fa is not a great conversationalist, but he is great to just sit with. He also makes some priceless comments. I talked to Fa about cricket on Sunday and explained to him who the different players were. He used to play for Tasmania, I think. He's pretty private, though. I love him very much.