Hi there Francesca and Liam,

This is Grandad back from Glastonbury. It’s a bit late when I’m writing this as I’ve just got back. As soon as I arrived home, I sat down and Grandma went to make me a cup of tea but by the time she had made it, I was fast asleep. We played very late last night and I didn’t get to bed until it was actually daylight.

It was a fantastic experience, playing at the Glastonbury Festival. It is just so enormous with hundreds of bands playing. The most well-known bit of Glastonbury, though, is the mud! It was raining on Friday when we got there to play our first gig and it was already really, really muddy so everybody wore wellies. The weather didn’t stop anybody enjoying it and they just got on with it, tramping around in the muddy fields. On Saturday and Sunday, the weather was really sunny so the mud dried up and it was much easier to get around.

We saw lots of bands and performers like Tom Jones and Madness and lots of not famous ones. We saw one called The Destroyers who were a bit like the Trans-Siberian March Band. It was really great to be able to just wander around and watch a different band every few minutes. Perhaps one day you two will want to go there. I’ll probably be too old to go with you then but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. There were lots of children your age there and they were having a good time.

I’m going to have another lie down now, so look after yourselves and have a nice day,

Lots and lots of love, from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Hello my Darlings Liam and Francesca

How are you today? I hope both of you have had a good weekend. Grandad is still at Glastonbury and it is about now as I am writing that his band will be playing. I wonder if the television people will record his band. There are a number of screens and someone chooses which bands they will show on television and which bands are not shown. Well, even if his band is not on TV I think Grandad has enjoyed the experience of being at Glastonbury. No doubt he will tell you all about it when he is back.

So look after each other the pair of you. I love you both lots and I will always always love you.
from Grandad and Grandma

Hello Francesca and Liam

Today turned out to be a very WET day. This morning the weather was fine and sunny. Then Pat rang me and told me there was a water mains leak. That means a pipe underneath Colin Drive was broken and water was coming from under the ground running down the street. He phoned the Council and they were sending someone to repair the pipe.

This afternoon I went to the theatre in Kilburn. It was a really good play and I enjoyed it a lot. When I came out of the theatre it was raining a bit, but fortunately I didn’t have to wait long for a No.32 bus. While I was on the bus it really started to rain cats and dogs. The water even came into the bus from underneath the doors! And by the time I got off the bus in Colindale all the roads and pavements were flooded. I was absolutely drenched when I came home. I took all my clothes off and they were actually dripping with water! I’ve never been so wet in all my life before. Still I’m sure the grass and flowers in the garden were glad of having a good downpour of rain.

That’s all my news for today. I’m sending you all my love and lots of kisses – so next time it rains in South Africa or wherever you both are you might find my kisses coming from the sky with the rain drops!

All my love to you both
from Grandad and Grandma XXXXXXXXXX

Dear Liam an Francesca

I hope you are both well. I am fine, but I miss you both and grandad. He is in Glastonbury and he phone me to say it was raining there today and is very muddy. I think it’s a bit like when you used to go to Buddhafield. Sometimes then it was muddy and you needed Wellingtons on. Can you remember that?

Here in London it has been a glorious day. Yesterday too. Yesterday I picked 6 lovely ripe strawberries from the garden. They tasted lovely and sweet. And today I picked another 5 all lovely and red. I would have loved to share them with you both. I think you would have loved them Francesca. How about you, Liam, do you like strawberries too?

I’m sending you both lots and lots of love and I’m blowing you lots of kisses too.
Grandad and Grandma XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hello there Francesca and Liam

How are you today? It’s been a lovely summer’s day here today. This morning I went on the walk at the Welsh Harp and it was lovely listening to the birds singing. Can you remember, Francesca, when you came with me? The man with the big binoculars told us some of the names of the birds that we could hear singing. One of them was called a willow warbler. When we were in the cafe afterwards one of the ladies asked how you were, Francesca. She remembered when you came on the walk with us. I told her that I think you are in South Africa with your brother Liam and your mummy. I bet there must be some interesting birds in South Africa. I wonder if Liam is interested in birds. I bet he’d love chasing pigeons!

Well that’s all for today, look after yourselves and look after each other.

I love you lots and lots
Grandad and Grandma XXXXXXX

Dear Liam and Francesca

Well, today it’s Grandma writing for a change. Grandad has told me how to get to write the letter and put it on the website, so I hope I can remember all the stages to get it to work! Grandad is going off to a place called Glastonbury tomorrow to play with the TSMB band. I think there will be quite a lot of bands there playing – so it will be verrry noisy!

How are the two of you? I miss you both sooo much and I think of you both every single day, hoping with all my heart that you are well and happy.

Today is your uncle Joachim’s Birthday. Earlier on today Grandad and I phoned him and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him.

Love you lots and lots
Grandad and Grandma xxxxxxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

Today I went to do some work at Middlesex University. That’s the university where your mother was studying when you lived here. It’s very interesting what we’re doing there. It’s all about developing things for children to do at school. You two would really love playing with some of the things they’ve already developed.

When I got home, I looked at the garden and there’s a couple of strawberries ready. I wanted to take a photo but I couldn’t find Grandma’s camera. I’ve found it now and will take a picture for you tomorrow.

Look after yourselves, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,
Lots and lots and lots of Love, from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Hello there Liam and Francesca,

You know that I miss you every day, well today, I’ve really, really, really been missing you. I hope though that you are just getting on with things and having a good time. I would really like to hear how you are, that would be nice for me.

I went to the British Museum today to look at that instrument that I’m going to make. I took all the measurements I need. Now all I’ve got to do is make it. I could do with your help, though and I’m sure that you would love to help too. Ah well, perhaps one day.

Until then,
All our love from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

We’ve just got back from our Barnet Band gig at the RAF Museum. It was a great gig except that everywhere we went, we were reminded that this was your favourite museum and that we had been there so many times with you. Do you know, Liam, you sister calls it the RF Museum!

It’s nice to have all these memories but sad that they have to remain as memories and nothing else. We took just a couple of photographs, this one is of a shelf in the shop. Really this was Francesca’s favourite place Liam.

Some Teddies looking for Liams and Francescas to come and buy them

This is a photo of your favourite aeroplane where you would sit together and fly it.

And do you remember this?

This is the engine where Grandma used to groan when your Grandad said, yet again, ‘look, this is one of the engines I worked on when I was an apprentice!’

It’s still there (it’s an Avon 200 Series – groan)! I hope that, one day you will get to visit the museum again and I hope that we’re there with you.

I’ll write again tomorrow, keep safe,
Lots and lots of Love, from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Hello, Liam and Francesca,

Hope you’re well. I’ve just come in from the garden where I’ve been doing some work on our vegetable garden. There’s lots of strawberries there now but they’re still green. I’m sure that it won’t be too long before they start to ripen. There’s also a couple of tomatoes appeared. They’re still tiny but you can recognise them.

I know that you wanted a vegetable garden, Francesca and it’s nice to see that the things in it are growing but such a shame that you are not here to see them too. Still, I’ll try to keep it going until you and Liam are able to visit us again.

I hope that the weather’s as nice where you are as it is here and that you’re having a good time.

Lots and lots and lots of love to you both from
Grandma and Grandad xxxx