Things that remind you of your grandparents

[RosesAndHellebores]

Mine died 20 years ago and would be 110ish now but I still miss them so much

The bolster on the bed
An old silky jacquard pink blanket that went under the eiderdown
Warm milk with a teaspoon of grated nutmeg
The sweet bowl next to the fruit bowl
Shape with jelly
Pies
Gin and Its
A kitchen that wasn't always spotless
Whiff of horse, hay and Goddard's linament and occasionally Shalimar
Complete no nonsense attitude but so so kind
Every time I look at dd: petite, blonde, blue eyed and the image of grannie (and named for her)

Paternal grandparents- the rattling of cups as grandad brought down the opening cup of tea, also gingernuts, the packet would be in his dressing gown pocket so we could have one with our tea.
Saveloys and mash on a hot summer day for the first lunch we were all down there visiting.
Beaded necklaces- gran had so many hanging on a hook in her wardrobe.

Maternal- Olay cream and Velcro hair curlers. She was not the easiest person to have a relationship with but I'm glad I knew her, have befitted from her wisdom and I think of her often.

4711 cologne sticks for hot days
Coach trips
Shopping at the market
Hand knitted tea cosies
A wooden meat safe with perforated zinc door
Lavender bags
Giving me drawer lining paper and writing paper sets for birthdays (my DD wouldn't know what to do with either of those!)

Tobacco and grandad stuffing his pipe.
Races on the TV, formula one for my nana.
Geese in the field, playing with the yellow pages.
Two huge ivory tusks under the mantelpiece
Huge dog asleep on the rug
Eating breakfast in a tin
Ants in the house
Newts in the garden
The smell of tomatoes

I still buy perfumed drawer liners.
Flowers: freesias were one Gran's favourite. The other had a big garden and would go out into Derbyshire on Sunday and come back with cuttings she'd shamelessly knocked on people's doors and asked for. I remember dahlias (and earwigs)
Both had those cupboards with a drop down shelf you put your tea on

The rotary whisk of hers which I have. Still works perfectly.
Two non stick sponge tins which get used when I need to cook something small in the oven.
Sponge (not plastic) curlers
'Pin Up' brand home perm
Anything mauve coloured because she loved that colour.

Especially lately when I see Spring crocuses. In my heart I say, 'hello Nanna.'

Macrame hanging baskets, sugar puffs (not allowed them at home) , purple Ford Capri, sachets of beer shampoo and Agree conditioner, mashed banana white bread sandwiches on a trolley, black and white films, Enid Blyton stories, happy faces biscuits, the smell of bacon.

How lovely is this thread?

All the unconditional love just shines through.

No piles of presents, no rows, no grey rocking or flying monkeys.

Just grandparents loving their grandchildren without any need for detailed lists of instructions.

I am a grandparent now and I very much hope to be around for many years to come but I hope that my grandchildren end up with memories like these.

Oh and another....horse brasses beside the fireplace and the button tin.

Ice cream slice between two wafers.

Icy formality. Sitting up straight and answering questions about school. Not speaking unless I was spoken to first. No warmth. They both died when I was 15 and I can't remember ever making physical contact with either of them.

The smell of golden Virginia rolling tobacco. Not even sure it can be purchased now but sometimes I get a whiff off of someone walking past and it just brings me back to my lovely nan

Sugar sandwiches. Grandad always in the garden. Nan slow and steady, and always had time for me. Her very tidy house and her bright sunny kitchen. Tablecloth at breakfast.
Grandad was very quiet. Apparently he was never the same after her came back after the war. I heard he had a terrible temper when my mother was a child, but I remember him being kind. He died when I was about 7 though. Nan lived to meet all of her great grandchildren though.

I forgot to say both my grandfathers smoked pipes, so the smell of those (rare nowadays) is the backdrop of my childhood too.
My mother is fab, and a very different sort of role model, being a real doer and always busy, but I would like to emulate Nan when my turn comes. She had a very peaceful nature.
Might be crying a little. She's been gone 22 years
Thanks for this lovely nostalgic thread.

My paternal grandmother, imperial leather soap - her bathroom used to smell of it.
A pink electric bed warmer,she always used to "air the bed" before bedtime.

Picking fresh mint for peas and potatoes, the smell of the mint in my garden brings back so many memories.

4711 toilet water and Blue Grass perfume- i have a bottle of both just to sniff.

Playing Sorry or Frustration, she always had the yellow counters as it was her favourite colour.

Her dressing table had the glass bowls and tray on it for powder and jewellery.

She was always immaculately turned out and never wore "slacks"

The laundry man coming every week.

She was an amazing,loving lady and I still miss her so much,she died a month before my son was born 24 years ago in September. I always remember her telling me "be happy" on my wedding day to my first husband, then gave me a kiss (she was never usually a kissy person,but we knew she loved us)

Trevor's mints.
The smell of Persil washing up liquid.
Turkey soup.

My Granny let me watch Dallas when I was about 8!! She would make toast and we would both sit and watch together.

My manna: Extra long vests that went in at the waist
Panty girdles
Stockings
Burberry check or Harris tweed skirts
A short Mac (not the Steve Jobs kind)
Van Dal shoes
Youth Dew by Estée Lauder
Sugared almonds
Mint imperials
Egg mashed in a cup with butter
A very dry wit
Listening but nothing berating
Bags & bags of generosity
A feeling of being loved that my mother didn’t give.

My grandad: walking through the living room taking a boiled kettle with water to shave
His Morris Minor with no seat belts - we’d slide around on the leatherette seats
Being brought out a lemonade when he called in for a pint, then after half an hour got back in the car & drove the 2 miles home
Fried egg sandwich on thick white bread and brown sauce.
My grandad looked after me on a Friday when my mother worked I have very happy memories of being taken to play parks, ponds to see the gnomes, for an ice cream. He was such a tough cookie but was so gentle with me.

This is such a lovely thread, by the way - I wish I had your memories

Yorkshire puddings! My dearly beloved gran, who died last October, was a proud school cook who made everything from scratch.
Before her dementia diagnosis me, my mum & gran went to do the weekly shop at Morrisons. My mum made the grave error of picking up a packet of Aunt Bessie's yorkshire puddings. Gran spotted them in mums trolley, hell nearly froze over & mum got a telling off for contemplating ready made & was told to put them back as Aunt Bessie's were "idle" & "not how you were brought up!" 🤣

I only knew my mum's mum. Nan lived with us until her death when I was 18. I have so many fabulous memories. She was head cook for a school and then the police canteen. I have a couple of letters of thanks from her employers and a picture of her in her best coat getting an award. I still have "nan's casserole dish" and the memories of what to cook in it that I learned from her tuition.

Lavender soap. Murray Mints. A vast handbag that was taken with her all around the house. A dressing table set. Giving the Labrador a saucer of tea. Pinafores with blouses. Rows of jewelled fruit in Kilner jars. Raspberry canes and sweet peas. A Paul Scarlet rose she planted for me and helped me tend. Mixing the Christmas puddings in an enormous china bowl from a wash stand (still have it). Coming home for lunch from school and hearing her playing the piano. She was worried at not being able to remember the left hand part she learned some 50 years before. The very softest cheek when I kissed her goodnight.

Blue Grass perfume.
The scents of sweet peas and tomato plants (maternal grandparents grew these every summer).
Drinking tea out of proper china cups with saucers.
Electric blankets.
Teasmaid.
Sliced white bread, with butter straight from.the fridge so there were huge holes in the bread and huge lumps of butter as it wouldn't spread.
Golden Delicious apples cut into quarters.

The smell of lavender. One GM always wore what she called ‘lavender water’.

She died long ago and it’s only recently that I’ve stopped thinking of lovely lavender as a purely old ladies’ thing.

What a lovely thread.
Mint imperials
Worthers originals
Make up powder
Apple pie
Falling asleep after Sunday lunch :)

And as at least one PP has already said - Imperial Leather soap!

Salad = A lettuce leaf dripping with water, a whole, uncut tomato, half a hard boiled egg and a huge dollop of Heinz salad cream

Chip pan

Watching Blockbusters with Bob Holness

Blackpool Illuminations

Grandad’s home grown mint and the smell and of his shed on a hot summer day

Lucozade when we were poorly whilst watching Pebble Mill at One