Ceremonies yesterday – John Peel, Yasser Arrafat, my grandad.

Obviously the first two speak louder, to more people. But not to me.

It’s not like we were close or anything but my grandad was certainly someone who could see the good in everything. He had that twinkle in his eye, and kept himself to himself. That’s not a bad legacy to leave behind. I even mumbled through a hymn in his honour and there aren’t many people I’d do that for.

People were still wearing their poppies at the ceremony, which was a reminder that I never met my other grandad – he died in 2nd World War. I don’t wear a red poppy myself for all the usual reasons – the people that shout the loudest about their importance for learning lessons from the past are exactly the people who would lead us back there. Blair wearing a poppy while shaking hands with Bush…

But my other grandfather’s early death still casts a shadow over my family and I know that must be true of millions of other people. You can’t think ill of people for remembering stuff like that this time of year.