Dear Liam and Francesca,

It’s later tonight when I write so you’ll be tucked up nice and warm in bed.

I’ve been doing some more sorting today. I’m also getting ready to go to Bristol tomorrow. We’re doing a gig there tomorrow night. It would be great if I could call and see you when I’m over there. Perhaps one day, eh.

I hope that my tooth is better for tomorrow. It’s still hurting now and has been quite painful at times. I don’t fancy playing tomorrow night with the toothache! here’s hoping!

Sleep well and pleasant dreams, my dears,
All our love,
grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

Hope you’re both well.

Grandma went on a visit to the Houses of Parliament today and enjoy it very much. I went to the dentist. I can’t say that I enjoyed it but I’m feeling better now. I had really bad toothache yesterday and managed to get an emergency appointment. The dentist told me that I had an infection in one of my teeth and he had to take out the old filling and put a new one in. I’ve got to go back and have it sorted out when the infection has gone. I hope that you two look after your teeth so that you don’t have problems when you grow up. I wonder how many new teeth you have now, Francesca. You were just beginning to get your new grown up teeth when you two moved away. That’s just one of the many things we don’t know about you now.

We really, really miss you. I hope that we will see you again one day,
Until that day! We love you lots and lots,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Hi there Liam and Francesca,

This is the start of your last week before the Easter holidays, I’d guess. I hope that you have a good week. Did you have a great weekend? I hope that you got out a bit.

We spent much of the weekend sorting things out. I found quite a lot of stuff from your Great-great grandad. there are some books, his certificates from when he was a student and some photos. Oh, and I found his wedding certificate. I’m sure that you two would like to see some of his things.

I never saw my Grandad because he was killed in the First World War. A shame, eh? I hope that you think Grandads are worth having and that you look forward to seeing yours again one day. He looks forward to seeing you – all the time.

Hope you both have a great day at school and nursery, talk to you tomorrow,
Love, Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

I’m really tired today because I was late getting in last night. It was gone 2 o’clock when I got in. That’s a bit late for an old Grandad, isn’t it.

We were playing at a party in Clapham which is quite a long way away. The gig went very well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Some of the partygoers enjoyed it nearly as much as the band. We had to play without any clarinets last night and that was the first time we’ve done that – ever! It was a relief that it went well.

Well, I hope that you have a nice day today and enjoy the rest of the weekend,
Here’s all our love, from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

It’s Saturday morning and I hope that you’ve got a busy weekend planned. Now that spring seems to be here, you can get out a bit more.

We’ve not got a lot planned. There’s lots more tidying up to do for the decorator so that will be our main job. Also, I’ve got my sax lesson at 11 o’clock so we’ll see if my teacher thinks that I’ve made any improvement. I hope so.

So, have a great weekend,
We’re thinking of you,
Bye, Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

This is another early letter so you’ll just be arriving at school/nursery as I write.

I have to do some more clearing up today. I’m slowly getting Great-grandma’s room tidier and am finding all sorts of things. I found a lot of stuff which belonged to your Great-grandfather. That’s my father’s dad. I found some of his books from when he was a student and some of the certificates he got from the college. He was studying geology and physics because he worked in a coal mine. I also found some photos of him. It’s very strange looking at photos of someone you never knew but who was so closely related to you.

I do hope that it doesn’t get like that for you, Liam. You won’t remember us soon and that will be a great shame. I would just love to talk to you both to tell you about our family history. I think that it’s important for you to know all these things.

Well, I’ll try to write something about our family so that, if we never meet again, you’ll know something of your family.

Until my next letter, bye,

All our love, Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

It’s still early today so you’ll just be getting to school about now. Don’t forget that this clock shows an hour later than it really is. Perhaps at the weekend, when they change the clock, the time will come right.

It’s strange that, now we know a little about St Lawrence’s Primary School, we can imagine you a bit better, Francesca. We’d love to know where you go, Liam, just to help us see you in our minds.

The dafodils are really out now. What are they like in Somerset? Here, they’re brightening things up quite a lot.

I’m off now to get some more tidying up done, I’ve got to empty Great-Grandma’s room so that we can sleep in it while we have our bedroom decorated so there’s a lot to do.

Bye, then and have a really nice day both of you at school and nursery,

All our love from,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx

My Dear Francesca and Liam,

This is the 400th time I’ve written to you. Can you believe that? Four hundred letters, eh, that’s quite a lot. Actually, when I’ve been away, Grandma has done some of them so that’s 400 letters between us.

It’s quite early today when I write. That’s because I couldn’t sleep last night and I got up at about five o’clock to write to you. You’ll still be in bed tucked up warm and, I hope dreaming sweet dreams.

It’s a lot of letters is 400 and just below, I’ve put in 400 | signs to show you how many letters we’ve written:

|||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| (That’s 100) |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| (That’s 200) |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| (That’s 300) |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| ||||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| That’s 400. It’s a lot isn’t it.

Just think, for every time I’ve written a letter, I’ve thought of you a hundred times. You’re on both our minds all the time.

Hope that you have a good time today at St Lawrence’s, Francesca and at your nursery, Liam,

We love you lots and lots and lots,

All our love, Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Liam and Francesca,

Hope you’re well today. I’ve been really busy this afternoon sorting things out in the storage unit we’ve got. We took it on when you moved away as we had all the things which had been stored in your loft. They made me remember when I used to use your loft. Do you remember that? I had a bench up there and made a few things on it. I had to move that today and it reminded me of when you were still living in Colin Drive.

I’m really tired now as I had to move everything into a bigger unit and I got quite a bit of it moved when I found that some of the boxes were damp, so I had to move them all again (it’s a hard life being a grandad!!!!) and put them on pallets.

Well, I’m packing up now, I’ll write tomorrow,

All our love from Grandma and Grandad xxxx

Dear Francesca and Liam,

Did you know that I keep on hoping to find out how you are and where you are? Well, last night, I found a newspaper article on the internet. I’ll bet that you know what I mean, Francesca but do you, Liam? It told me that your sister won Ed the Ted in a raffle. It also told me what school you go to, Francesca and that you’re in Lime Class. It was really, really wonderful to get some news of you after all this time.

I suppose that you’ve seen the article, if not, it’s here:

Ed the Ted Article

I loved the photo in the article, it’s the first time we’ve seen your face, Francesca for over a year. It’s funny, though, you winning that Teddy. It looks very similar to the teddy which you won at the Barnet Band Concert, doesn’t it? I remember how happy and exited you were when you won that one. Did you know that the teddy you won then was given to Barnet band by a ???? player whose name is Laurence , funny, eh, as that’s the name of your school except that your’s is spelt Lawrence with a ‘w’.

What really made us happy was that you looked happy on the photograph and you know that’s what Grandma and I want for you both – for you to be happy.

We’ve had a look at the school’s web site and it looks a really great place to be so we’re happy about that too. We hope that you’re well settled in there. We’ll keep an eye on it now and see how you get on.

We’ll keep in touch,
All our love,
Grandma and Grandad xxxx