It’s trying to be spring here, despite it being very foggy, a bit rainy and still feeling cold, there are some signs that the spring is arriving. Trees are getting leaves, slowly, and the grass is starting to grow. We had one day of sunshine the other day. It was glorious, and it was a Saturday.

The other changes feel larger. Perhaps that’s hyperbole – what changes are bigger than the motion of the earth spinning on it’s axis?? But they feel bigger to me.

Three weeks ago I moved into a new house, it’s closer to my work and much bigger. This move means I’ve cemented the fact that I live with my parents. I know, I am old enough to know better, I know that! But I am really happy that I chose to move in with them, and into the new place so we have space apart too. There are a few reasons why I chose to, and why I am happy, and I’ll share those with you here, perhaps spread over a few posts.

When I moved back to the east I owned a house in the north, so it made sense to move back in with my parents for a bit. After accepting the job here it was obvious that I’d be at least temporarily living with my family until things settled down. But quite quickly I realised a few things, and we had long discussions about the best options for housing – everyone agreed. I should move back in, as a mid-30’s cuckoo.

One of my primary reasons for looking for jobs in Norfolk was to be closer to my family, and in particular to be more help with looking after my grandfather. He lived with my parents.

Sadly, on Good Friday this year he passed away. He was 95 years old, and had lived with my parents for about 3 years. We miss him very much. His passing was sad, but I think he’d had enough. He was fairly deaf, going blind, and didn’t have much mobility. But he still had a glass of red each evening, and enjoyed listening to audio books, watching sports and eating desserts.

For a month or so before he died he’d felt pretty awful – no wonder really – as his kidneys were failing, and his heart was starting to struggle. He’d been in and out of hospital, and we’d hoped that he’d bounce back. Unfortunately he didn’t, but he was surrounded by wonderful NHS nurses, and had been visited by the family every day.

Just the day before he’d been complaining that he was bored, which made us giggle. Of course he was. He was not an easy gentleman to entertain. He’d enjoyed cerebral and often individual pursuits for most of his life, especially in retirement. He’d been a keen swimmer, gardener, and a stamp collector, he loved a discussion about science or a debate about something where he’d want you to change his mind on, or enlighten him about. Very rarely did either of those things happen.

I have fond memories of the face he used to pull to inspect a stamp through a  magnifying glass. I also remember sneaking into his office to access the kids books without disturbing him. Or of him entertaining the younger great grand children with silly faces. He had many facets. He is probably one part of the reason that I love gardening and growing things, his garden when we were growing up was magical. There was a stream at the bottom, and a swing over it.

I am really grateful that I had the last 9 months living with him. I’m not sure how much I helped to look after him, but I tried to fix his iPad when necessary, or to re-start the router. I was there when he needed me to fetch and carry, and I gave my parents a few nights off when they didn’t have to rush home to make sure he was okay.

We say goodbye to granddad, and hope that he’s got great WiFi wherever he is now.

Granddad was one of the reasons why I moved in with my parents, and one of many reasons why we’d decided to move. Him not being with us any more hasn’t changed our mind about moving, but the house isn’t quite the same without him.