Dear Jessica Brennan,
This week marked the second anniversary of my dad and your grandpa’s death. It doesn’t seem possible. Time has removed a lot of the sadness and filled in the gaps with fond memories and giggles. Grandpa was a kind soul and for the most part gentle, but he enjoyed descriptive and old-fashioned insults, more than most, which made him adorable. I should point out that when he used the following words and phrases, he was generally laughing. I don’t want his good humour to be lost in translation.
It would not be unusual, particularly when I was a kid to hear him say:
- Go do your homework you little fink
- You’re bored? Well, go play in traffic.
- Who is that guy I saw you with? He’s a bit of a dud if you ask me.
Twerp and pipsqueak could be used on a child, but “Why don’t you dry up, you pain in the neck?”, or “What a big galoot”, mostly applied to politicians. He didn’t swear, so holy mackerel had to suffice in the worst of times.
He was one of a kind.
Love,
Mum xo
PS – See you soon you little crumb