I am sure my parents had little idea when we were growing up, that the lives of their off spring would become quite so complex 30 years or so down the line. But a trip to my brother yesterday put me mind of an episode of Eastenders rather than something like the Waltons, which I am sure was the kind of bland and happy lives our parents had in mind for us. Personally I think it all went wrong when I didn’t marry a doctor, my elder brother married a girl he had known less than a year, and when my younger brother moved out with his girl friend when only 18 and before brother number one had even met his future wife. It is clear to all of us that they are still disappointed with our choices of spouse and that their actions and words sometimes reflect this. It is also clear that they think we are still in our 20’s not 40’s (as 2 of us are) or 30’s.

Still when it comes to behaviour I am not sure that my brother and his wife can blame my parents and the fact they still haven’t come to terms with their 1989 marriage. Infidelity is not conducive to a long and happy married life in my opinion, but I am not sure what makes one party think their own actions in that direction are less damaging than that of the other and sadly this is what is being played out by both parties. Meanwhile they are both clear that their problems stem from my parents and their attitude to their children and their wives and husband!

Ok, slight rant over. Yesterday I spent the afternoon and evening in the company of my brother and his wife, who may or may not have split up. He has got himself a flat about 3 miles up the road and he has stopped paying the mortgage on the marital home so that they are now 2 months behind. What is not clear though is why he did this, because he has eaten and slept at home every night (or day as he works nights) since he announced his intention to leave. It transpires also that both have had various relationships with other people which may or may not have been sexual and / or serious. They have apparently decided to try to ‘make a go of it’, but in my humble opinion neither is willing to be completely honest with the other and probably haven’t been so for a very long time, and I am not sure what future there is in a relationship like that.

Still on a good note, Matt got to see his cousin of the same age who seems to be in Matt’s words ‘absolutely fine’, we met my nephew’s new girlfriend who seems very nice and her mum who described her and my sister in law as the only ‘normal’ mothers with children at the school where the love birds go. Not sure what to say about that idea which wouldn’t put me straight in a league with my own mother and her acid tongue and what girl wants to be too like her own mum in that context?