Our Grandson, Jake

Having finished with his GCSE exams and his latest stage show, Jake was faced with an early start to the summer break, with nothing special to do. His parents decided that it was time for him to do some "work-experience" with his old grandad. Jake also had it in mind to learn the harmonica for his next production, "Blues Brothers".

I had advised that a Hohner Blues Harp in A was the standard instrument for playing the blues with guitarists who often play in E minor. So he bought one. It turns out that the Blues Brothers play with a brass section that finds playing in C major or G minor easier, so we had to buy another "gob-iron" in C. The key to playing blues is the wailing, quavering, soulful sound of that old freight train going along that lonesome railroad. You have to bend the notes by sucking hard and using your tongue to get your harp to talk. There are lots of really good examples on You Tube. Anyway, by the end of the week, Jake was sounding like a pro. He still needs to get fluent with the melody though.

Jake came to work with me and soon learned how to conduct a survey of dog fouling, and to do a site safety check. He also accompanied me, with Nick, when I gave a talk about our time in the Seychelles. But the big deal for Jake was the chance to drive a tractor. However, ours was in use a lot of the time so we started with the Erreppi and moved up to the Ranger pick-up. Now he can do all the basics including gear changes.

It was a delight to have him. We re-united him with his family when we all met up in Devon, but that's another story.

Quote of the week from a volunteer at Paxton: "Why do you keep calling him Grandad?"