You should've seen my grandmother's house in Sweden. It was gorgeous. It had a veranda and balcony. My Nan had two bathrooms and a basement. The lounge was huge, too. She had two bedrooms, so not that many BUT the bedrooms were pristine.
Every time I remember that house I know I'd been in heaven. It was a magical time for me.
I love the sound of your Grandmas house MCG, I love Swedish design. I loved my Grandmothers house in Spain and te other one which was a farmhouse with flagstone floors and a dairy on the side. I'm wondering if the lovely memories were of Grandmas more than anything
There is a lot to be said for being part of a group, and the support and friendship that is gained from this.
I love the sound of your Grandmas house MCG, I love Swedish design. I loved my Grandmothers house in Spain and te other one which was a farmhouse with flagstone floors and a dairy on the side. I'm wondering if the lovely memories were of Grandmas more than anything
It had been such a wonderful house: I loved the smell of rain in my Nan's - or Mormor's - garden. We'd eat a pot of yogurt in her veranda every morning. There was also a small playhouse in the garden, which I LOVED. I liked everything about Sweden and that house. Again, those memories are so fresh and vivid. I often think about being there again: but when I went to Sweden last year it wasn't the same. Still, I am glad I made the effort to travel there last year.
I can't believe I didn't see this post Cj. It has been so interesting reading it and the pictures too. So green with envy at your nomadic lifestyle. My OH is not one for travel really and so I hanker and travel in my dreams. My parents travelled greatly from when I was a baby and when they retired spent most of their time traveling the med whilst they still could. I clearly have their genes.
Looking forward to reading more your stay in this beautiful village in France. How long did you live there for ?
I think grannies homes are special MCG, I had one granny, Dolly, she was exactly as you would expect someone called Dolly should be, curly grey hair, twinkly eyes, she always wore a very vibrant pink lipstick. She lived alone in a pretty Georgian cottage, that was my sanctuary as a child. She loved gardening, she grew strawberries and dahlias, she grew other stuff too, but those are the two I remember. She and I would pick strawberries for tea and she would let me pick as many dahlias as I wanted to fill her vases.
Many years after she had passed away I went back to visit her cottage, it had been sold and the original front door and windows had been replaced with white plastic, the front garden had been cemented over to make a car space, I couldn't see the back garden, very sad isn't it?
Which side of your family is from Sweden?
I went to Helsinki, Finland, some years ago for a business conference. We were entertained one evening by one of the delegates who lived in Helsinki, her house was a real surprise, very modern, many bright colours which really suited the environment and she had a sauna next to the family bathroom , how amazing is that? Also, I remember we were given garlic ice cream , I don't think I tasted it though.
I remember too, in the hotel we were staying, the TV had Dad's Army on every evening
We lived in France for three years SD, I still feel a nostalgia for France, then again I do for Menorca too.
I assume you learnt French? Did you become fluent? Three years is a long time to pick up a language.
My mother had been Swedish. She moved to England when she was 18 years old to be married. But I became along in her second marriage. My mother actually spent a year in Greece as a young woman.
Anyhow, Mormor's house had been enchanting: I loved it there.
I did French A level at evening class, as I had really enjoyed doing it at 'O' level, but I am definitely not fluent, I can get by. Now Shaliby, a French lady on a UK forum ( ie ours!), can speak/write better english than wot I can ...Shaliby is what fluent looks like
When you think about it MCG, we all know quite a few French and Spanish words without realising it...think of all the English words you know ending in 'ity', ie University, facility, capacity etc
In French most of these words translate as capacité, facilité, Université etc
In Spanish, most of these words end in 'idad', ie Universidad, facilidad, capacidad etc
Therefore you yourself now know a few hundred French and Spanish words without realising it fascinating isn't it that most of these words are almost identical in 3 different languages?
Your granny's house does sound very special, you and your sister have wonderful memories, do you have lots of photos of the house and your granny, and of some of the special times you spent there? At such times, I think the old style photographs and photograph albums make those memories seem more real and poignant, as opposed to skimming over them on a phone.
We are more likely to sit and enjoy looking through an album with someone close, and also more likely to sit and ponder the photos and talk about the memories they provoke, the circumstances around the photos, what happened before and after it was taken etc.
There are many photos, Cj: I now realize I should start looking through them soon. They will certainly evoke those memories. I can still remember with crystal clear clarity. I will never forget those special days in Sweden.