Sunday - July 4th.
I am an orphan. Well, practically. I have a half brother whom I never see and one cousin whom I last saw 48 years ago. I am used to it now, though it hit me hard when my younger brother died four years ago. Tony, on the other hand, has relatives appearing out of the closet at the rate of a bad case of chickenpox. It's alarming how many of them there are - large catholic families are not more randy than their counterparts, just less careful. Worst of all, chickenpox goes away....families don't.
Today is a family reunion, and I am thrilled! (not)
So after 4 days of one on one family with M - today we head for Dunstable - which is famous for being close to many far more interesting places.
It's a reasonable 1 1/2 trip up one of the motorways beginning with an M or an A.......they all look the same to me. The countryside is pretty though, and Margaret has brought packets of polo mints and Glacier ice mints. Not sure if they are to refresh me or finish me off, since she knows I am a diabetic. But we reach a neat little house with a sweet English garden and we hurried un-necessarily since we're the first to arrive.
I'm a very in your face person. (NO? Really? I find that hard to believe!) But I dread joining a group of people where I don't know anyone. Tony, on the other hand, is quite happy to hold court to 25 strangers....most of whom he knows from Facebook, and all of whom are charmed by him. (Well if I am, why wouldn't they be?)
It seems they are all cousins but I can't fully work out who belongs to whom. And I'm still full of flu/hayfever. It's a triple celebration.....family welcome to us, Val and Mario (who is Argentinian...not Italian) 40th wedding anniversary - and Erin ( who stayed with us in Australia) is having her 28th birthday!
I meet all these charming people but when Tony mentions Home and Away and Neighbours I am suddenly inundated with questions and followed around by fans wanting to know what has happened to their favourite characters - even though it's some years since I wrote for either show. I find a place to hide and sit in the sum but it does occur to me that what I do is actually of great importance to people whose lives I would not normally cross.
The entertainment is to watch six adults attempt to put up one of those Bunning type Gazebos with a polythene roof. Ideally it needs an architect or a project manager. They manage to make it stable just as the sun decides it's had enough fun at their expense and goes in for the day.
There is so much food we could feed the starving masses of Africa....Lasagna, sausages, salads, a brilliant dish of artichoke hearts, cheese and Creme fraiche which is to die for.....huge pavlovas ( which the Brits still quaintly refer to as "Pudding") and fruit salad and birthday cake and....and....and......
It's a joyful celebration which ends with promises for us all to stay in touch. It's the right thing to say even we know we probably will never meet again. There are people in the group that I would really like to get to know...... Sass, a wildly eccentric lady of 73 going on 30...cut from the same cloth as beloved, promises she will come to Australia and stay with us.....but we both know she won't.
Val, the hostess, feeds me an antihistamine designed for children from a platic spoon. Most of it spills down my boobs - but that's nothing new. When i get a chest cold it never wants to leave. The women in my family are all very booby, whilst the men are - for the most part - booby prizes! Remarkably it does make me feel better for a little while at least.
The fond goodbyes and hugs are quite moving. These are just family by proxy for me - but they are blood for Tony and I know he doesn't expect to see any again. It's poignant and my eyes fill with tears.....or maybe it's the hayfever returning.
On the way back to Hamstershire Margaret fills us in on some of the background....things I wish I had known BEFORE meeting them.
It's now only six days till France and tomorrow we head off to Bath which we are both longing to see.
Now the holiday really begins!
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