There are a lot of memories of various holidays over the years, but one that sticks in my mind is the infamous Peach Melba story.

We visited a place in the south of France called Ceret a number of times over the years. It's in the Pyrenees and is a typical Catalan town. Language was a problem at times, as you get a mix of French, Spanish and Catalan but we got by. One night we had booked a table at a Pizzeria which laid tables out in a courtyard, surrounded by tall French houses/apartments. 

Before the meal we stopped in our regular cafe for a pre-meal drink. A waiter quickly approached, "Bonsoir, ca va?" to which Grampy replied. "Helloooo, yeah can we have a lager shandy, but with just a little bit of lime" and proceeded to make hand gestures to indicate just how much lime he wanted. Nanny, head in her hands, turned completely in the opposite direction. Suffice to say, the drink that turned up wasn't quite what he had wished for. Over the drinks, we were discussing what we may have for dinner and Nanny mentioned a Peach Melba. 

We moved on and had the meal in the Pizzeria and all enjoyed it. It's fair to say Nanny was a fussy eater at times, so didn't have a great deal to eat. We were given the desert menu and what should be there in big letters - "Pêche Melba".Grampy made it his mission to get her to have one. 

After some convincing, she agreed and we ordered it. Some lovely looking desserts came out, one by one to other tables, then ours began to arrive, all except the Peach Melba. Where was it? Nanny, not being one to complain, said, "Don't worry, they have probably forgotten, I don't mind". But Grampy wasn't having any of it. He tried to flag down some waiters who didn't spot him. By this point, the other desserts had been finished. All of a sudden, Grampy leaps up and strides at some pace after a waiter wagging his finger saying "Pesh Melba, Pesh Melba". Nanny, again face in her hands, turns the opposite way, while the rest of us are laughing our heads off. 

As I write this, I genuinely don't remember if the Peach Melba ever arrived or not. If the cafe translation problems were anything to go by, I would guess not.

As funny as that was, it sums Grampy up. He would always go out of his way for others. He knew he couldn't speak a word of the language, but he did whatever he possibly could to make sure Nanny got what she wanted, even if that meant he ended up chasing waiters around a courtyard in France.