A Happy New Year to you both,

It’s very nearly the New Year and Grandma and I want to wish you all, you and your Mummy and Daddy a very Happy New Year.

We’ve just watched the New Year in on Scottish BBC and it’s now 2010. We hope that you all have a ‘Guid New Year’ and we really do wish ‘A Guid New Year to ane an’ a’!’

It was hard tonight, though as they sang ‘auld lang syne’ as there were some special ‘auld’ acquaintances that will never be forgotten by Grandma and I and tonight, you two were deep in our hearts.

Auld lang syne is a song that we sing at the beginning of a New Year and this is what they sang:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Do you know what it means? It means should we forget those people we have known and never remember them or should we remember them for the sake of the times we’ve had together? We’ve had too many magic times with you two ever to forget you – and we won’t. If we never meet again, We hope that every time you hear Auld Lang Syne sung at every New Year, you’ll think of your old Grandma and Grandad and we hope that you too will remember some happy times that we had together.

Goodnight my lovely Grandchildren and
Many you have the happiest possible of New Years,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

This time it’s a letter which is probably before you’re up, Francesca but I don’t know about you, Liam. It’s only about half past six now and we’re up early because Grandma has an appointment at The Royal Free at 9 o’clock.

We’re both very tired because we didn’t get to bed very early last night as I had a gig. It was a strange one but a very good one. It was a New Year’s Eve Eve Masked Ball. It was in town, near London Bridge and everyone was in fancy dress. We had a huge audience and they seemed to like us a lot. In the end, it was after 3 o’clock when we got home.

Well, we’re off to the hospital now, hope you have a great New Year’s Eve. We’ll write to you later,
Lots and lots of Love,
from
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

Hope you’ve had another good day’s holiday. It’s been very quiet here, nothing much has happened. This afternoon, I went to a Trans-Siberian March Band rehearsal over in Dulwich in Bryony’s house. It was to get ready for a gig tomorrow night. We played through everything that we’ll play tomorrow. It was really useful.

It was quite wet and blowy on the way there but the weather was a bit better on the way back. It was a good thing that it improved because I went by tube and train and was quite wet when I got there. I hope that the weather is OK where you are. The forecast is for more snow later this week so we’ll keep an eye open for the forecast for where we think you are.

Anyway, sweet dreams and we’ll talk tomorrow,

All our love,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

Still having a good time with your toys, I hope. You’ve still got quite a time until you have to go back to school/nursery, haven’t you?

I’ve been doing my company accounts today and it’s really boring. I went downstairs this morning to get a drink (anything other than doing all these figures) and I stood in the kitchen waiting for the microwave. Suddenly, as I stood looking at the cubby-hole door, I imagined that you two were in there. It’s silly, isn’t it but I did open the door and tried to imagine you both trying to hide from me.

We do miss you. Writing this every night tells me that I’m still thinking about you and I hope that, one day, you might read some of it and know that we never forgot you. Even if we’re not around any more, it’ll tell you that Grandma and Grandad never, ever forgot you.

Sleep tight my lovely ones and dream of all the love that flows from Colindale to where you are, there’s lots of it,

Bye,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

It seems like Christmas is over now. I hope that it was a good time for you both.

We watched the last bit of Alice in Wonderland today. Did you watch it? As I sat there, I imagined you both watching it. Francesca, you would be dressing your new doll and Liam, you’d be playing with the latest additions to your train set. You see, we don’t really know what you’d be doing but we can imagine.

This next week, you’ll be exploring all the other toys that you had, the ones that you’ve not really played with yet. That will be an adventure too, won’t it?

So, dream of all those toys and we’ll dream of you two,

Night, night, from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

I’ll bet you’ve had a great day, playing with your toys. I hope you have. We’ve had a very quiet day today, just Grandma and me at home. Grandma cooked Christmas Dinner today as we were out yesterday and we pulled a cracker each. I’ve still got my hat on!

Are you going out for a bit tomorrow, now that the weather’s better? The forecast is for it to get cold again so you’d better make the most of it.

Have sweet dreams and we’ll write in the morning,

All our love,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

We’ve just got back from Thomas and Lucy’s and we’re hoping that you’re having a good time today. We had a good time playing with Thomas and his new toys. We bought him a small guitar for Christmas but Uncle Joachim played with it most. Do you still use the guitar that Uncle Joachim bought you, Francesca. I hope so. It would be good if you were having lessons. What about you, Liam? Are you going to be musical. I miss talking to you both about music and I miss our little band which we had, Francesca.

We’ve been trying hard to imagine you both today. We tried to imagine what you got for Christmas. We tried to imagine you playing with your new things. We tried to imagine what you would have liked us to buy you. We miss buying you the things that grand-parents are supposed to buy for their grand-children. When our friends tell us what they’ve bought for their grandchildren, It makes us realise that we can’t do the same.

We just have to try hard now just to imagine you both but we’ll never stop trying. We try to imagine how you’ve grown up, what you’re interested in, what you’re doing now. We’ll never stop believing that we’ll see you again one day. We have to believe that, we just have to. We don’t want any presents for Christmas or birthdays or any other days, other than to see you two again.

Well, I’m going now to watch a bit of television. I don’t watch it much any more but tonight it’s Christmas.

Keep having a good time, we’re thinking of you,
All our love,
from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Thomas and Liam and Lucy,

It’s Christmas Eve and I’ll bet that you’re all in bed and dreaming of what Santa will bring you. I hope that he brings you everything that you’ve asked for – and a bit more.

I don’t know what else to say tonight as it’s a night to be happy and looking forward to tomorrow. Grandma and I only want one thing for Christmas and that is for all our Grandchildren to be safe and happy and have a wonderful time. That’s our wish to all four of you.

So, dream of Santa and all the good things that he will bring,

Night, night all of you,
Lots and Lots and Lots of love, from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

Are you surviving the weather where you are? We see it’s been bad again over in the west and worry that you’re OK.

It’s a strange week isn’t it, this week. I’ve just realised that it’s Wednesday and normally I’d be at the band but it’s Christmas week!

We’re all pretty-well ready for Christmas. There’ll only be the two of us here this Christmas. That’s the first time since your Daddy was a little boy. It will be a very different Christmas for us this year and we’ll be missing you lots and lots.

Oh well, keep warm and look after each other, please.
You won’t be able to hear from us this Christmas but we’re thinking of you all the time,
Lots and lots and lots of love from us,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

Hope you’re surviving the weather OK. We saw today that there’d been snow in the area where we think you’re living. There’s still a lot of snow around here and some of the side roads are very bad. We went to Barnet today and drove down Hendon Wood Lane. The trees there were all covered in snow and looked absolutely beautiful. It was like driving through a Christmas card.

We’ll keep thinking about you and hoping that you’re enjoying the snow and that you are safe and well.

Sleep tight and dream nice dreams,
Love from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx