Too much blue for one country

My Dad is off to Australia this weekend for a month and my mother is shortly to return from a six week stint in southern Spain soaking up the rays in retirement. Meanwhile my family are layering up with jumpers and coats and loading up pockets with tissues at the onset of yet another cold. In that respect I am looking forward to retirement. I am also annoyed with my parents that they did not emigrate to sunnier climes so that I could have enjoyed a warmer life in adulthood, in the style of the cast of Home and Away, finishing school and then heading down to the beach for surf and sand, rather than a school bus trip home through traffic and rain on a grey gloomy day. No doubt my children will also say the same about us. Given the choice I think my daughter would live in America. This preference is based on our trip to Florida early last year when it was all sun, theme park rides, fast food and massive Chevrolets. My son is obsessed with Despicable Me and while we were in Florida enjoyed our trip to Universal, which featured a Minions parade, so I think he would be quite happy too.

Would I miss England? Certainly not in the winter – I fail to see anything positive about life in this country from post Guy Fawkes to Spring. As much as I love early Spring, crocuses, snowdrops and daffodils do not make-up for feeling ill and cold – but they give a glimmer of hope that the end of winter is nigh.

I the meantime I sit as close to the woodburner as possible and exercise as much as I can to keep the blood pumping around.

If there was an opportunity to live in a warmer country I would jump at the chance. But if UKIP or the Conservatives, for that matter, get in again, I may well try to squeeze into someone’s hand luggage. Another few years of British austerity is as inviting as another helping of ‘gruel’.

This blog is for Unicef.

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Im not dancin with Pharrell

I am glancing at the front cover of The Big Issue featuring a picture of Pharrell Williams and a minion with the question ‘feeling happy?’ I am not. I don’t feel in control of my destiny at the moment, well none of us ever are in control but its nice to feel that you are heading I. the right direction. For me I am not entirely sure what that direction is. Maybe this is a symptom of heading further into my thirties, but as I wait to hear whether or not I have got a new job i find myself analysing my would be reaction to both scenarios. If they say yes I will feel happy that they have the confidence in my abilities to offer me the job but sad that my role as pretty much a full-time mum will come to and end. If they say no, I will feel sad that the opportunities and benefits the new role will bring will not become a reality, but happy that my time as a mum who has the school holidays at home continues. So for now I am putting my trust in fate and rolling like water to whatever pool life takes me to. At the same time I want to do what is going to be best for everyone. I would still love to adopt a child, help others in need, give my children the best education and relieve my husband from all his current pressures.

I also still have the blues from the holiday. The people in Haiti and Jamaica particularly really had an effect on me and I would like to return there in the future. I liked Florida too but for very different reasons. Its a chapter in my life that was short and highly relevant and also extraordinary and nothing like life at home. If it were to read like a book, it would appear as if a few pages from The Great Gatsby and Tschiffleys Ride had fallen within a chapter of Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

I am not very patriotic at the best of times (although managed to muster something up in the Olympics), but at the moment I might actually hate Britain for being cold, wet, stuffy, virus ridden and miserable. If i bumped into Pharrell dancing down an alleyway in Britain, i wouldn’t dance with him, I would assume he was one of those care in the community types for being completely delusional.

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Being 8 in the 80’s

Although my parents were going through a bitter divorce at the time, there were moments of enjoyment in the 80’s, particularly around the age of eight that have since turned into fond recollections.

My favourite memory was going to Walt Disney World in Florida which was my first visit to America. I remember befriending a beautiful blonde Texan girl called Summer at the motel we were staying at in Orlando (it was about a 30 minute journey to Disney as my Mum couldn’t afford anything nearer). I remember wearing dayglo wristbands, hair bungees and t-shirts with tassels on the end. Every shop we walked into Phil Collin’s ‘Two Hearts’ hit was blaring out of the stereo. 

As a kid I was very much inspired by America as the main TV programmes and films I enjoyed were made in America. Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, Smokey and The Bandit, Back to the Future (and any other film featuring Michael J Fox were a hit with me as a child).

I also remember quite obscure films such as The Great Land of Small (which is actually Canadian). I was drawn to watching it a few times as a child because it was slightly strange, intriguing and a little bit dark. See an episode of it on Youtube to see what I mean and read about it on Wikipedia. I think most children are captivated by films that deal with issues that are filmed in PG but are actually emotionally linked to a storyline that would be classified as a 12 or 15. Tim Burton’s films are a good example of this. The expression on my daughter’s face while she watches Harry Potter is a fine example of how kids like to be a little bit scared, daunted, shocked or amazed by what they see in a film I don’t think this alters as we become adults.

I think that in this day and age of excellent documentary style films there should be more aimed at children, for example a slumdog millionaire version for kids. I think this is where Disney & Pixar’s animation films are missing a trick – they are too American, too westernised. While many of them carry good moral messages and celebrate the best in humanity, I feel they they are only scratching at the surface of the potential for these films to educate kids about other cultures, people and realities. 

I am blogging every day to raise money for Unicef. To donate please click here.

Thanks for reading.