A Snippet of Life

Last week I attended my graduation ceremony at York Minster. I naturally tend to do this in everyday life because, after all, I am a writer but throughout the day I found myself thinking about how this could easily make for an entertaining blog post. I was writing the day in my head without actually writing it but I thought I'd share this with you. As backwards as it sounds, and very fitting to my character, I'd hit the booze far too hard the night before the event resulting in a very hungover me on the day. I awoke in my bed (thankfully) having no recollection as to how I got there, nor how I became so intoxicated, and after a shower to attempt to freshen up, we headed down to breakfast at the hotel. As always, the unlimited supply of continental and cooked choices made my eyes widen, but I forgot about how sick I was feeling when I was piling it onto my plate so when we returned to the room it didn't stay down for too long. Mum left at this point having had enough of ...

As it's nearing a year since my beloved Grandad passed away and recently I've been thinking about him lots, I thought I'd dedicate my newest blog post to the lovely man. This time in my life is so important. It's refreshing and exciting too, but SO important. The decisions I make over the next 6 months will change my life and the experiences I am about to have while travelling will enhance me for the better (I think).  That post university feeling is a strange one as I'm sure many of you are aware, and so far I am happy how I've planned it. I have allowed some time in comfort at home enjoying my summer with travels to look forward to before the stress that is applications and interviews begins. With this comfort period, I've had time to reflect and realise I've changed in my person (hopefully) for the better, noticing my qualities and keeping a positive mindset for that scary job market waiting in the new year. However, my mind goes into a bit of turmo...

  Grandad Mills. This is who he was. A man who appreciated life and everybody in it right until the very end and he taught me to appreciate this too. He would constantly say what a wonderful life he has had and what a credit his friends and family are to him and his memories (of which I can pretty much recite off by heart)! His memory was something else. The stories he told from sixty years ago, although repeated most times we saw him, were never wrongly recited. Every detail, from the exact place to what he was wearing that day, was included. It’s who he was. He had so much energy and was most definitely the fittest 89-year-old I knew. I remember being shocked once when I was playing football in the garden and Grandad came running up dribbling the ball then scored. He must have been in his late 70s at this point. Amazing, but it’s who he was. He was a man of extreme intelligence and independence and sometimes as stubborn as a Mule. “Grandad you’re a bit too old to be cutting yo...

  He claims his life is mundane, doing the same thing day in day out, living for his grandchildren...well, that may be, but he certainly has some stories does Granddad Mills.  ...Of holidays in the past, the highway to Spain, a video of an actual journey (and by that I mean every second of his actual journey) along the highway to Spain, with running commentary to add effect along the way, it makes me smile. Many wartime stories- inspirational. Radio recordings of his first wife (my Grandma) wishing him a happy birthday every year in the 80s, when, having been given the knowledge that Granddad was in charge of the erecting shop building aircraft, Ray Moore sarcastically puts 'poor old Chas, slaving away on his tod, in order to get this aircraft built!'  Many many stories, stories I have heard before, we can all repeat them in our heads word for word while he is telling them, and then a new one crops up and excitement fills the room! Stories well told, and each time...