Ugly Kid Joe (I)

Quirkie tagged me. I'm supposed to tell you 20 items of trivia about myself but since there's so much of me on this blog, I think I'd rather tell you some things about people I know. I'll do it in stages. Here's the first five:

(1) My grandfather, The Fuehrer, served in the army during WWII in Borneo. A family legend has persisted that underneath the moustache he wore all his adult life lay a map to hidden treasure, lost somewhere deep in the Borneo forests. When he died, I was standing at his coffin at the viewing and I had a small chuckle to myself at the thought that we should all swoop - now! - and settle the matter once and for all, before the secret was lost forever to the flames, the flames.

(2) My other grandfather, Old School, made himself an accordian and a violin and taught himself to play. He also built his own lathe and arc welder - he was quite the craftsman, but his shed was an occupational health and safety nightmare. Some of his handiwork is in the State Library of Tasmania's collection.

(3) Don Mary once sat in the middle of a road and nursed a bull to its death. But that's a story for another place, another time.

(4) Grumpy's marvellous Nan ran a shop in Sydney for many years. She sold meat rolls and cool drinks and had a large and loyal clientele. A few years ago someone, a former customer, wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald reminiscing about the wonderful rolls and the old bird who had made them. Was she still alive? Did anyone have the recipe? Grumpy's cousin showed Nan the letter, thinking she'd be thrilled. Nan just snorted (there may also have been pawing at the ground) and made it clear she would take that recipe to the grave. Whenever that might be; she just turned 91, you know.

(5) Everyone needs a kind-hearted Nanna. Don Mary has her moments, but my other Nanna, Blue Rinse, was my sweetheart Nanna. She always had a bag of peppermints in the house and when I visited I'd get raspberries with cream and icing sugar for dessert. She and Old School would sit in their armchairs and hold hands while they watched TV. I miss them.