What can you remember about your Grandparent's house?

PTR said:
Great thread. Its times like this when I am reminded that whilst I'm the unluckiest person in the world when it comes things like raffles or games of chance, I've been the luckies person ever when it comes to thing that matter.
I had all 4 grandparents and 2 great nannas when I was born.

Used to visit one in Blackhall Rocks once a week until I started school. I remember buying those polystrene 3 piece aeroplanes from the shop next to the chippy on the corner (on the main road through the village - I'm sure people know it), and playing with my younger cousins Graham and Dan on the little field out the front of the house.
And I'm pretty sure we still went in the school holidays until she moved into a nursing home. I remember that place quite well too (Glendale House?) - playing draughts with my great uncle who recently passed away, but had the biggest attendance I've ever seen at a funeral. Lovely man.
She died when I was probably about 7.

My other great nanna, well, she plodded on just fine until I was about 20! Could be wrong here, but I think she got a card and a bottle of fizzy from our MP when she turned 90.
I spent so much time with her during the school holidays - my mam would go to work and leave me there. We'd go to the Welfare Park in Horden most days, then play cards or dominos in the living room. I very rarely slept there though (she often walked up to babysit me), but someone else mentioned the toasting fork over the coal fire - aye, we did that too.
She was absolutely lovely my "big nanna" (because she was the older nanna, despite being about 4 foot 6 !). Her name was always lovely, and I gave it to my first child.
I was at Uni when she passed, and I'd bought and wrapped a bottle of brandy for her Xmas present. I was given it back after she died, and it sat in my cupboard for quite a few years until I could bring myself to open it.
Coming back to memories of the house, her bedroom has such a strange smell - old lady smell I guess. My grandparents had moved in with her and had lived there about 10 years by that point, and my nanna is still there now. That bedroom STILL has a faint hint of the exact same smell!

How lucky am I though, all of that, and I hadn't even talked about my granparents yet. Maybe later.

My kids are the same - all 4 grandparents and no signs of that changing at all - all fit and healthy. And one "big nanna" as well. Eldest would have had 3, but the other 2 died literaly the day before and day after she was born.
Click to expand...
Them aeroplanes man, I'd get one every week from the paper shop at the end of my Gran's street and it would be knackered within two minutes of being chucked about. She'd still get me one the next week.
 


Liver Sausage Sarnies
Rock Cakes
Hooked on Classics playing
My grandads shed where he used to fix fishing rods for a shop and make fishing flies, he was a master caftsman and his shed was amazing...full of things he'd been asked to fix or build...and the odd wank mag stowed away...
the paddling pool out in the summer...
the empty coal bunker as they had a gas fire...we used to put targets up against it and fire my Grandads air rifle at them...I shot my nans roses by mistake one and she wasn't happy..
nature books everywhere..
the steepest stairs in history...
very funny people...and sorely missed.
 
Crinkle cut chips cooked in the deep fat fryer, fried eggs with runny yolks and bread absolutely caked with lurpak.

Tea bag sat to the side of the kitchen sink, being used to with in an inch of its life. I don’t think they realised rationing had finished decades earlier :lol:

Grandma’s organ in the back bedroom.

Video tapes in burgundy leather look cases on the bookshelf.

Alley way between their neighbours being caked in bird shite from the nesting pigeons.

My grandads Nissan Bluebird parked outside.

Lambs rum and peppermint cordial.
 
blondemackem said:
Smell of onions frying
The smell of the coal fire
Cornflakes with warm milk (the cure of ALL ills)
Pink wafer biscuits
I remember when we moved down south when I was little - I was 5 and fine with the git long drive down the country, but as soon as we got there I burst into tears and said I miss my Nana as we'd moved so far away from her. I can still picture her little face. Still miss her
Click to expand...
People ask me why I never left Peterlee.
If things had been different (9/11 mostly) then I probably would have done. But once I met the missus it was clear our family was more important than anything else, and that's only become more important as the kids have arrived.
Hope you still got to see your Nana plenty of times even after you'd moved away though?
Kevsgreat said:
Them aeroplanes man, I'd get one every week from the paper shop at the end of my Gran's street and it would be knackered within two minutes of being chucked about. She'd still get me one the next week.
Click to expand...
Oh, exactly. My kids still get them now!
 
SuperGerryHarrison said:
My Grandads greenhouse and garden. He loved growing stuff and I remember being sat there with a piece of rhubarb and a bowl of sugar.
Click to expand...

Aye they had rhubarb as well. Git great big leaves. Mint growing in an old kitchen sink, pick that and make vinegar salad with sunday dinner.
Lumber said:
Loadsa ket and a movie about an alligator living in the sewers
Click to expand...

I always remember a film about some ship in space and it would have these three pods on it that grew plants/trees/jungle and 3 robots that helped the guy look after the ship. Think the robots ended up getting destroyed trying to save the ship. Remember being very upset at it 😂
 
Last edited:
Smashing thread this, remembering some stuff I completely forgot

Brace & bit
The Sunday Post
Roast lamb with mint
The allotment
An old motor bike
The outside netty, although they did have a bath in the kitchen
A leek trench
Clothes drying in front of the fire
A coal scuttle
 
PTR said:
People ask me why I never left Peterlee.
If things had been different (9/11 mostly) then I probably would have done. But once I met the missus it was clear our family was more important than anything else, and that's only become more important as the kids have arrived.
Hope you still got to see your Nana plenty of times even after you'd moved away though?

Oh, exactly. My kids still get them now!
Click to expand...
Yeah we only lived there a few months in the end! Turns out Slough is pretty shit :lol:
 
Kevsgreat said:
Hate rhubarb. My Granda had it in his garden. We'd get a massive piece and dip it in sugar. Rank. Even worse was when my Nana made it into crumble. Just bitter pink slop with some tasty crumble on top.
Click to expand...
Me nana always added raspberries or blackberries to mask the bitterness
Normal Sunday Lunch pudding fair, we never had desserts in those days
 

Back
Top