Nonno Anni and Grandpa Bob would’ve both turned 100 this month. I’m forever grateful to have had these two men in my life. They were there for all my significant life events, birthdays, graduations, wedding day, and, more especially, there for so much of my ‘everyday’ life as I spent many weekends and every school holidays with each of them for decades. I know I’m so, so fortunate to have been given their unconditional love, gentle guidance, care and wisdoms. They could both be very tough men at times and I received nothing but respect and love from them. I still think of them a lot and at challenging and uncertain times I think back to their ways and what they might do or advise. I’ll be writing more about each of them as they both remain an inspiration to me ❤️ – for now, I think what I wrote on page 112 of Joe’s Fruit Shop and Milk Bar, pretty well sums them up…
“My grandfathers were both born in October 1923, three days apart, on opposite sides of the world. While Annibale grew up in the snowy mountains of Fossa, Bob mostly lived near the beach at Manly, Sydney. Annibale was dark-eyed and haired, olive skinned – Bob, a contrast of fairness, with blue eyes and sandy hair. They were tall, about the same height, physically fit and strong. They worked hard in numerous jobs as young men before each establishing their own businesses with the assistance of their wives, and achieving success.
Throughout their lives, Bob liked watching cricket and football; Annibale rarely watched sport of any kind. Bob favoured meat and potatoes, Annibale, meat and pasta. Neither cared much for salad, nor were they churchgoers. They valued family, living an honest life. Both were quick to step in to defend or help a stranger, especially the underdog. Their mother countries, to whom they were each patriotic, were on opposite sides during the war. They could so easily have chosen to shun each other, cite their differences rather than their similarities. But they didn’t, for the sake of two little girls, their shared granddaughters.
Perhaps most of us are more alike than we sometimes realise.”
Vale to my great-uncle, Vincenzo, Nanna Francesca’s brother, who she called, Vinchy. Some may recall I wrote about him in my first two books, especially Joe’s Fruit Shop and Milk Bar. To me, he was a quiet, gentle man for whom life was often difficult but he worked hard and was generous in giving lovely gifts with the little he had.
I have this one treasured photo with three generations of the Boccabella men in my life – Dad, Nonno Anni, Bisnonno Vitale (and my zio).
My Bisnonna, Granny Maddalena’s birthday was today and by complete coincidence, this morning I was talking to one of her relatives in Italy of her stories that I’m writing about. Like many of her era, Maddalena’s life was shaped by hard-earned experience as she lived through two wars, an earthquake, a pandemic, the depression and bringing up her sons single-handedly before she could join her husband in Australia.
I’m so thrilled that, 
About twenty years ago, my mother gave me a little sapling that had sprung up beneath a big, spreading tree in her backyard. She’s been gone for a long while now but that sapling is now a big, spreading tree in my backyard and to sit under it and look up to the sunlight trickling through the leaves is just magic.
Thank you to great-granny Maddalena who showed me about forbearance, cheekiness, growing vegetables and cooking minestrone and great-grandma Charlotte for her work ethic, kindness, growing gerberas and carnations and baking scones.
Thinking of all those volunteering and working over this time when many get to take a break. It still amazes me how my grandparents opened their milk bar and fruit shop 7 days a week from early morning ‘til late at night with only two days a year off – for 20 years straight! And then ‘scaled back’ to 5 days a week for the following years.
Happy 80th Birthday to my great uncle, Vince. Lovely to celebrate this milestone with him on the weekend. To me, he’s always been a gentle soul and am so glad we’ve stayed close.
It’s Nonno Anni’s birthday in a few days so there was once a time when all the family would be getting together this weekend at my grandparents’ house. Several tables would be pushed together, Nanna Francesca would cook huge bowls of pasta and either polpette or cotolette, and of course there’d be cake, champagne and maybe Franjelico, or Sambuca with a coffee bean lit on top.
Came across this in an old, cardboard box of photographs of my grandmother’s:
Buon anno a tutti and warmest wishes!
Dancing with my great-grandmothers, Maddalena and Charlotte when I was two. They were of such different Italian and English backgrounds yet had much in common in their day-to-day lives really. This is my only picture of the three of us. Apparently, from when I was very little I loved to dance and often got people up to join me!
Zoë Boccabella 