Blog del Instituto Cervantes de Londres

1st prize Category 7-11 y. o.

My Don Quijote is my Grandad Fred. He was born in 1939 in Liverpool, just before World War II started. His dad was also called Fred and was the 7th son of a 7th son.  This was supposed to be lucky but he was miserable and angry.  To avoid him, Fred and his dog called Rinty used to have lots of adventures down at Dam woods; they caught rabbits for his mum to cook for tea. He had good imagination; for example, he pretended his name was Frederick Harvey Winstanley Norman however his wife, two Daughters and Son believed this for 20 long years, even though his name was Frederick Norman.

When he was 10, people started cutting down Dam woods to build Liverpool Airport. He saw the airplanes landing and he imagined what it was like to live in a different country. When he exclaimed to his friends that he wanted to travel and live in sunny countries, they rudely pointed out, ‘You’re not brave enough.  Why do you want to do that? That’s rubbish.’ But Fred still wanted to live his dream and he believed in himself.

My Grandad has a quest for adventure; at the age of 15, he joined the Merchant Navy.  Where he travelled around the world!  He saw: sunny blue skies, deserts and smelled the salty sea; he wanted to feel the warm weather and taste different foods and spices. 

One day he went on a boat from Liverpool to take goods to India, the quickest way was to sail through the Suez Canal. However, at that time, there was a war called the Suez crisis – he was on this canal when they shut the gates tight. He wondered if a bomb might hit his boat and explode the Canal.  He was stuck there for several weeks!  He was only 16.

My Grandad went to Brazil and Argentina, where after drinking beer at the port, he missed his ship and spent two days with no sleep and no food, chasing it to another port, miles up the river Plate.  The Captain fined him two weeks pay.  He travelled to the Caribbean, India and North America, where he bought Elvis Presley records before he was even heard of in England! 

Grandad wore suits he had made very cheaply in Singapore. He was wearing one when he met Grandma, when he was back in Liverpool.  My Grandma’s step-mum thought that my Grandad was a trouble maker because he wore a red tie and fancy suits.  She married him anyway.  Now my Grandad and Grandma live in Spain.  Grandma is like Grandad’s Sancho Panza.

When we visit them in Spain, we get caught up in Grandad’s adventures.  He always gets lost; we once drove to a restaurant which was supposed to be 5 miles away; we took one of Grandad’s “shortcuts” and 30 miles later we finally arrived!  

I think, like Don Quijote and my Grandad, you should be brave and live your dream.

My Grandad encouraged his family to travel; my mum has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia and has visited many countries.  My Grandad is still living his dream; he won’t wake up as Alonso Quijana like poor Don Quijote.

Alex V.
Park Road Community Primary School