Grandad

 Grandad is 70 so he has a cupboard full of typical elderly clothing like a white and grey flannel checkered shirt and long black corduroy pants. He also wears silly black rubber slip on shoes called crocks.  His eyes are a steely grey-green color and he is still quite tall even though his shoulders are starting to stoop. His thinning white hair reveals a glimpse of the shiny bald patch underneath. He tries to disguise this by combing his hair across however this disguise is no longer as good as it used to be. His generous smile displays what may seem like normal older people teeth, sort of yellow with age however he then catches you off guard by popping them out. They're false teeth!

On the weekends when I have time me, my brother and grandad walk the dogs together. When we cross the road he always says “come on gang”. This always make me laugh.  Grandad is a great fisherman and loves spending time fishing in the Taramakau river. One morning last year he caught a humongous salmon.  It was the biggest salmon caught in that river for a long time. The photo of him holding the salmon got put in the Greymouth newspaper.

Grandad is usually very kind however he gets very grumpy and angry when someone stands in front of the TV or talks too loud when he is watching TV especially if it is the news or weather. He always steals the TV remote of us when he wants to watch or record something. Grandad hates it when Nikau has the TV too loud. He tries to be funny and make me laugh by popping his teeth out but it’s really not that funny. It’s actually quite creepy.

It is quite easy to see what my grandad’s favorite possessions are because he looks after them so well. They are his aviary of vibrant colored birds, his dog Poppy, his pond of colorful fish and his amazing garden full of fruit and vegetables. Grandad has had birds for many years and breeds his own. Once my grandads favorite bird died and he buried it with a cross he made specially. Whenever one of his birds die he always buries them with care. He dearly loves his dogs especially Poppy and her cousins Pebbles and Ruby. He runs a free doggy day care service daily for all family members dogs. The dogs are treated to rides in the car, long walks on the beach, plenty of snacks and a warm knee to snuggle on. Grandad has a pond which is home to lots of different fish. He was devastated when a hungry heron stopped one day to help himself to a tasty afternoon snack leaving nothing but the lily pads and some water weed behind. Grandad spends many hours in his garden and glass house tending his crops. He generously shares his fresh produce with friends and family. I love his homegrown grapes, mmm! But most of all he absolutely loves his grandchildren Nikau and I.  He spends many hours watching us at sport, taking us to after school activities and teaching us cool things like how to skip stones and catch trout.

I LOVE MY GRANDAD!

By: Mia    Age: 9   Year: 5