📙 Part 2: Describe an interesting older person

This episode's vocabulary

To build (someone/something) up (phrasal verb) - to increase or become larger or stronger, or to cause someone or something to do this.

Sheltered (adj.) - if you have a sheltered life, you are protected from harmful, unpleasant, or frightening experiences.

Engaging (adj.) - pleasant, attractive, and charming.

Evacuee (noun) - someone who is evacuated from a dangerous place, especially during a war.

Fearless (adj.) - having no fear.

Fiercely (adverb) - extremely.

Radically (adverb) - completely or extremely.

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Questions and Answers

M: Off you go. Give us a Rory story.

R: I think all old people are interesting, don't you? All that life experience and knowledge built up over time. You'd have to have led a very sheltered life to live that long and not be at least a little bit engaging. One particular person who sticks out in my mind is my late grandmother on my mother's side and Goodwillie. Clearly, I know her through my mom, though, it helps that we have a close family, and she lived nearby, so I could spend a lot of time with her when I was younger. We would have days out, long chats in the garden at her house. And we would make things for each other. It was a pretty good relationship, I think. I always used to look up to my grandmother. But all of the really interesting stuff about her life actually came out after she died, which makes sense, I suppose, since in some ways she was a rather private person. I learned that she was an ambulance driver in the second World War after marrying my grandfather. A few weeks after it started. Lots of people got married back then early on, since they never knew if or even when or if they would see each other again. While granddad was off fighting in Asia, granny opened her home to a range of evacuees from all over the place, including a man called Harry Goodwin, who would later make a fortune photographing famous bands like The Beatles, although at the time, he was doing a lot of war photography for various media outlets and the propaganda officers. It's funny actually, he kept offering to marry her after my grandfather passed away. But she said he had to be completely insane, since she likes being able to do whatever she wanted. I think that was something I really liked about her, that she was very independent and fearless in that way. And she had quite a sense of humour as well. My mum asked if she ever missed her husband, but granny used to say that she did sometimes, but then she remembered that there were always sandwiches and brandy that would help her through that. And come to think of it. She never did go anywhere without them. She was also fiercely protective of her family. Apparently one time a friend of hers was rude to my aunt and was told never to speak to her in such a way again. That was quite impressive. I think if I'd never met my grandmother, I'd have had a radically different childhood. It's hard to say if that would have been better or worse, but I don't think it would have been as rich. So I'm very grateful for having had her in my life. And I hope she's as proud of me as I am of her.

M: And have you talked to your friends about this person?

R: I haven't recently. No.

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