My Luxembourg Granny or as we called her Mami...

In retrospect I should've eaten the beetroot. I hated disappointing my Mami but she did have high standards.

Before you start taking the mick I'll explain why we called her Mami. Basically that's one of the French words for Gran, a bit like Nan or Nana I suppose. She was called Alice and although she was born in Luxembourg, she ended up living in France because of (and can you get any Frencher than this) romance.

When Luxembourg was invaded during World War Two her family was evacuated to a little French village called Cormatin and they stayed in a very large house owned by the local dentist. His son was away with the French army, fighting in vain to stop the Nazis.

But it wasn't long before Cormatin was invaded too. The dentist's home was taken over by the Germans and the soldiers camped out in the garden.

From what I've heard Alice was anything but scared because her and her sisters were really brave ladies. In fact if the French had put them on the Maginot line I reckon the Germans would've never got passed. She told me and my brother off once for throwing slugs at cars (don't ask) and I've never been so frightened. Luckily he got a slap and I just had a good old cry.

With France in Hitler's hands there was no point hanging around and they all returned home to Esch in Luxembourg.

You've guessed it though, the families stayed in touch, the dentist's son began writing to Mami, they fell in love and in 1947 they were married. The house she was once evacuated to was now her home.

Their daughter moved to England where she married my Dad (no woman can resist the Leicester charm) and every year we used to cross the Channel to visit Mami and Papi (you're really going to take the mick now) during our summer holidays.

I remember when I discovered that my Gran was originally from Luxembourg. I was about eight years old and heard her on the phone, speaking in a strange language. It was part French, part German and there were even a few English words sprinkled in. It was a bit like a sketch from the Fast Show

"That's the Luxemburg language John."

"The what what???"

My Mum explained that Mami came from a tiny country in between Belgium, Germany and France.

"But you know what the best thing is," my brother chipped in, "we can do a John Aldridge."

I was really confused now.

"His Gran was Irish and he played for Ireland. Our Gran's from Luxembourg, so guess what we can do."

I was too busy watching the French version of Going for Gold to really take in what he'd just said but the seed was sown. Maybe one day I could make up for leaving the beetroot! But first it was the beat the buzzer round. Becoming a Luxemburg international would have to wait.