My Grandmother, laughing at one of my brilliant jokes, no doubt

My grandmother, Ellen (Nellie) Dubber will be 92 next month. She lives in a retirement village that reminds me quite strongly of one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Similar decor, piped music and soft furnishings.

It was great to be able to pop in and see her with Mum, Dad and Jake. There aren’t too many 15 year-olds who get to hang out and chat with a great-grandparent, I wouldn’t imagine…

Nellie’s getting on and tends to forget things, which is entirely understandable. We were her “first visitors of the day” (though we later learned that Dad’s sister Ann had already been out that morning) — and she told us of her fainting spell at the hairdresser’s the day before a few times over — but she’s remarkably chatty, upbeat and full of stories, despite the fact that someone’s stolen her purse (it was in her handbag).

Apart from anything else, it’s amazing how much of her Glaswegian accent she’s retained after 55-odd years living in New Zealand.

Visiting her today was something I was really glad we were able to do while we were back over here.

Having a wonderful time, wish you were here.