Mother knows best

I was chatting to my mom the other night, about this and that and the other, catching up on gossip as we do every week.  

She surprisingly hasn't had any bonfires (I think the weather in England is too wet) but has been out meeting up with various friends, talking to my brother, trying to make sure he's not going to be all sad and alone in some dodgy bar full of ladyboys on his birthday, and generally living the relaxed life of the professionally retired.  

I was regaling her with my movements and letting her know how the other half live - the other half not being me, oh no, rather Simon.  Who had to fly to Hannover and back on Saturday afternoon/evening in order to have dinner with some Chinese minister or something.  We tried very hard not to be jealous, and he had halfheartedly suggested we (that'd be me & the kids) go along too and while he was eating in some swanky restaurant we'd end up at Mackie D's - don't think so, especially given Jas's propensity for vomiting in planes, trains and automobiles*.

I told her how empty the house feels at the moment, what with Si away all week at some daft exhibition and Ben terrorising Margate***, and she was surprised.  But Simon's often away for days at a time she said, and as for Ben, she knows that he gets home, raids the kitchen, goes to his room (computer, internet, skype, facebook) only to emerge for tea and further fridge/cupboard raids***, the most amount of interaction I can get from Ben is a grunted response to questions I fire at him when he's in (ear)shot.  The house still feels emptier than usual though, maybe it's because the food stocks aren't being visibly depleted or because I'm not have to tidy up after two other people, I can certainly understand why parents move and downsize when their children eventually leave home, who wants to rattle around in a house that once rang with the noise of children?  I text-ed Ben last night, just to touch base as it were.  They'd had fun at Dover castle and then Hastings and then been to a proper British chippy for fish and chips.  I was so jealous I started salivating.  But apparently quite a few of the German kids didn't appreciate it, because, and get this, the über healthy Germans don't eat fish (at least not the ones Ben goes to school with) weird.

Today the kids were in London, visiting the National Maritime Museum, at the same time as the Queen and Phil the Greek, bet the teachers are dead chuffed with their planning!


But thanks to my mom, for putting my head straight, I am really no more alone this week than I am in others and at least I get full control of the TV remote once Jas has gone to bed!!




Word of the day; wichteln - to secret santa

* actually she hasn't done it in a train yet, but that's only because I don't do public transport** and so the opportunities are few and far between.

** unless there's a grown up holding my hand and making sure I don't get lost, don't laugh, it happened the last time.
*** see Monday "Keep calm and carry on".
**** the amount a teenage boy can eat is incredible, thank goodness I have only one in the house.