Poppa

In a couple of years my maternal grandfather lost both his youngest daughter and his wife of over fifty years. Not in the careless sense, but in the sense that they both died. He is one of the sharpest people I know, with a puritanical work ethic and the same exacting standards expected of all those around him. At the age of 82, he has just bought 55 acres on the outskirts of Tauranga with ocean views, and he means to develop the property with passionfruit and kiwifruit and triple his 1.3 million dollar investment in a few years time. He also drinks to excess every night, he refers to the ale as his 'medicine'.

I wonder if he's lonely now. We went up to see him last night, to take him some more pork which he devoured when he came down from the hills yesterday to sit and have Christmas lunch with us, which surprised both Frank and I. He was in his dressing gown and slippers, looking for all the world like an intoxicated elf. He idolises my little brother, and I think he is proud of me, though it is obvious he wants me to stop pissing around and practise by the fact he offers to go into business with me everytime I see him, and regails me with tales of his own (frequent) run ins with the law. So I saw the farm for the first time last night and it is beautiful. With a swiftly flowing weeping-willow lined stream at one of the boundaries just begging to be swum in, and hawks and rabbits and a herd of goats and calf-length green grass and caramel coloured young bullocks with their drippy saucers of brown eyes across the stream. I got hayfever, but i want to go back in the week with the boy and swim.

Jacob is here, cuddly and wanting to participate:

Oops, the pressure of having to come up with his own material to write was too much........