My Other Grandfather "Tom"

On Tuesday I wrote about my nan and today I am writing about my grandfather, not nan’s husband but my dad’s father.  Richard Thomas Jenkins11, he was always called Tom but unlike the memories I have of my nan the memories of Tom also called “Poppy Jenkins” are not the best ones…………….

When I was 14 he told me I wasn’t a good a daughter as my sister Sue, and that he didn’t think I was a grateful daughter. I remember when my parents gave me my first typewriter I loved it but Tom said to me that he didn’t think I should had gotten it and that I wouldn’t appreciate it.

So if anyone tells you those negative comments to children do no harm I am telling you they are wrong because all these years later these comments still bother me.

So a little about Tom he was born on the 7^th April 1917 and died on the 24^th May 1991 Tom was a coal miner from a very early age for a short period in about 1950 he worked for the SNOWY MOUNTAINS HYDRO- ELECTRIC SCHEME, stationed at Tumit Ponds, my dad remembers being with his dad at that time. 

Tom was never a loving and generous man, well I do not remember him in that way, although he was extremely fond of his daughter in-law Mavis who he always thought of as just another daughter and it was mum who was there for him during the last years of his life.

I have enclosed two photos of Tom they are not the best photos but they were all I could find.

 

Thinking About My Nan.................

Is there something you do, eat or hear that reminds you of someone else either in a good way or a not so good way………………….

Whenever I eat Fruit Tingles I think of my nan she would often carry them with her, other things that make me think of nan are Rod Stewart songs as she loved Rod Stewart and running over those reflective things that divide the road because whenever she would run over them she would go “what is that noise” and she ran over them a lot………………Nan also love Chocolate Heart Ice Creams. 

My nan was a cleaner she cleaned a building in town along with a dental practice in the same building and from around the age of 13 or 14 I went with her to give her a hand and she would pay me a few dollars for helping her out it was how I earned my pocket money. Anyway when we would go into work of an afternoon we went two afternoons per week and on a Saturday morning as well, anyway she would buy us each an ice cream in the summer months she would have a chocolate coated heart ice cream and I would have a Gaytime and I still love Gaytimes…………….in winter she would buy me some hot chips instead. I went in with nan till I after I had Kathy-Lee and they were great times I enjoyed those afternoons with my nan………………..

I would also spend some of the school holidays at nan & pop and had my own room at their place and that was where I went if mum was in hospital. Mum has told me that nan & pop use to worry that I was bored their but I have no memory of being bored ever, I use to read every day back then and would spend hours either in my room reading or sitting out the front in the sun reading. Just the thought of those days gives me a good feeling; there was never any doubt at least in my mind that I was nan’s favourite  and my sister Sandra was pop’s favourite…………..

I can remember walking up to nans house of an afternoon to go to work and entering her house some days to the smell of hot chips cooking if she was making hot chips for pops tea she would do extra for me and wrap them in foil for me to eat on the trip into town, which took about 20 minutes. Even now all these years later hot chips wrapped in foil make me think of my nan……………..

Grandsons, Nieces and a Brother

Last week I was saying how hot it was and today it is cold and wet, I was feeling so cold that I went in and had a hot bath at midday and after my bath I got dressed in my pyjamas why……….well because I am not planning to leave the house this afternoon and may have a nap in a couple of hours after Jessica gets up and hopefully goes home to her place. 

                                                    This photo taken from the internet

Last night I had a terrible night’s sleep, I spent most of the night sandwiched between two little boys Blain and Leo, yes we had both boys here last night along with Jessica. Natasha had to work last night so she asked if we could have Blain, I didn’t have to take him to school this morning as he has been unwell all weekend with Conjunctivitis and a fever and some vomiting so she decided to not send him until after he has seen a doctor.

I was the one who got up with the boys too this morning at 6.45am, I didn’t wake Jessica till I was leaving to go out with my mum at 8.30am I thought  I would be out for hours but as it turned out I was home by just after 9.30am. Mum and dad had to go out to my brother’s place to watch my niece Liarna while he and his with went to an appointment he had with an Orthopaedic Surgeon, a month or so ago he hurt his knee at work by twisting it somehow he was off work for a couple of weeks and has since been back on light duties. It now looks like he is going to need surgery on his knee.

Liarna who is only 2yrs old she will be 3yrs old in January had her tonsils out last Thursday and the doctor said she shouldn’t be going out and about for a week or so just in case she gets a cold, which is why my parents have gone out to his place to watch her instead of my brother taking Liarna over to my parents place.

Mum and dad watch Liarna every Monday the other days she goes to day care, I wish she went to the same day care as Sydney-May and Temika yes my niece Temika has started day care and is going to the same day care as Sydney and Leo. Anyway I think it would be great if Liarna went to the same day care instead of where she goes now, not that there is anything wrong with the day care she is going to I just think it would be cool if all three girls were at the same day care.

Blogging When Pissed Off Good Thing Or Not............

Last night I was really pissed off with my sister Sue for talking to our mum in a disrespectful manner and of course I had to write a blog about it, why because I am a blogger and I blog about all the stuff that happens in my life.

Now my niece Heather a lovely girl and Sue’s daughter pulled me up on it by saying this: “ Look I'm not saying what mum did is good or ok but did you really have write a blog over it I mean if you've got something to say to her say it to her face or text her or even private message her there's seriously no need to write a bloody blog over so your little blog buddies can all agree with you and make you feel good about yourself when NO-ONE knows the full story except the people involved”

To which I replied “If I say it to her fact my face would end up stinging................lol I could send her a private message didn't think of that when I was pissed off last night with her” there is also the fact that Sue takes little to no notice of anything I say to her……………..

This made me think do I share to much with my blog friends, did I over step the mark. I honestly don’t know what I can tell you is that I didn’t go and remove the post because that is not what I do. 

Will Heather’s comment change the way I blog, I can’t say only time will tell………………..maybe I shouldn’t blog it when I am pissed off and should wait till I am in a calmer state of mind………….

Respect Your Parents If They Are Great Parents Like MIne

Talk about disrespect telling your mother to “F” off and saying that she isn’t your mum…………

This was said by my sister Sue to our mother and yes sis if you are reading this I am having a go at you, I do not care what your problem is with mum and dad you are 42yrs old and should be showing more respect. I have been on the receiving end of such talk myself from my daughter and I can tell you it hurts………………

Mum and dad love you and worry about you and do their best to do right by you, no they are not perfect but in my opinion they are pretty damn close to it…………………..that said they are in their 70’s and set in their ways and they don’t like slamming doors and being spoken back to. In all your years how often have you heard your parents use the “F” work.

Lately you have been acting like a teenager storming off and slamming doors and getting the shits over very little. I, Sandra and David all dislike the way you treat mum and dad at times, how would you feel if your children treated you the way you have been treating mum and dad? 

Maybe you wouldn’t care but mostly I think you would say you don’t care but you would care and it would hurt.

You have a habit of taking things to seriously and you often thing everyone is against you, these thoughts sis are not true. Yes you piss as off at times but hell I am sure I piss you and my other siblings off at times it is rare that someone doesn’t get pissed off with a loved one from time to time.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t love you, or respect you, you are a survivor but at times you are your own worst enemy. You need to take deep breath and not speak in haste and regret in leisure.