MY MA & PA

I know it's been a few weeks since I've written - my apologies, there has been a lot going on, as most of you know. Anyway - I have lots of entries that I've been meaning to write, so I will just start with them...

It was so lovely having Mum and Dad stay with me in London a couple of months ago. It's a very different relationship that you have with your parents when you live in another country. You talk on the phone once a week and email but actually spending time face to face is a bonus. This year I've had about 3 months with them, 2 months down under, a few weeks with Lib & Ian but then 4 days on my own turf, in my house, in well, let's just say, not the safest part of London...and it was anything but boring....

Let me just set it up for you - Brixton is a very "multicultural" area of London - known most famously for the Race Riots back in the 80's. You hear stories of drugs and mugging, but in the year I've lived here, I've never seen much evidence of that, until my parents arrived that is !! All these strange things keep happening to me whilst I was with them that have never happened to me before.

Travelling around London when you're not too good on your legs isn't particularly easy. To save on stairs I thought we’d take the bus – in principle – that’s a good idea – in practise? Not so good. We approach the bus stop only to be surrounded by a gang of kids straight out of a scene from Boys N The Hood, seriously - not only were they smoking pot, but one of them was actually in a wheelchair !! Mum and Dad were oblvious until I pointed out what that "smell" was and kept repeating "don't make any eye contact".

In Australia it might be common for people to talk on public transport – in London – it’s the complete opposite – people just don’t. The next day on the bus we encountered two women screaming at each other something alog the lines of “your mother” and "no your mother" sort of banter. For the locals – the corners of their mouth turned up into a smirk – for Ma & Pa? absolute terror and fair enough - I guess she doesn’t often travel on public transport.

They say that your parents aren’t really being "proper" parents if they aren’t embarrassing you in public places. In Australia it’s common for a checkout chick to ask to check any other shopping bags u may have with you – in England – it’s not, but that doesn’t stop my mum from showing them the contents of every bag she has on her person every time. The best response Mum had from the helpless checkout chick the contents of her shopping bag was a very polite "that’s a nice top”.

I left them home one alone one night – after a 10 minute demonstration on how to lock the door, how to answer the phone, and most importantly how to use the remote control for the cable I left them to it, thinking they'd be asleep soon anyway. The next morning I asked if they enjoyed their variety of 200 channels they had available.

They both looked at me sheepishly – “oh we just watched the one channel”. "why?" I asked. "We couldn’t work out the remote control" they replied "but luckily it was on the biography channel so now we know alot about Jude Law and x an y". It turned out the battery was dead !!

It's sad not to have them around now. Il miss knowing where all the good public toilets are in London; I miss their water bottle addiction, their humour, their wisdom, their advice - I guess I just miss them...