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.

I am so rubbish at taking up tags so I'll start by thanking and apologising to:
The Mighty Sally, Marie Chantal, Claire , Little Jenny Wren, Jane, Samantha  and anyone else who has tagged me recently or otherwise!

I ramble on so much here that it's difficult to think of things that you might not already know about me but here goes:

• Like Jenny, I was regularly mistaken for a boy when little, largely due to a misguided Mummy weilding haircutting scissors (thanks Mum!) here is the photographic evidence (it's a wonder I grew up to be so normal!!!):

• Staying on a hair note, I quite like the fact my hair is now going grey – I've not had it coloured now for 5 years (despite intense pressure from my friend Karen). I don't mind that my body is aging and am quite comfortable with all the sagging, wrinkling and greying going on.

• I find polka dots very pleasing in all shapes and forms (here's a recent attempt at knitting them)

• I didn't learn to drive until my 30's and failed my first test when I crashed into a roadsign! I still maintain that it was because I couldn't turn the steering wheel properly, being nearly 8 months pregnant at the time!

• I have a really good memory for anything that rhymes – poetry, song lyrics etc and can recite most of the Miffy and Dr Suess books from memory. A useful party trick (well children's parties are the only kind I get to go to these days!)

• I hate ironing (and most other forms of house torture work). I do however love cooking which is far more creative and satisfying than window washing or dusting.

• Despite vowing as a teenager never to grow old and boring and watch nature or gardening programs I find that I am really enjoying the coverage of the Chelsea flower show this week and my favourite tv programmes include Coast, stuff on the history channel and anything with David Attenborough (there you go M&D – I've become enlightened in my 40's!!)

• I'm throwing in an extra fact simply because I like this picture that I took recently and couldn't think of another way to use it. My favourite colours are red and blue, especially in combination.

I'm going to be rebellious and not tag anyone, it's taken me so long to take up the tag (Sally tagged me in January – I'm sorry it took me so long Sally!) and most people have done it by now anyway! Also my little man is off sick at the moment with Green Snot Virus so I have to go and play nurse now!