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Ted (Julie's Grandmother's Partner) A great bloke! Makes a mean cup of tea! He lives in Newark-on-Trent (along with most of Julie's relatives) and even though he is on the high side of seventy, still goes out and does some serious manual labour. He built his garden shed with a bit of help from the neighbour and had to carry bloody big paving blocks from the front of the house to the back as a base for the shed. Julie's grandma (known as Nan to everyone) died about 12 years ago and Ted has missed her dearly, as every-one does. There are still some of her things around the place and you can see he loved her very much. A fresh bunch of flowers, every week, is put on her table. Even though he has developed late-onset diabetes, he is making some pretty mean home-made wine. I happened to be lucky enough to score an entire bottle of Ginger Wine and it is really a very nice drop! Ted has recently turned 80 (Sept 2001) and is now in quite poor health. He is suffering from terminal lung cancer and we have been making a lot of trips to see him. Ted died at 8:40pm November 4th 2001. He was not in any pain and we are glad he went quickly. |
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Great Uncle Terry (pronounced in a strong Yorkshire accent) He is a proper Yorkshire farmer in the truest sense of the word. He's retired from the farm and now lives in a lovely little village called Kirkbymoorside (the second k is silent). Enjoys his beef and veg as well as a few beers! We've stayed with him for a few weekends and were made to feel very "at home". We tend to go back to where Uncle Terry used to live (near Scarborough) as the "local" is a great venue for a great Pub lunch (Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding about 10cm across, veggies and gravy). There are lots of great scenery around the Yorkshire Moors and I suggest you spend some time in the area if you get the chance. Uncle Terry died 19 January 2006. His old heart finally gave out, it is quite amazing that it held on as long as it did considering all the amazing workload he had as a farmer in the Yorkshire moors. Freezing weather, lambing, and the rest puts a lot of stress on the body and the doctors said that there wasn't much they could do as his old ticker was just worn out. He spent the last few months of his life in a nursing home and we are glad he went relatively quickly. The farming community in the North will miss a very competent sheep judge and a great bloke. |
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Aunty Beryl and Uncle Gerald We've also stayed with Beryl and Gerald for a weekend and had a great time. Aunty Beryl has a very well stocked bar and we always had a wee dram before and after dinner. They also live in Newark-on-Trent (along with Ted) and have a very nice house with a decent size backyard, but are looking to move to a smaller place as Gerald has retired from a job he has held for 40 odd years. He remembers when the Second World War was on and showed us where there was a German prisoner of war camp and the place were a German Bomber crashed into a row of houses. He has a million stories and I've spent more time recently just chatting. There is a lot to learn about the area, as Newark is a key "market town" and has been inhabited for about 1600 years! The ruins of the castle are still standing and if you ever get to the area, go and see York (we're going there next time we're up that way) and Newark. |
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