Your lovely dgm..

[Maydaysoonenough]

Tell me something lovely you remember about your dgm!!
Mine would have been 98 today!! Sadly she died in 1999.
She always had time for me and my dc.. Never tired or crabby!! Always a home baked treat available! And a Sunday roast!
And 27 perfect Christmases she gave us!
Sadly missed.

My nanny was a wonderful mum to me

she showed me love my mother just didn’t feel. Without her love and care and patience (and my grandads)

She would have been 105 this year it’s 19 years since she died and at times I still at times have a good cry over how much I miss her

its feel really sad she didn’t meet my ds. She would have been absolutely overjoyed by him but her love I pass on (I’m like her in many ways)

Her hands were beautiful - so soft and cool and wrinkly. I loved examining them.

I think of my dgm most days. She gave me big squeezing long hugs, the kind that made you feel really loved. She used to sit down to have conversations, listen and respond. She used to save me £5 every week from her pension, which I always told her not to. She was one of those really special people in life and I miss her so much.

Maternal Grandmother, always a big squishy cuddle. Always a homemade cake, always a kind word.
paternal Grandmother, went out of her way to teach useful things, was witty and sharp.

My grandmothers were single mothers when it wasn't common. Both of them.

One of them, I started dating a bloke who was Black and some of my family were racists not keen. My grandmother used her Voice and said, "if Terry brought him home he is wonderful. I don't want to hear another word". And she didn't

She was a feminist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic, back when most people had some dodgy views. Shining light of loveliness. The world's a crappier place.

Bit of a character. Heart of gold, very kind to us kids. Good cook.

Used to drink a lot, flirt with waiters when we went out I. E She'd be 75, winking at a 20 year old waiter who would blush like mad.

Liked to go to Spain on holiday, loved ballroom dancing. Fancied herself as Spanish a bit I think, she had olive skin and used to dye her hair black.

My Grandma died in 2000. She was very wise and had some funny expressions which made me and my Sister laugh. She was very thin in her youth (overactive thyroid) and I remember her saying "I was like a one on a door and I could eat two more than a pig and the pig and all", She had a good Lancashire accent.

I always liked the fact that her and my Grandad talked things through if there was a problem. She was kind but would definitely put you in your place if needed.

My nan was amazing, she had a hard life but was always smiling and up to something silly such as climbing a tree to get me some conkers and needing to be rescued. I think of her a lot, she was my rock after my parents divorce and my DMs subsequent metal breakdown, my DD is named after her.

My Granny was born in 1900 and died in 1994. She was hilarious. She’d read aloud the credits at the end of tv shows, all the names, including the Director, Producer etc…..so we’d get ‘Kenneth Jones oh aye, ahh yes Richard Morgan, oooh Linda Jones righty ho’, like she knew them. She also taught me to knit, crochet and play poker. In the last years of her life she greatly encouraged me to travel and I did - I’d write her letters describing all the places I was visiting (I spent 1989 to 1997 working abroad). She also read me the entire Anne of Green Gables books and introduced me to Aussie afternoon soaps, such as A Country Practice, The Sullivans and her fave…Sons and Daughters (she’d sing the intro every day at the top of her lungs). I named my one and only daughter after her, the would have adored each other.

Once my dgm found a dog. A brown mongrel. Bog standard one. She was adamant he wasn't staying so refused to give him a name. He was referred to as Nameless.
For 15 years!!
She never tired of talking and listening to my dc. Or of them emptying the cupboards to hide in them!!

God I miss my gran. She died over 40 years ago and I still miss her so much. She always had time for me. Made no attempt to hode that I was very much her favourite. She taught me how to knit, cooked with me, watched TV with me. She made it clear that every moment I spent with her was precious to her.

I have not felt such unconditional, undiluted love by anyone wlese in my life. I was very lucky to have her as my haven. I wish she could have been part of my life for longer, celebrated my achievements with me, and most of all that my own children could have known her. She would have loved them so much.

She was the most amazing woman I've ever met

Mine made the best rice pudding. My eldest son was born on her birthday and she said she couldn't sleep that night for excitement, and that he was the best birthday present she'd ever had.

My mum wears her wedding rings, the original rose gold one from 1939 and the one my grandad bought her for their ruby wedding. When the time comes I'll wear her original one, along with my mum's. I loved my nan, I called her 'Titch'.

What a lovely thread.

Love these threads. mine died when I was 4. I remember that I idolised her, but not much about her. I used to love trying on all her hats.

My paternal Nan was a cook for a large country house, and I used to love spending time in the kitchen cooking with her. She had a proper marble slabbed pantry that usually had pheasants hanging in it. She was a wizz at pastry. I'm so sad that she died when I was in my early teens.

My maternal Nan was more of a Mum to me - she never judged, always had a smile and a £1 coin she'd slip into your hand...... even when I was in my 30s . She died aged 87 about 10 years ago, but was in heart failure for about 2 years before. I became her carer as other family members were facking useless, but I loved that time - she told me lots of stories that I'd never heard before. It was really magical hearing about her years in the army, then getting married and looking after grandad's parents. I stood at her funeral feeling I couldn't have done more......... and that feeling kept me warm many a cold night when I missed her. I still do but it's more of a "god I was lucky to have her" way.

This is just the most comforting thread.

My Granny died 6.5 years ago at 76 and I was pregnant with my first. She'd had such a hard life, from becoming the mother of the house of 7 siblings when she lost her mum at 12. She lied about her age at 16 to join the RAF and get away from her domineering dad, step mum and brothers. Then she was widowed at age 22 when my dad was 3 and my auntie was 10 days old. She remarried and had 3 more children with my lovely Grandad and became the matriarch of a huge, loud and loving family. I felt like I'd lost our sun and moon and the person I looked up to the most. Her softness, twinkling eyes and potty mouth are something I miss so much it actually aches. She never got to meet my little boy who looks identical to my dad and she would have adored him.

Rest in peace to all these lovely grandmas. They shape us in ways we don't notice until they're gone.

She was the World's Worst Cook.

My dad and his brothers grew up thinking food was supposed to taste burnt 😄

She never, ever, learned to cook. She was famous for terrible dinners (tinned sprouts anyone?!) and as kids we just went to the chippy for tea when we visited

She had two tea caddy's - one for visitors with Typhoo in and a caddy with Barry's tea for her own personal use only!

Unfortunately I never got to experience this with my grandma but I have very fond memories of my great aunt who is now 102. I haven't seen her since I was a little girl (I'm 32 now) but whenever I saw her she had such great warmth, lovely smile and always gave us a pound coin. She is the grandma I would have liked. She never had children, so I bet that's why she's living so long 😆

One Nan was very middle class. She was the hub of the family, her home was at the heart of the whole community. She made incredible apple crumble. She sang, changing lyrics to include my name. She cuddled like no one else, full of warmth, love, reassurance and safety. She died a few years ago aged 92. I miss her so much.

My other Nan was working class and seemed to be in awe of Nan 1. But she was equally loved by me and sis. She died about 30 years ago but I still tell my DD (14) that Nan's shepherds pie was the best thing ever. She smoked, taught us to play cards, often lost her false teeth. She wasn't one for showing affection but would give her last half penny for us and made sure we always had a hot water bottle at bed time and that our school socks were boil washed to make them white and respectable.

Both were fabulous women who had experienced incredibly difficult obstacles in their lives. Both showed me the value of family.

My grandmother came from a comfortably-off family, but lived for many years in abject poverty (things eventually improved, due to her phenomenal work ethic and her skills in her trade.) She could have taught Mumsnetters a thing or two about making a chicken go far! TBH my grandmother was not a particularly good cook, but her fruit compote was to die for, and she made the most marvellous little spiral cookies for us. There were no toys for us at their home, but we could play with pretty much anything we wanted. I would bring my dolly and have a doll's tea party using antique silver goblets!

Grandmother used to say "I want to see you settled" ie married. She also used to say "God never send you a burden which is wider than your shoulders

Oops, hit post by accident.

"God never sends you a burden which is wider than your shoulders." In other words, you will always be able to get through though times. Which I have always found comforting.

She was very elegant, a model in her day. She was very British so seemed a real lady here in Australia. I remember her teaching me how to put on lipstick and how her and my grandpa were real true love. I would've loved some keepsakes from her, her sons probably just binned everything. My sister looks like her, and my middle DS and my niece so that's nice.

Also I always assumed her curls were from a roller set but my DS has her same blonde curly hairstyle with it straighter in the fringe so that was a pleasant discovery.

Loving reading all of these stories.

My maternal DGM was a card shark and what she didn't know about sport (any kind of sport, it really was baffling, my DB loved it) wasn't worth knowing about. She was terribly proper and we weren't allowed condiments on the table without them being first decanted into silver serving dishes! She was always ahead of her time style wise.

My paternal DGM made the best food ever; since she's passed, I've never eaten or made a chocolate cake that equals or betters it, I fear I never will. The same could be said for her pickled onions! She was tough - a spade was a fucking spade - and had a fearsome reputation locally, seeing off the lonely fellas who came out of the woodwork when my DGD died (!) but she loved me and I was left money in her will that meant I could get onto the property ladder, for which I'll be forever grateful. 💘

She went from a middle class family in India to working all hours as a farmer’s wife in post-war Britain.

Apparently was a terrible cook at first but was good when we knew her. She used to make afternoon tea when we came over. And I loved her cauliflower bahjis.

When my DM was was preoccupied with her younger DC, I always knew that she loved me.