Hehe, excellent. Old people are funny. I hope to be a funny old person one day, not one who just moans about kids on buses.
I am not close to my family, either, but I am my grandparents, and I see one of my half sisters once a month or so, mostly because she has a son who I like taking to the zoo and things like that
I like my siblings but we are not that close only because we grew up so far apart.
Nynfortoo, I kind of agree with his wife on some level. If you can say goodbye to the ace person he was and keep that great memory of him, and if the visits are upsetting and are not registering with him at all then I think for some people it can be the best, though I'd also say that you should definitely go and visit him if you WANT to.
My grandad was close to passing away a few years ago, and was unconscious and didn't know that anyone was there. I chose not to see him as he wouldn't have known I was there and the last time I had seen him he was healthy and happy, and wanted that to be my last memory. He was sitting up in bed asking for KFC a couple of days later though, the old kidder.
Also: Johnny Ball was my favourite kids presenter - what a great guy! Him and Roy Castle.