I have such huge sadness that you are gone grandad but am also so proud... proud that you were my grandad...and I feel totally blessed to have spent so many wonderful times with you which have left so many happy memories. It is hard to think of you without smiling... because that is what you always did...made everyone around you smile. You were the perfect role model, never telling us what to do but gently showing us how to be. I think if you had told us you would have simply said ‘Be kind and loving to everyone’ ; this was the rule that you lived by everyday. You made such an enormous effort to make sure your family knew they were loved and not forgotten wherever in the world they may be. You were the best Letter Writer; one of my favourite’s was addressed from ‘Winscombe’s Inn of Happiness!’ What a fitting name! Going to Granny and Grandad’s was always a special treat, full of fun and laughter. You weren’t into anything flash or unnecessary; you lived the simple life appreciating everything you had. I never quite understood the decision not to invest in a dishwasher but now I am grateful for those hours of washing up and conversation with you over the years... thank you! That said, you had one area of indulgence; puddings ! You believed you should ALWAYS show puddings the respect they deserve by accompanying them with cream (squirty if possible), ice cream or custard. ( NB where all 3 were available this was always encouraged !!!) Years ago you gave me a little sign which still hangs in our kitchen and reads:- ‘Friendship is like a beautiful garden, the more you put into it the better it grows’. In the way that you so carefully tendered each plant in your beautiful garden, from runner bean to delicate rose, you nurtured each one of us, taking time to know us, understand us and love us. I’m not sure whether I’d consider myself a runner bean or a rose in your garden but I do know that each one of us had a special place in your heart and I will hold all of the memories close to my heart forever. My amazing grandad, so much loved and so greatly missedxx Lucy