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Mothering Sunday in the UK, hope all the UK mums are being spoiled with, at the very least, a lie-in and a tidy house when they get up

Not a word from my daughter. Oh well. She's furious about me moving to Spain but she's been furious with me for a few years now. Becoming a full-time writer was bad. Joining a dating website was bad. Having an LDR with lots of holidays together was really bad, she was hugely relieved when that was over and she thought I would settle down and become normal again. (As if)

We came over for a week's holiday last year so she could see the Casa Eccentrica before I bought (she's my only heir, she'll be inheriting it) and she said she hated Spain and absolutely hated the house and that's sort of been it.

It's a very odd feeling, having your kids disapprove of you. Anyone else experienced it? Almost a role reversal, where she's the tut-tutting adult and I'm the unruly teenager.

Parenting of older kids is a background support role, parents should be waiting patiently in the wings until and if needed, and I am, I really am. It's just that while I'm waiting patiently to be needed I'm getting on with my life my own way.

Slugs and snails and puppy dog tails -
Sugar and spice and all things nice -



On one hand, I've never believed girls should be dressed in pretty little dresses, given dolls and housekeeping toys, or that little boys should only wear tuff clothes and play with cars and never ever cry.

On the other hand - theybies can be quite extreme. Kids who are raised so neutrally that friends, family, even the kids themselves, aren't told whether they are boys or girls. Of course it isn't a taboo, "we don't speak of these things", it is just to avoid gender stereotypes bombarding them from the day they were assigned pink or blue booties in the lottery of life. It's a growing trend, with a LOT of critics.

Wish you'd been a theybie? Or raised a theybie? Or good grief this is political correctness gone mad!





First comment is a copy / paste from parents of theybie twins.

Most of the time I am perfectly happy to be living 400 miles from my nearest and dearest but I'm getting really excited about upcoming family gathering

Maybe because the last 3 were funerals and weddings and the ex-in-laws all look alike. It is agonising when I'm 3 glasses of wine in and they come over to chat and I can never work out whether I should be saying Wow you look great, or we already talked half an hour ago ...

THIS gathering is MY family. Apart from the fact we all close our eyes when we smile, we are all different. Plus I'm can hardly WAIT to see my daughter (okay, I'll have to see some of the penguins) after 15 months!

After that, of course, I will be quite happy not to see them again for at least a year ...

...flew back to he UK on Thursday to see his friends for 2 weeks..and a new GF he met last time we were back.

So I sent him off on his way, worried he will lose his wallet..passport you name it. Its the first time he's flown anywhere on his own. So was worried sick..he landed in the UK at 6:30 am and his mate, a farmer picked him up in his landcover.

So all was good, I have now fumigated his bedroom as it stunk..Now on Thursday night I went out with my GF and her mate Lyn. They both came back to the house and her friend stayed in Louis's room.

In the morning I asked if Lyn slept well, she said not really, there was a woman who slept next to me..WTF..what did she look like...old..blonde hair..Immediatley I thought of my mum..so I showed her a photo..yes thats her...

What should I take from this ?

Many Indian wives will never say their husband’s name aloud, as it is a sign of disrespect. When addressing him, the wife will use several indirect references, such as “ji” or “look here” or “hello,” or even refer to him as the father of her child.f

Over the years a sister that has since past away met many people in her lifetime that she helped in various ways. One such man was this fellow from "Cabo" that was trying to gain a foothold in a handyman business he had started in Pasadena, CA.

The man from "Cabo" did several odd jobs for her and my sister also referred her to others that hired him too. Years passed and he did well and the purpose of his working here was to improve life for his family in "Cabo" surely succeeded.

My sister finally retired and she moved back to our hometown, Ordway, CO. I have mentioned this before but for clarity I will mention it again. My family had a group of about 5 siblings (there were 12 of us) that always had to bully the rest of us around. This sister and I were the main recipients of this absurdity.

My sister would take it and take it. I did when I was a child but as I grew up I got back in "their faces" and defended myself. I never interfered with the tongue lashings the other siblings gave this sister because her humility overshadowed the "tongue lasher's" stupidity.

As the years went by the man from "Cabo" moved to Florida. He respected my sister and I am sure that my sister invited him to visit if he was ever passing through. It was apparent that he did not know this sister had passed away. But in remembering the invitation to visit one day, recently, he passed through Ordway and he looked my sister up. He spoke to a nephew.

Well upon hearing of her passing away he asked the nephew for directions to the cemetery and he apparently visited her grave. When I heard this I was happy because if our siblings didn't think too much of her the man from "Cabo" certainly did. I was so happy when I heard this.

My thoughts about this meandered about this nice gesture and my sisters passing on. You see, I didn't go to the funeral. I couldn't go because all the brothers and sisters that used to rip her apart when she was alive attended the funeral. I didn't want to be present because I knew they would carry on with the trash talking.

I am certain of this: I knew my sister would understand my not attending and she would be happy once again to see "The Man from Cabo San Lucas" once again. Her face smiling and talking to "Cabo Man" in her sweet voice!

It's over 02;00 am here. but I can't sleep any more though felt very tired both in mental and physical.I worried so much about Dad's heavily cough...

Just back from hospital for a consulting for my Dad. He still suffered from his old disease which scared me and need medicine again I think, I left my phone number to that doctor and she will give me a back call about 08;00am. If there has an empty bed at inpatient department. Then Dad can directly go there. I hope it could be worked soon ...

Best wishes to you all. Now I need a short sleep for a while.

An associate of mine lost a daughter to cancer. He is about to lose another one. Nearly each month he would fly out of town to visit and check on her condition. His last weekend visit ended up being 2 weeks as her condition had worsened. Not responding to treatment, he returned with news she had less than a month to live. That was Monday and what doctors said/predicted would be about a month is now updated to a few days.

He's flying out tomorrow to be with her.

During his absence, I've been following his projects (we are in the kitchen remodeling business) and staying late when possible to see the work gets done. My thoughts are to work Saturday and Sunday so I don't fall behind in my obligations.

As they say "It is what it is."
Things will eventually get done.

For everyone in the office and all of his clients who know his situation, are hearts are heavy.

If you could have anything you wanted in life, your utmost hopes and wishes: i.e. your life's dream, what would it be?

I love my family.