By the way…

It’s been a funny old day. The kids all have two days off (training day tomorrow and a holiday on Friday), so they felt like they were breaking up for the holidays, in fact I won’t be teaching again until next Wednesday as a result of training days and so on. It felt a bit like the end of term, except obviously it wasn’t.

One class got unnecessarily excited when I put a video on – I think they were expecting something of the Shrek/Finding Nemo/Kung Fu Panda ilk. What they got was a 10 minute clip about prime numbers and factors. All part of life’s rich tapestry of teenage disappointments :^)

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Unseasonal alert: Anyone answering to the name of Blue Witch should skip this part.

I got home to discover that I had received my first Christmas card. Nooooo! Too early!

Inspection of the postmark revealed that it had come all the way from St Helena and in record time, so it’s not really the sender’s fault. Inspection of my limited geographical knowledge revealed that I had no idea where St Helena was.

*Looks at globe*

Blimey, my early Christmas card sending friends have moved a loooong way away.

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This evening our agenda consisted of packing for our jaunt to the Lake District and visiting Son of Mr TLC (he really needs a blog name) with a slightly belated birthday present.

We arrived chez Son and sat chatting with him and his girlfriend, trying not to get too disorientated by the disembodied gurglings coming from the baby alarm at the back of the sofa.

“By the way, did he tell you we’re getting married next year?” said Girlfriend.

She could tell from our blank looks, and Son of TLC’s shifty expression, that he had not.

“Has he even told you that we’re engaged?”

Once again, she could tell from our surprise, and Son of TLC’s shifty expression, that he had not.

“Has he told you…”

It soon became clear that telling his dad things is not one of Son of TLC’s strengths.

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It’s funny, because until last week, I never encountered any of that modern hybrid family awkwardness. Son of TLC was already grown up when I met Mr TLC, so he’s always just been a friend. That’s fine.

Now Mr TLC has a gorgeous granddaughter and there’s a big wedding on the horizon, for the first time I find myself feeling a bit awkward, which is ridiculous really. Ah well, I’m sure it will pass.

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The conversation turned to the madness that runs, or perhaps gallops would be a better term, in Son of TLC’s family. Mr TLC reminded his son about a murderous relation who chased people with an axe and ended up committed to the local mental hospital.

I was staggered to hear this.

“You never told me that!”

“I did,” responded Mr TLC, “I told you when we were first going out together.”

Oh no he didn’t. I don’t know about you, but a new boyfriend revealing that he is related to a wannabe axe murderer is the kind of thing that I would remember vividly. Eek.

It has become clear that telling me things is not one of Mr TLC’s strengths. Like father like son, as they say.

*rushes off to hide axe*

*and knives*

*and self*

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Anyway, tomorrow we head off to a place with almost no phone signal for a short break, although I notice it has acquired free wi-fi access since last time we were there. Since I’m not taking the laptop that probably won’t be of much interest to me.

Things are likely to be rather quiet here until after the weekend, unless I manage to blog the odd photo of us wading around in the mud enjoying a nice walk.

See you soon!

4 comments to By the way…

  • Z

    If Girlfriend didn’t appreciate what she was getting into before, she does now. Son of TLC omitted to mention a baby?

    Mind you, an axe murderer is quite an addition to any family. My husband knows about my alcoholic grandmother and my leopard-strangling great-uncle, but they pale into insignificance.

    Three-Legged-Cat writes: we did know about the baby (at least he managed to tell us about her!), it was just a bit disconcerting hearing baby sounds coming from the cupboard behind the sofa.

    I was hoping that Mr TLC was joking about axe-weilding maniacs in his family, but sadly it appears that he wasn’t. He assures me that it’s fine because his mad uncle didn’t succeed in injuring anyone!

    I can’t claim any leopard throttling relatives though…

  • plenty of mince pies in Tescos to go with your early yuletide greeting

  • Might pass on the mince pies. At least for now. 😉

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