GRANNY COLUMN

by Annie Murchie

A prerequisite of grannyhood is to be a mother - an incredibly difficult role for which we receive no training whatsoever - at least when we reach the granny kingdom we have experience, made some mistakes and maybe learnt a few tricks. I can't yet define a perfect granny as I haven't been in the role for long enough (thirteen years is not long) but I have after 45 years come up with a definition of a perfect mother - She has a life of her, own which prevents her whining about lack of visits or calls from her children but very importantly that life must be able to be dropped at an instant if a child needs her - never so much as when their children need car at holiday time or crisis times. I've just been called upon for that very duty - Eldest daughter second child works incredibly hard to pay school fees - this is at odds with her very left wing political views - champagne socialism is everywhere - the treadmill of mortgages and school fees don't allow time off for holiday care and there are only so many holiday clubs that children can tolerate, and at 13 they can't be left home alone.

Hail Granny - this granny has a physically demanding job as a cook in a small restaurant in the country so it is quite tricky to have a whole week away from the stove however attractive the alternative. Guilt is ever present in a woman's psyche - so to leave others to cook your goose fuels the guilt machine beautifully.

However the week was a wonderful one. The grandchild in this instance is a 13 year old very politically aware metropolitan kid whose only request was to visit the Eden Project - how lovely that X-Boxes, computers and television were rejected in favour of a long drive to Cornwall and another request to do The Tate at St Ives. Long car journeys make or break relationships and ours was reaffirmed and the 3 days traveling was sheer pleasure. The boy is passionate abut the environment and is horrified at some of his grandparents lack of greenism. I shall never not recycle cans again - his grandfather now cycles to the bottle bank and reuses every plastic bag. We are never too old to learn as my granny said to me.

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