Alan Gandy

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

I wrote recently after acquiring our new dog – Pepper – about how we were employing the Cesar Millan training methods for the two books we had bought – How to Raise the Perfect Dog and Cesar’s Way.

Here’s a bit of an update…On the whole, with the odd glitch as you can see – it’s working out pretty well. Both of the boys are way better on the lead, and generally behave pretty well together. They do occasionally have issues with each other and get a bit boisterous – but we expected that with them both being dogs.

I’ve read one of the books – must get around to the other – and pretty much watched most of everything he’s done for TV. It works – it really does. Though I do wonder sometimes that he seems to have something very special about him, almost a ‘Doctor Doolittle quality’, that we mere mortals can never hope to emulate. The man has a gift!

As a child, my granddad (Thomas Gandy) was my idol. I remember him as a little old man, apparently frail and ‘bow legged’, but if you looked further the man had the strength of an ox. If he rolled his sleeves up he had muscles like Popeye on a spinach high! I idolised him he used to sit me on his knee and tell me great stories about his travels in Canada – so spectacular to a child that you wondered whether he was making them up at times…. Cows and cowsheds being lifted by winds, travelling under the rails of trains – stories you might expect to read in Jack Kerouak than to hear off your own grandfather.

To put you in the picture of the type of man he was, he was very gentle with us. I remember him most of the time sitting quietly in his chair as my grandmother would talk constantly. Boy could she talk – well, when she got the chance between bringing us constant supplies of cakes and ginger beer made and bought in specially for our regular visits. He was quiet – but you always knew who wore the trousers in that house!

I recall one time – as a child does – asking “Why do you have such big ears”? At which point (socially acceptable in those days) my mothers hand came from nowhere around the back of my head. He said calmly, but authoritatively, and with a suppressed anger I’m sure – “What was that for? The boy asked a perfectly reasonable question. I DO have big ears”. He took his eyes away from my mother, looked at my tearful eyes and answered the question as though nothing had happened. That was the kind of man he was.

I’ve told this story many times as I was told it by my dad – to the best of my recollection – over the years… But after writing recently about my uncle Fred passing away thought it was time to write it down.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today is the day of Uncle Fred’s funeral. Well my great uncle… A man I only have fond memories of, a genuinely nice guy and a big influence on my life – not directly – but through his influence on my dad. As well as the immediate family (you know who you are if you are reading this) I feel for my dad today. I grew up with stories of my dad’s childhood – many centred around Fred. Fred seemed to figure somewhere in just about all of them. Amongst other things Fred taught him to drive, they spent a number of years in the TA together, and have always been close…

My dad hasn’t just lost his uncle, he’s lost his last real link with his own parents, and he’s lost a man who was as much a big brother figure and a friend to him as anything else… Fred taught him, Fred looked out for him, Fred helped shape him…

I hate funerals, and if I’m honest avoid them unless I feel affected closely. This is one I would have liked to have been at – I would have been at – if it were possible. I wish I could have been in Liverpool today to pay my respects and say my own farewells…

Goodbye Uncle Fred – you were a great guy – we were all honoured to know you!

This makes it sound like I’ve died… But, it’s hard not to be touched – both pleased, and saddened – by this little gem I found on my son’s Bebo page. Life has it’s ups and downs, not all is constant – but my kids over the years have been the one thing that is – they´ve kept me going through the bad times and the good. Every moment I have with them, every line I exchange with them on Messenger I treasure – even if the conversation on Messenger is usually limited to words like ‘ye’, ‘cool’. ‘borin’ and ‘nothin’…

Joe, if you´re reading this – don’t you ever forget that I love and miss you (and your brothers) every minute of every day. thanks for making my day!

Sam

Joe and Ben

I was recently meant to be teaching my son how to fish.

In the end he ended up teaching me a thing or two!

And now…

Actually neither of them are  – Guido is a dog, and Elle hasn’t got a bitchy bone in her body. But the headline got your attention didn’t it!

One of my greatest heroes in life was my grandfather. He was quite a man! As a child I always remember him being old… We used to go and visit most weekends as kids and my favourite parts of these visits was that often he would sit me down and tell me tales of his times in Canada, like stories of entire cowsheds being tossed around in a whirlwind with cows popping out of the sides of the funnel, his times riding the rails of trains in true Kerouac fashion, of being a lumberjack, of the wide open spaces.

Not until I was older did I get to find out the whole story. Read the rest of this entry »

What is it with kids today! (OMG – I hear my dad´s voice ringing through my head again…) We have just had the boys to stay for most of the summer, gave them the freedom of the town, and the beach which are in walking distance… And what do they do – sit around the house playing on the computer….

It´s just not natural – at their age I´d have been down the beach from morning until night with dark glasses and a big brimmed hat staring and scantily clad women and girls. Should I be ordering DNA tests – they couldn´t possibly be mine could they?