If Nan was here now, she wouldn’t want to see any long faces, she would want us to have a nice time and enjoy ourselves. She had a great sense of humour and loved having a laugh with us. I always liked it when Dad teased her – even when she didn’t get the joke - she would really laugh which would make us laugh all the more. I can honestly say that all of my memories of Nan are fond. Not once did I see Nan in a bad mood and not once did she have a cross word for me. But she may have moaned about Grandad once or twice. Nan was always the same, always happy to see me and always good fun. If ever I went round unannounced, I could put money on she’d be wearing her pinnie with a duster in the pocket doing some housework. She’d want to feed me, she’d want to know what I’ve been doing, what Dad’s doing and ask when Dad would be coming round next. I could never say that I liked anything she had because she would ask me if I wanted it, so if I said I liked her necklace or her handbag she would ask me if I wanted it and she would genuinely want me to have it, the same applied if we went shopping, if I said I liked anything in the shops she would want to buy me it straight away... I loved shopping sprees with Nan (I’m kidding!). She would always stall you a little when it was time to leave (often by offering you a bit of gossip about Mrs Kirman or Mrs Freer, something that she’d probably already told me twenty times) and would stand at the gate and wave to me until I was out of sight. The best times at Nan’s house were always when Lisa and Sarah came over in the summer holidays. And they were some of Nan’s happiest times too. They’re distant memories now but so warm and happy. The simple things were so fantastic... whether going on the 3C to Top Market or the 3F to Cleethorpes. Of course Nan talking to complete strangers at the bus stop and on the bus. Nan telling us stories (often more than once!) of her time as WAF Duffy in the war, the pig chasing her down the street, flying in the Lancaster, giving Grandad’s cousin laxatives instead of sweets. We were always going through her disorganised photo albums and boxes, looking at the same old photos time after time which prompted the same old stories time after time. But it was the way she told them. We didn’t have any toys at Nanna and Grandad’s house and we never watched the TV in the daytime, but we had as much fun there then anywhere else. Many, many nights did I sit on Nan’s couch watching TV in the evening (usually what Grandad wanted to watch, but Bullseye and the Boxing grew on you after a while!). Nan would always be holding my hands – trying to warm them up with hers because she thought mine were too cold. Sometimes, when I was little we would sleep in the same bed and she pretended to complain that I was like an octopus - wrapping my arms and legs round her! Although not the last time I saw Nan, but my last wonderful memory of Nan was a few days before Christmas and I was about to leave and Nan asked me where I was going. I said to finish my Christmas shopping and she said she needed to do hers. I told her that I’d help her do it and she stroked my face and said ‘you’re really lovely’. But she was so genuine. Nan, I will miss you warming my hands up and telling me those same old stories. You were a perfect Nan and my life was so much more fantastic because you were such a significant part of it. Bless you!