The Granny Alphabet.

Is there a link?

Why are you annoyed HildaW

I thought 'grande dame' meant something else

petallus, was just quoting what the book is described as by the Telegraph....but its the photos themselves that the book is comprised of that gets my goat. I'd be happy to be described as a grande dame...but that's not what the pictures show. I'd love to do a link but its beyond my technical abilities.

Have just done a general Google on it....its evidently supposed to raise funds for an organisation called 'Friends of the Elderly' which somehow makes it worse...or perhaps I'm missing the point....but the art work does not look ironic to me.

Bloody hell hilda!!!
In complete agreement with you.
The photos depict doddery old ladies, not grandes dames!
I dare say we might all come eventually to walking with a pronounced stoop, wearing pastel button up cardigans, and plastic pixie rain hoods, and no disrepect to those who do, but to suggest that such images are typical of modern grandmothers is way off the mark.
Surely the guy realises that most people become grandparents in their 40's 50's and 60's and not their 80's and 90's?

Here's a sample:

www.thewomensroomblog.com/2013/09/09/the-granny-alphabet-by-tim-walker/

What panet is he on?

Planet, I mean.

£24.95 for a load of old tosh (only £22 on Amazon). Is the old dear in the rain hat Maggie Thatcher? I'm sure it is I think Tim Walker should be approached by Gransnet with a view to showing him what a Granny really is - an Alphabet of GN'ers a la Calender Girls - we could show him a thing or six.......

A is for the advantages of patience, wisdom and time for the DGC
B is for Babysitting - did I mention that?
C is for the Childcare which saves mummies and daddies loads of money (see above)
D is for the DGC for whom we would lie down in front of a BUS!
E is for the energy some of us can only find in shortish bursts (e.g. for a sleepover or 2)
F is for the fount of wisdom which we can provide but have the sense to keep shtum
G is for Gransnet - where would we be without it
H is for unstinting help we willingly provide
and I - well that never came first in the alphabet and usually comes right at the end of the list of priorities
J is for journeys - the miles we clock up for babysitting, granny duties, emergency cover
K is for Kindness - that sums up a Granny's love
L is for Love - as I just said up above
M is for Mumsnet - we call it "the other place" (or it could be for Montalbano to bring a smile to your face)
N is for the news we share with other Gransnetters
O(h) is for the exclamation uttered when WTF won't do
P is for the patience with which we hear the others' point of view
Q is for the quality that GN brings to life
R is for all the reading with which we while away the hours
S is for the smiles we raise as we offer and
T - well where would we be without a or two
U is for unoaid childcare many gladly provide
V is for values, the old fashioned ones often turn out best
W is for waving walking sticks at whippersnappers young or cheeky
X is for the wet kisses with "I love you Gwanny" which make it all worthwhile
Y is for young - don't write us off as old
and Z well, there's zimmer frames of course and Zen and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzin front of Bergerac, but I'd rather say it's for zest for life - there's plenty of that in us old dogs yet!!

Brilliant Gracesmum ! So much better than those pics in The Telegraph. Maybe he used actors !

Lovely gracesmum - you had a creative day

Fantastic *Gracesmum! I couldn't agree with you more.

Bergerac...? You could have made that Montalbano, gracesmum!

Well done Gracesmum made me chuckle. OH wanted to know why. He liked it too.

I never zzzz in front of Montalbano - young or old!!!

Yes - you're right, gracesmum! As you were...

Oh yes I read the Telegraph article too, this morning HildaW and I'm so glad I'm not alone at feeling annoyed. I'm 54 and because of illness I have to use a crutch. I'm also very slow at walking now and I often have much older ladies whizzing by. I didn't like the pictures at all but I had wondered if I was being over sensitive, (I know I am at times ) as I used to walk, run everywhere. But I felt the ladies had been made a figure of fun.
I'll remember 'W is for waving walking sticks' gracesmum.

Yes penguin....it seemed to me as if someone was trying too hard and missed the point. Yes, we need to be sympathetic to people as they grow older, be a little more patient when behind someone at the till who cannot bag as quickly as the till person thinks they should etc (and I include myself in that).
However, the whole pastel cardigan walking aid grey perm combo does no one any favours. No one wants to be classed as 'elderly' we just want to be seen as the person we are whether that is feisty or friendly, artistic or practical, nice or nasty even, but now with perhaps the odd mobility problem or slower reactions etc.
There are some far better 'Granny' themed books around, seem to remember a lovely children's one about Grandma being a retired agent or something who rode a motorbike still.....a much better take on getting older.

It says in the blurb on the link that it was in memory of his own granny. If she was still around I wonder if she'd be whacking him round the ears with her walking stick. I would, given the chance. My dear old mum had the stoop, twinsets and rainhoods as depicted, she was 80 and horribly arthritic, but in her heart she didn't and would have hated to have been seen like that.

Heaven help ANYBODY who thinks this would be a suitable C......... present for a Granny!!

gracesmum You are soooooooooooooooooooooo right.

It could only be given as a joke present by someone who trusted their G not to assault them with it. Appalling stereotyping rubbish.

While accepting that little DGC are unlikely to be assaulted by their Granny, DC could very well be be and I could foresee and very chilly atmosphere over Christmas..........were anyone foolish to go down that road.

Our DDs when tiny used to do this thing with toes of tights stuffed with cotton wool then tied tight with thread to make heads, they would then draw faces on them and fill a jamjar with them., These were know as squishy grannies and at the time I couldn't understand why my MIL was not amused!

Gracesmum, saw something similar to that but just using pieces of the leg of tights that were shaped into little bottoms and when popped into a jam jar were labelled 'Pickled Bums'.
At a Pre-School raffle can distinctly remember most of us chuckling over them but a certain noisy minority in the Committee thought they were beyond the pale and asked for them to be taken out of the raffle!!