My Family

Brother-who-blogs and I agree about a great many things. One of them is how fortunate we were in having the parents we did. They were very hard-working, caring, and considerate – of us, of each other and of all those with whom they came into contact – and each was skilled in their own fields. Among other things, Dad could turn a couple of pieces of useless metal into a handy tool, strip an engine to bits, and turn a wooden table-lamp. Mum could cook, write, paint, play the piano and discourse at length on the subject of philosophy.

Now, in turn, I have the good fortune to be proud of my children.

Food-loving-Daughter is currently off work with flu (type undetermined). In her role as a hospital doctor she saw a 20+ year old who was really ill with suspected swine flu on the Friday before last. Then she worked nights all weekend and by Monday was ill. While most of us run a mile at the rumour of swine flu those whose job it is to care for them have no alternative but to take the associated risks. I have always thought the medical profession deserve the highest regard for this and am proud to have a Doctor in the family. Son-in-law-who-cooks is a computer expert and, as his name implies, no mean cook.

Equally caring in her own way (and certainly caring of this doddering old Dad) is Daughter-who-takes-photos. I know of no people more practical in their caring for the environment than she and her partner, Friend-who-loves-Otters. She is even applying her doctorate to working in the environmental sciences. Her love of Nature is both artistically and practically applied. Her skills in the garden, at strange mathematical and computer tasks and around the house are also things of which she can be proud.

Son-who-watches-films is currently doing a degree in Media Studies and whilst he may not go on to the educational heights his sisters have achieved his efforts are no less praiseworthy. He abhors the whole educational set-up and gets no joy at all from studying. That he has nevertheless always got good results at what he does makes me proud indeed. Of late he has started to become more caring around the house as well. If he carries on at this rate I’ll have nothing to moan about on Mad Manic Mamas.

I have extolled the virtues of Partner-who-loves-tea in a previous posting but should mention here her work. She is a psychotherapist, counsellor and lecturer in counselling. Her whole working life revolves around caring for others and helping them to help themselves.

And Brother-who-blogs constantly demonstrates his caring nature – for me and for others - despite being under the weather and a under the cloud that is cancer. Although he constantly denies it he has many skills. Not least of these is his recently acquired ability to hit a ball with a mallet and make it do wonderful things on the croquet lawn.


This week-end he won the Scottish Open Golf Croquet Championship. Well done, GB.

It’s a great and fortunate thing to be proud of one’s family.