This post comes ahead of what would have been my grandfather's 87th birthday this Saturday. Having to say goodbye to a grandparent for the first time was difficult. I don't think anything can quite prepare you for the shock of their actual death, even seeing their slow decline in health in the months running up to it.
In many ways, I'm so happy that my grandfather lived for so long. He was able to see my sister and I grow up, go to university and make successes of our lives. My grandparents were the first people I called when I joined the BBC, such was the excitement I felt about making them proud of me.
But it's only after my grandfather's death that I learnt so much more about him. Although he seemed outwardly slow on the uptake, he had been saving for his funeral so as not to burden grandma with costs. He had planned it all out, and I think he knew it was coming. It makes me proud to know that he got to see in his 65th wedding anniversary, however ill he was at the time. I'm quite determined to keep Grandad's memory dear to me. In absence of any real father figure in my life, he was always there and I will be forever grateful for the time we spent together.
I still miss him dearly.
The 80th birthday boy with his cake
On other more cheerful matters, I recently celebrated my first radio birthday - a whole year employed at BBC Radio Bristol. I think it came as quite a shock really, I was just motoring along until I suddenly realised that things had seemingly come full circle for me.
I really do love this job, and despite the constant feeling of jet-lag from getting up at 4:30am each morning, I feel that there are still endless possibilities to go onwards.
Trouble is, I've not quite thought what yet. Up until a year ago, I had focused everything on getting in to the BBC, and now I'm here it's difficult to not feel so complacent about my position. For once, my housing situation couldn't be better and I'm still very happy here...but at what point do I look to move onwards and upwards in the career scale?
My love of Bristol may be a factor in keeping me here, but there is so much BBC related stuff on site that it's quite possible I could end up moving around and still remaining in this city. Who knows? I certainly don't!
