I want a granpa like this, I wanna be a papa like this

We went to a bar-b-que on Saturday night at Connies mums partners house. (scott)

But as it was raining when we got there everybody had moved into the carport.

Soon after mostly everybody moved into the house and there was only myself, one of scotts mates and scotts elderley brother Iain.

Iain, a nicer man than you could possibly ever meet, started to tell some of his life stories. It was so amazing that it wouldnt have been possible to make it up.

As a young boy, he remember knocking ten bells out of benny hill for taking the piss out of him and his dad had to come to the door. Iain was only a little lad and Benny Hills dad couldnt believe it.
Iain's dad had been good friends with Lawrence of Arabia and as a young boy he remembers having to fill his motorbike gas tank with petrol. He recalls meeting the man, with a long leather overcoat on and flying googles. How cool is that.

If that wasnt enough for one mans life high point, Iain as a young man travelled and ended up in Barcelona where he took a bloke to a bull fight. That bloke was the son (Iain describes him as possibly illigitimate son) of none other than Salvador Dali.

Iain, somehow manages to get to meet the man himself and ends up being friends with him.

He says at this point, that quite unlike what people expected of Salvador Dali, he was a tremendous man and as sort of mayor or patron of his village, the villagers worshipped him as he bent over backwards to meet their every need and request.

Iain goes off at a bit of a tangent at this point and tells me about Dali's livingroom. Iain describes it as an expanse of pure white with sunlight beaming in everywhere, but without any visible windows. After some time, he worked out that the light was being piped in via shafts and mirrors to illuminate the entire room all round the day. He says it was truly amazing.

He recalls from his friendship with Dali, that he used to sell the paintings he didnt like and keep the very best ones for himself. I dont find this hard to believe at all.

Iain describes his favourite Dali to be a portrait of a woman with her back to the painter, looking into a mirror, where you can see her front. He says that it was mesmorizing.

Now, at this point Im thinking, Lawrence of Arabia, followed by Salvador Dali is a hard act to follow but read on.....

Iain back in London, and married by this time, explains that his wifes sister, or cousin or something or other was on the game, he puts no fine a point on it, blunt and straight to the fact she was a hoor. Anyways, the hoor has a son, who the family adopt as their own.

The son, when he becomes a grown man, because the choreographer and one of the dancers in mary poppins and one night invites Iain to a party with Sammy Davis Jnr.

Iain, describes the party as no big deal, everybody was just normal people and "puff" was going around, it was the first time he had tried it. He shared a "puff" with Sammy and seeing a dancer explains that she appeared to be loveliest vision that he ever did see. I get the impression he takes the young lady home stoned out his box and rattles the tart, but he is too much of a gentleman to say.

Now, none of this story was told in a boastfull way, he talks of these characters as if they were jow bloggs down the pub.

But he says, the man that is my ultimate hero, is the guy that saved my brothers life on top of a roof one day. How nice is that, after all the really cool people he has met, his hero is a normal every day bloke, now thats class.

he stands up, rubs me on the back, goes in to the house and plays with all the kids. I am in awe by this point.

Bet your wondering why that was in my daddy diaries, well the reason is simple.

I want a grandad like that, I could listen to that entire story a hundred times over, I definately missed out there when I was a kid.

Failing that, I want to be a grandad like that one day with cool stories and a soft gently manly grandpa way.

Now, my dads pretty cool dont get me wrong and he makes a pretty good grandpa to my kids, so I think he has already achieved the status that I hope to one day aspire too.