I should say, I'm very pleased my sister has a family around her so I don't say 'little family' dismissively. She enjoys that. Her mother died so young she doesn't remember her, and our father was busy living his own life, so she never really had parents.

She had a stepfather who seems next to useless, and lived with various of her mother's family mainly - including the parents of these two squaddie cousins I refer to.

Our shared grandparents kicked her out as a teenager, and she had a terrible time on the streets, in care, legal troubles, going with old and inappropriate men so she'd have a roof over her head, no schooling, etc. I lived abroad at the time, so I was unaware of how terrible things were for her.

By the time I was back in the UK, she had got herself a council flat and met this local guy - a mechanic with a large, if rough and ready, family all around him - and they've been together ever since, now with their two children.

Our fathers death allowed her to buy that flat for the discount, and combine it with the rest of the money to afford a house outright in a nicer area, so that's the only real luck she's had.

We are very different people, with totally different experiences and expectations of life. My mother's family would've helped her if we had known the extent of how broken her upbringing had become, but we didn't know.

My grandparents would've taken her in, despite not being related to her and despite being very old by then - and she'd have been safe, loved, and fully educated.

I do feel I could've done more for her when she was growing up and the input would've mattered more, but there we are. I was in my 20's and wrapped up in my own life.

Despite her challenges, she's ended up in a very good place, almost by accident.

Anyway, it's my other sibling with the new baby, the one I grew up with.

Oh, that was far longer than I intended.

tl;dr

cosmictanya wrote:

Her mother died so young she doesn't remember her, and our father was busy living his own life, so she never really had parents.

This starting to sound weirdly familiar.

Brazilian you say?

No, my brothers friend he has just had a child with is Brazilian.

My sisters mother was from Peckham, although she did actually do Page 3, so that's quite glamorous I suppose. My sister very much inherited her mother's attributes. I have suggested she hang the original shot in pride of place (it's already framed - my father had it hanging in his living room) so her kids could see their grandmother in her glory, and all guests could gawp in awe, but she won't. As I said, we are very different people.

Lorra lorra dead people.

Nightjar wrote:

Lorra lorra dead people.

'Appens to us all'.

Yes he shadows us all, but this week we're celebrating new life instead.

I have been quadruple 'vid jabbed!

I got a text offering me another one, I'd best get that sorted before everyone gets interested in covid again.

How can I stay awake?

I'd like to watch a film, but I can't seem to stay awake.

I arrived home to find my mother has come to stay. And she's already lost the channel changer, so now we are stuck with Alibi +1. Some twee mystery with a parson has begun so I'm in my room.

Her own flat is now under occupation by my brother, niece, and an assortment of Brazilian people. He has already, on a whim, sold the house he bought this summer - they are moving to Brighton.

I worked on that house and garden during a heatwave. Literal blood, sweat, and tears of mine went into that. If I'd known he was just going to flog it having barely lived in it, I wouldn't have bothered.

You'd think, wouldn't you, that if they were moving out of town they'd have considered moving to Bath so I'd have somewhere free to stay.

She's wound me right up losing my Virgin channel changer. I can't watch the news or anything. She's happily watching Alibi +1, with no idea where she put it, and no real concern.

Weather - and me trying to stay alive for another night - permitting, I'm going off on a jaunt tomorrow.

To Manchester?