Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

Like my books, I’m genre-defying. Well, I think so anyway. Let’s look at “grannies”. This subject came up in a FB conversation the other day and I was rather shocked to find that I’m supposed to be disapproving and strict.

It is apparently Grandfathers’ role to be naughty and play rough-stuff. Oh dear. Another stereo-type into which I don’t fit but then I’m not a real Granny. This doesn’t mean I don’t take the job seriously, I mean I never had kids so the only grandchildren I have are “borrowed” from my husband’s offspring. They don’t seem to mind.

When they came to stay for the first time in my tenure as “Mutant Teenage Ninja Grandma” (their invention, not mine) I was unaware of the requirement to wear sensible clothes, stout shoes and behave properly. It seemed normal, therefore, to help rig up a commando slide from the old walnut…