STUFF

A man came to mow our lawn today! Blimus! What a job, I think our (rented) garden is about an acre. He had to go between all the little graves with smaller mower. He was looking a bit hot!
************************************************************************************

My father-in-law is coming today. He lives in Spain and he comes over every year at the same time because he HAS to avoid the fiesta in his village! That about sums my father in law up! Now, as Thumper would say (before Betty completely corrupted him in one of her blogposts), 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.' However, I think Thumper has been irretrievably corrupted by what he saw in Betty's blog so I will say some not very nice things about him.

Andy's parents split when he was about 15. Initially he left with his mum but then chose to come back to the 'family' home and return to his school and his friends. But things were not good at home. His father is a very selfish and self centred man, who spent most of his time doing exactly what HE wanted. Not only is he self centred but he was VERY strict and had a VERY bad temper. He was also spoilt and very tight with his money. He is still all of these things. Holly, our eleven year old didn't know that she had a grandad until she was about six! We didn't bother to tell her there was a Grandad in Spain who never sent her a birthday card! (As far as she was concerned her Grandad was Andy's mum's husband)

Andy's dad remarried before Andy left home at 16 to join the RAF. On returning from his basic training Andy discovered that his bedroom had been cleared and was now his Dad's study. All of his stuff had been binned and he now had to stay on a camp bed if he wanted to visit his Dad. Things changed a few years ago because Andy's dad's wife died, rather suddenly of cancer. As soon as she was told she had six months to live, she chose to leave him and she came back to the UK to live with her son and his family. They nursed her through her last days. Andy's Dad was not allowed to visit, she didn't want to see him again! At the funeral there was nearly a punch up because of the accusations that were levelled at him. It's not that he's evil, he's just incredibly selfish. When his wife got ill he could only think about himself and how it would affect him. I think she thought to herself 'I've got six months to live, I'm not going to spend it with a man who clearly can't even put himself second at a time like this!' But a couple of years later he's still reeling from the shock of it all and can't understand why she did it.

I won't go into the other things he's done to hurt us and most of all his son. But, Andy is a kind person so lets his Dad visit us every year. He also lets his Dad drop large hints about wanting to come and live with us. (THAT WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN). As a man sows, so shall he reap...... this man is one of the loneliest men on earth. He wanders to the bar in Spain every lunch time for three pints and a meal ('only 5 euros for a two course meal' he has told us, oh, so many times), says 'hola' to his neighbours and sits in front of the TV for the rest of the day. I could go on....... The thing is, now he's 75. He needs us. He has noone. He has no other relatives apart from his dead brother's widow. I feel sorry for him.

But suffice to say I have purchased an enormous bottle of gin to get me through the next couple of weeks. As usual it will be up to me to entertain the man during the day and in the evening Andy will pray for delayed trains, or concentrate on climbing alp duez and mont blanc in the garage!