A sentimental sausage

Did you know this week is Grandparents week? 

Nor did I till stumbled across it in Facebook. 

So with that in mind and because it would have been my Dads birthday today, I celebrate my Dad.

He died before ever meeting his Grandchildren but I know he would have been a super duper Grandaddy who would have adored them all and spent endless hours playing, being silly and teaching his now four grand children whilst watching them grow into happy little grown ups

Today I SMILE for my Dad and all the other Grandparents who can't be with us anymore.

I'll be sipping a pint of T.E.A and eating cream crackers by the stack with him in mind today. 



Miss you X

unikgifts

Friday funny...

A grandparent + a grandchild + ice cream = 

(Mummy do you have a wet wipe or two?)

Enjoy the sunshine this weekend!

www.unikgifts.co.uk

Oompa Grampa speaks wise words...

This is aimed at all the grandparents out there who like me are enjoying immensely the joy of having beautiful grandkids.

Time goes by in a flash and it only seems like yesterday that I was stepping on small toys in the dark and wondering if there was enough money in the bank. There never seemed to be enough time to read the paper let alone to enjoy things with my children.

Now in the autumn of my life and blessed with 3 adult children who are making there own way in the world and my two daughters have married super guys, [though against the rules both of my son in laws’ are taller than I!] So I find myself elevated to being a granddad [or Oompa!] and it is a role I thoroughly enjoy.

My two beautiful granddaughters are not only different in ages but also in tastes:

Kathryn is known as ‘Danger Baby’ and is 18months old. As you know she's an outdoors girl who loves to get her hands [feet, clothes and everything else] dirty!

Poppy is 4 years old and lives on a stud farm which is run by my daughter and son in law. She also lives very much an outdoor life around the farm and is learning to horse ride on a weekly basis.

I live in Germany and have spent many years here. Additionally my children grew up and were partly educated over here. Therefore my children discovered many things about living in Germany which they still miss today. They miss great choice of wooden toys, the tastes and traditions they grew up with. The memories are still with them and fondly remembered by them all. 


Being an ‘old’ guy with old fashioned ideas I steer clear of cheap and easily broken plastic tat when buying Kathryn & Poppy presents. Therefore classily made wooden toys which last forever, are amongst my favourites and I can now treat my granddaughters to these treasures. Thankfully I live nearby to Markus Kampe who makes beautiful wooden toys for children. 


During a recent visit to Germany my ‘DangerBaby’ granddaughter was extremely active and exhausting to keep amused [her usual self]. A visit to his workshop came to the rescue and the 30+ minutes of peace we had while DangerBaby played with all his magical creations was a welcome respite. He now works with u-ni-k to share his classy and magical wooden toys.

Yet another favourite where us grandparents cannot fail is a superbly home made cuddly toy with character and lovability. Again there is a super range available at u-ni-k of lovely toys to say to a particular grandchild that they are special and you love them.

I have to say that u-ni-k has taken all the hard work of present buying from me. There is always a chance that us grandparents are ‘out of date’ and therefore buy the wrong things which are soon broken or discarded. I trust that Anna & Sarah at u-ni-k to choose what present is right because they are mums with young children and therefore they are on the toy battlefront all day long.

The wise amongst us elder folk know from experience that the cleverest and most needed person in any family is the mother, they know best and always will. I believe that is the main reason why I love www.unikgifts.co.uk and have no hesitation with recommending it to all grandparents who are not worldly wise enough to be as astute as myself !, ;-)

I wish to add that I am not just any old granddad, I am Granddad [OOMPA] of the Year as voted unanimously by Poppy and Kathryn who like there clever mummies – are never wrong!.

The Magical World of Grandparents....

Grandparents are made of chocolate. How else do you explain how your child is instantly covered in warm brown dribbly chocolate within minutes of seeing a grandparent?! Both then instantly become the centre of attention for every wasp within a 2 mile radius. Mum's have to magic up some wet wipes, a bin for used wet wipes and perhaps a change of clothes before more fun can be had. And boy, with Grandparents, there is definitely more fun to be had.

Grandparents are full of ideas and enthusiasm to keep their grandchild(ren) as happy (spoilt) as possible. “Oooh come and have a look at this, [insert name of grandchild/grandchildren here] will love this!” and off they totter to the nearest china shop with porcelain dolls /pet shop with puppies / Steiff bear shop with large teddies at 100s of bucks/euros/pounds a piece [delete choices as appropriate]. The chocolate covered [last wet wipe session has worn off] grandchild does indeed think it is great, as sticky handprints provide a gingerbread trail for the Mummy to follow.

So imagine my trepidation yesterday when Oompa Grampa said 'I've phoned my friend Markus and he'll open up his wood workshop for us, you'll like this”. I had several images flash before my eyes, most of which were of beautiful carvings all covered in little chocolate handprints and a stern German man asking us to leave his farm before he lets out the dogs. GULP, did I pack enough wet wipes for this holiday?

We drove through the Teutoberg Forrest to a large farm building built in the 1800s and still looking very agricultural. The authentic cobblestones leading to the barn doors were a handful for the toddling DangerBaby but holding on to Oompa's hand we were able to step over the old fashioned threshold into a brightly lit modern workshop.

We were warmly welcomed by a lovely lady who spoke some of our language (not that strange OompaLand one) and she opened up a small stable to the side for DangerBaby to go and have a look. This small stable resembled an elven workshop preparing for Christmas... it was the place of dreams! Rocking horses, xylophones, dolls prams, cookers, bikes, decorations... A world of wooden play heaven for one little girl. Toys on shelves and on the floor, all lovingly handmade in wood and waiting to be played with.

We were trying to take it all in, when in walks the grey haired Markus – complete with spectacles to complete the 'Father Christmas' look of his workshop (minus the beard as it is Summer!). Within 5 minutes my daughter was sat on the floor playing with a wooden horse making purring sounds. Much to the amusement of Markus and Britta.

Both Markus and Britta believe strongly that wood enriches peoples lives. They try to preserve the wood's original character in each and every product they craft, thus each piece gains a distinctive uniqueness. They still use traditional methods to carve the wood and each piece is smooth and almost warm to the touch.  Each and every piece an instant delight with our newly appointed u-ni-k chief tester (DangerBaby) and her financier (Daddy DayCare). 

Thankfully this workshop nestled in deepest darkest OompaLand has kindly agreed to supply u-ni-k gifts,  so we will be able to share some of the magical joy that these pieces have brought to our family. As Daddy DayCare said "This is what I dreamed Santa's workshop was like when I was little!". 

So dreams can come true for young and old alike, a world with Grandparents in it is truly magical indeed.