Being a long distance granny

ffinnochio the next fortnight won't go quickly enough! Your feelings come across loud and strong, and I would feel the same way. Your comment about your own children's feelings of separation from you is so poignant - yesterday I looked up to see my daughter watching me playing with one of my grandaughters, as though she was committing the scene to memory. A touching moment for both of us, tears in our eyes. Your son will want to see you with your grandaughter and remember the happy moments. My daughter is a tough cookie usually (SIL says she has a swinging brick for a heart when she is objective and matter-of-fact) but when it comes to the children and their relationships with their family, she wants to see those cherished childhood experiences for her children, and that includes granny time. I hope your Skype brings lots more time enjoying your new grandaughter till you get to cuddle her

Just dried those tears and you've got me weeping again, when. Thanks for the post. Lovely. x

Pull yourself together, ffin! Is that better??? xxx

When You always have a wonderful way with words!

ffinnochio Not long now until you meet your beautiful granddaughter and hold her in your arms. I know only too well how frustrating Skype pictures can be sometimes

DD2 from Oz has just confirmed that she is flying 'home' with the youngest gc for a quick visit in June. I am so excited. Her main reason is to visit my Aunt who is 99 this year; she feels if she leaves it any longer, it may be too late. So, in the Gally household there will be reunions, introductions, a little crying for those who won't be present and much laughter.

Fabulous Gally. Lovely to have that to look forward to.

when - Yes! Very much better. x

Oh dear, ffinochio, I'm crying too, sitting here with tears rolling down my face!

Now I must pull myself together and get on with sorting out this house because DD1 and family are coming over at the end of March. Don't know why I'm weepy. Perhaps because I don't know when I will next see DD2

Congratulations on the new arrival and have a lovely time when you visit.

Ffinnochio It can be miserable at times and yes, for them too.

Lovely news about the baby ffinochio. At least with the UK you can get there quickly if you need to. I suspect I will be going 18 months if not two years now without seeing the Spanish grandchildren. I try not to think about it too much.
I do think it gets easier as they get older though. My GDs in England tend to shrug off the cuddles now, but I get emails, photos and Facetime from them. OH has a regular date for helping with maths homework and I love the secret conversations to discuss presents for Mummy and Daddy.

Lovely news but, oh dear, you seem to have set us all off! The tears are never that far away.

Use every means possible to keep in touch, Facebook, FaceTime, letters, photos, messages and texts as often as you can. Make the miles shorter this way.

so many "distant" grannies out there, it is a change of the times, gone are the days when gran either lived up the road, although sadly I never experienced having a gran or granddad being the almost last of a large family and my children never had the joy of grandparents cos there were old before their time in previous generations. I have 2-grandchildren and feel that I am missing out on their growing up, when I visited them in their homeland Sweden I would end up at the end of the visit distraught and in tears, I couldn't bear to leave them. Not a lot we can do only to enjoy their life through phone calls, visits and maybe Skype, not the same as the touching bit. Nevertheless the continuous knowledge that they are happy is a bonus. Could continue writing on this subject but must go and face the world with love in my heart for at least being a grandma.
Enjoy your day x

... and enjoy your day, too.

ladybird9 I understand how you feel. Have been home for a week after spending six weeks with our DGD (aged 3) in the US. I miss her so much. Like you say, Skype is great but not being able to cuddle her or have her climbing into bed with us on a morning is sad, although I am grateful for the time we had together.

I talk to her every day but she keeps asking 'Can you come back to my house Nana? Pleeeeeease!' and it is so hard trying to explain distance to her. She had seen a plane flying over the house and told DD2 'look Mummy! That plane is bringing Nana back to our house!' Breaks my heart

I'd so love to send books to my lovely grandchildren in California. Can anyone suggest a good way? I know I could just use Amazon, but I've heard of subscriptions you can take out where you choose a book a month and it is sent for you. Has anyone used one?

Grannfran You may find this useful www.bookdepository.com/category/2455/Childrens-Books

Good luck.

I send a book to my grand-daughter in Australia on the 1st of each month using The Book Depository. It takes about 10 days to get there but it is free postage and the book prices are similar to Amazon. I am hoping that I can read some to her using FaceTime when she gets just a bit bigger. She is only 8 months!

Thanks ffinochio and hespian. I've just sent an order - a little late for Easter, but still, I'm pleased to have sent a present. I miss them a lot, especially over holidays.

I've just done the same grannyfran!
Thanks so much for the suggestion ffinochio and hespian, it's a great idea

Holidays are always the most difficult ( along with birthdays and all other special days)! I find the days that used to be the happiest are now the saddest. We have tried to get through on skype and FaceTime all morning but it just won't connect. Very frustrating! I expect the demand is just too high on days like today. It will be too late for them very soon but won't give up yet.

Thanks ffinochio and hespian for the link to bookdepository, that will solve my present problems. My DS and family are in California and sending a couple of cards and a sticker book cost over £7! We spent last November there which was lovely but the journey is very long. A friend with family in LA whose husband can't cope with the long flight rented a flat in New York so they could all spend Christmas together with a shorter journey. Perhaps that will be an option for us at some point though what I enjoyed was just being in the house with them and joining in their daily lives.

I'm pleased for those of you who found the link to the Book Depository useful.

ruby I know exactly what you mean when you said you just enjoyed joining in with the family. That's what I enjoy when visiting - the everday-ness of it all.

Hi all you Grans out there,
I was in the discussion a while back and i agree with every single one of you.
I have just one problem that i need your help with.
I have been rather poorly since i last went to visit my family.
I had a heart attack and had a stent fitted two years ago, my problem is
that the travel insurance is twice as much as the flights.
My son pays for everything, but i cannot expect him to foot the bill for expensive insurance.!!!
Does anyone know of an insurance company that will cover pre-existing medical problems and isn't a rip off.
I have been quoted prices from £800 up to £2,080.
Help!!! Please.

I have 2 grandsons in California .They are now 8 and 9
We keep in touch on Face time and Skype and spend a lot of time talking about the Premier League. We manage to see them 2 or 3 times a year either in UK or CA. At least once a year they spend time with their Cousins who live in London so we are quite lucky.
As for present buying it is a case of forward planning and always getting things in advance. As the boys are getting older Amazon gift vouchers are useful I also order books etc from Amazon.com so I don't have to pay postage.
My biggest problem has been coming to terms with the Californian parenting!

My husband has just reached 80 and I'm dreading having to get Travel insurance. Up to now it has always been free. Hope someone can come up with some ideas

www.bishop-skinner.co.uk/pages/travel-insurance.aspx

bmteal and PMH we used the above brokers to get our travel insurance for a 2month trip to the US earlier this year.
They were really helpful.