You can never go home anymore
I have returned from my trip to the South West relatively unscathed. While there I noted a few things:
My mother is hanging in there, but she is looking increasingly worn. Her hearing has also all but vanished. Given that the hearing loss is a genetic problem, I might as well book myself onto a lip-reading course now.
Small Monkey 3 is coping with life well, now having the ability to crawl/slap himself along floors. This has earned him the nickname 'Slug'. I feel it is entirely correct that the mick-taking should begin as early as possible.
Niece number 4 and her fiance were well and seemed to enjoy their engagement party, despite the fact that it was almost ruined by gale-force winds. After realising it was far from wise to sit in a gazebo made of fabric, which may well have flown off over the Grand Western Canal at any point, I went inside to entertain the children - thereby minimising the possibility of dying of exposure.I visited Sister number 2 with JJ. There was no mention of the family feud during the hour and a half we were there. Neither was there any mention of her eldest son, the One who the rest of the family has Disowned. Which was really just as well, considering I'd like to see his head on a pike right at this moment.
The South West really is the land that time forgot. On the journey home last night, I commented to JJ, 'Now can you understand why I don't ever want to move back?' and I think he is beginning to understand. There is much to commend that part of the world - lovely beaches, delicious scones, a relaxed way of life...However, that comes at a cost - the casual (as well as the overt) racism and suspicion of any lifestyle that isn't deemed normal or regular, primarily.
I shudder to think how my family would cope with meeting my friends - whom are a ragtag bunch of stoners, queers, drunken rakes and sluts. I mean this in the best possible way, and I am proud that this is the case, because I love you all: you have made the past 33 years worthwhile.
Much has been said by various commentators about networks of friends becoming surrogate families, so I'm not going to go into that. If that was actually the case (and given recent events), I would have deleted everyone's mobile numbers from my phone by now.
posted by deafdisco @ 10:39 pm
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