My father started to write his memoir in 2000, following a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease a few years earlier.
He was fortunate (if you can ever use the word ‘fortunate’ when talking about such a devastating illness) that he lived for 18 years after that first diagnosis.
In those years, despite decreased mobility, he wrote about his life, in freehand and later verbally on tapes when his hands could no longer grasp a pen.
He died in 2011 aged 76 leaving us all bereft but grateful that he had taken the opportunity to share memories of his childhood, National Service, university days and his early career in architecture.
Rather than just type out his memoir and print copies out for members of the family, I decided on a more modern way to preserve his words.
Chastising myself for not having had the idea while he had been alive, I set up a blog (www.johngrinsell.blogspot.com) and over the last few years, have turned his life into a series of posts, hunting out appropriate photos to attach to them. It has been such a wonderful way to remember my dad. I sit at the computer, trying to decipher his handwriting, and can hear him speak the words to me.
My dad was born in Ely and moved to Peterborough aged 11 so many of his recollections are of particular interest to me.
How funny that I should now live, by chance, in the area of the country where my father grew up.
I discovered dad had been crowned Bonniest Baby at the Ely Allotment Show in 1935 and spent summers as a student in a pea canning factory in Peterborough as well as singlehandedly burning a field of stubble armed only with a box of matches and a small branch.
The fact that his words are now on the internet has had interesting consequences. His old school friends have been able to read and share stories and The King’s School in Peterborough were delighted to hear about a linocut design my dad had created, aged 15, which had been used as the school’s Christmas card in 1949. A chap from the United States, who had also done his National Service in Elgin, Scotland, got in touch to share his experiences too.
His memoir has been an inspiration to me. Reading about his two summer trips to Scandinavia as a student in the 50s, I was keen to follow in his footsteps. In the last few years we have visited Copenhagen and Oslo plus taken a two-week drive around Sweden. It was fascinating to compare notes, over 50 years apart.
He was a great admirer of the architecture and bold thinking in design: he would have adored hearing about how the cities are still constructing stunning public buildings.
Although my dad is no longer with me he has given me such a gift with his words. For that I am eternally grateful.
• You can follow Trish on Twitter @mumsgoneto and read her blog at www.mumsgoneto.blogspot.com