A VISIT FROM GRANDDAD

10am:

Sharky and George is on the telly. Me and my sister Jenny are eating coco pops from a variety pack.  Mum tells us to pour the milk straight into the packets to save on washing up a bowl. The phone rings and I run over to it. I love answering the phone, especially if it’s Nanny Pam.

‘Hello, who is it?’

‘Which one are you?’ a man asks. It’s Grandad.

11am:

Once every year and a bit, Granddad makes a surprise visit to our house. I like Grandad, I’m just shy of him because I don’t know him very well, and his aftershave smells like beef.

One time we all hid behind the sofa until he went away.

2pm:

Granddad arrives and I hide in the airing cupboard until mum makes me come out.

It’s July.  My birthday is in December but Grandad has bought a huge pile of presents for Jenny and me.  All the presents are boxes of cherry liqueurs. Mum says we might be allowed one a night and only at the weekend as they are alcoholic.  Granddad says they go out of date next week.

3pm:

Grandad takes us all outside to look in his car boot; this is my favorite part of his visits, because there are always different things to look at.

This time there are more boxes of cherry liqueurs, broken video players and ornaments of pigs doing human things like playing golf or sunbathing. He pulls out a video from the foot well and gives it to Jenny, it’s an American cartoon called ‘Jem’, and the case smells like salt and vinegar crisps and cheese. I’m allowed to choose a pig so I pick one that is loading a washing machine.

4pm: 

Mum makes Grandad gammon and chips.  He starts telling her about his ex wife being a robbin’ bitch, and that he should never have left Nanny Pam.

Grandad asks me what my cat is called. I say ‘Tosca’, and he asks why would I call a cat Tosser? Then puts his cigarette out in his fried egg.

My Dad gets up and says he needs to take the car to be washed and asks if I want to go with him. Dad only ever washes his car when Grandad’s here.

6pm: 

When we get back Grandad has gone. Me and Jenny  make things up about things we saw Grandad do.  She said she saw him take a bite out of a block of cheddar in the fridge.  I say I saw him wipe a bogey on her pillow. Jenny makes me smell the video he gave her, and mum lets us have a cherry liqueur each. 

SUMMER HOLIDAYS

9am:

I'm dropped off at Nanny Pam's house. The TV is on, and she is watching the Sunset Beach omnibus, Nanny Pam is the only person I know who watches Channel Five. I ask her if I can have a chicken and mushroom Potnoodle, I make it, then sit down next to her to watch TV. I wonder why Annie slapped Marie for sleeping with Ben. I ask if I can drink the last bit of Potnoodle. Nanny Pam says she doesn't mind, as it would save on washing up a spoon.

11am:
Nanny Pam asks if I would like to go for a drive.
I ask if we could go past the house that had the fire on the estate. We drive past houses with sofas, fridges and washing machines on the front lawns. Nanny Pam tells me how lucky I am that I don't have a fridge on my front lawn.

11.30am:
We stand outside the burnt out house, and make guesses at what caused the fire. Nanny Pam says the daughter was on drugs and that maybe she left the hair dryer on because she was on drugs, or maybe she put a hot tea bag in the bin. I think about this for a while. I say maybe it was a chip pan fire, or the dad fell asleep with a fag in his hand like Granda does sometimes.

12.00pm:
We sit in the Central Six Outlet car park and have a jacket potato from Mr.Spuds. Dad said Mr.Spud once had a screw driver put through his head in a nightclub, I look for the mark when he bends over to take the beans out of the microwave.

12.30pm:
Nanny Pam asks if I'd like to look around a Barrats show home this afernoon, Nanny Pam isn't moving house but she does like to look around a lot of other people's

12.45pm:
We look around the show home and the man says, 'Nice to see you again Pamela'. Nanny Pam tells me she wouldn't have chosen that worktop, and that her friend Sheila's new build always has blocked toilets.

2.00pm:
We get back to the house and I play with my aunty's old dolls. I make Barbie slap Cindy for sleeping with Ken. I notice Sue, the lady who lives opposite Nanny Pam, is looking at me through her living room window. I wave at her, but
she pretends she is dusting. Nanny Pam says that Sue is her best friend but that she is a nosey cow, and she is probably trying to look at her new three piece suite.

4.00pm:
Nanny Pam says I can have whatever I want for dinner, from the big freezer in the garage, I choose a Findus crispy pancake with some garlic bread. When I finish Nanny Pam gives me a big slice of Mint Vienetta, I think how lucky I am to be having such a lovely dinner.

5.00pm
Nanny Pam's husband Colin comes in from work. He gives Nanny Pam a box of Ferrero Roche, I think that he must really love Nanny Pam, he says I can have one and I save the wrapper for proof when I see my sister later.