Tuesday 4 December 2012
The Milk of Human Kindness
Friday 20 January 2012
A Story of Frustration
Wednesday 23 November 2011
One Girl and Her Dog
Thursday 20 October 2011
Plumbing - A Varied View of Life
The families from Dale Farm are being evicted. There are rights and wrongs to their eviction. They broke the planning laws and they shouldn’t have done. It remains to be seen where they will relocate but part of me thinks it would have been easier for the council and the occupants of Dale Farm to have negotiated a compromise on the existing situation rather than completely overhaul it. But that is a whole different debate or blog.
I believe, strongly, that there is good and bad in ALL sections of society. This was evident this summer during the London riots which saw a mixture of hatred and lack of respect for people and buildings result in determination by other members of the affected communities to rise from the destruction and rebuild their shattered communities. It is a basic human instinct to protect our homes, families and livelihood when under threat.
This week one of the jobs we are doing is working on a ‘Park Home’ site. The families that live on this site are travelling show people; they spend the year travelling to Fun Fairs providing entertainment. The site is made up of a series of large static caravans and pre fabricated chalet bungalows. The families live in very close proximity to each other and it is difficult to tell who the children belong to as family units are so intermingled. They live in both the caravans and chalet bungalows and there living accommodation is pristine. Three or four generations of the same family live in close proximity to each and share the responsibility of caring for the children, organising works that need doing on the site and travelling the Fairs entertaining people.
I will not forget a phone call though that started with a quiet, unassuming voice asking me ‘Hello I need a new boiler, do you work on Park Home sites?’ Not ‘Hello I need a new boiler, can you come and give me a quote’. I felt an overwhelming sadness. I could not imagine having to live a life where you doubted constantly that people would carry out work for you just because of where you live and the lifestyle. I can’t say negotiating the logistics of this week’s job has been easy; it is not easy to discuss things with a customer who travels hundreds of miles every week going from town to town working until the small hours of the morning. On the positive side, Olly who is installing the new oil boiler has been plied with constant cups of tea and coffee.
I cannot change people’s prejudice against Gypsy’s, Travellers and Show People but I can hope that we can all learn to see a bigger picture, not a black and white picture but one painted with the bright and varied colours of our different heritages and lifestyle choices. It wouldn’t do for us all to be the same.
Tuesday 27 September 2011
To wax or not to wax
This morning I noticed that Duncan Bannatyne was rather agitated that Mumsnet Founder, Justine Roberts had stuck her head above the parapet (again) Ms Roberts stated that girls should be allowed to be girls rather than indulging in beauty treatments, in this case waxing, and ‘not obsess about being hairless’. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/212995/Dragon-s-slain-for-girls-spa/
My blog is not here to sit in defence of Mr Bannatyne, I am sure he is more than capable of doing this himself!
My irritation is with Ms Roberts. I have 3 children including one 21 year old and one 14 year old girl. I was born with fair skin, blonde eyebrows and due to the development of Polycystic Ovarian Disease, occasionally too much body hair for my liking! Let me tell you something Ms Roberts had my mother had the opportunity to escort me to a treatment that could have tinted my eyebrows and waxed some of the hair from my body, as a teenager, I would have had far more self confidence as a teenager.
My youngest daughter has dark hair and dark eyebrows, she is a beautiful looking girl but SHE feels uncomfortable with her bushy eyebrows. For twelve months now my youngest daughter has joined myself and her older sister in having her eyebrows waxed, by a qualified beautician in my presence. I am forty eight years old, with twenty two years experience of raising three bright, funny, well adjusted (I hate that description) children. I KNOW what makes them feel insecure and what makes them feel better about themselves. That, Ms Roberts, is a good mother. Knowing what makes your child feel self confident about themselves. Now, should that be dressing in a day glow pair of socks, wearing thick black eye liner or once every 6 weeks having their eyebrows or half legs waxed a good mother will know how to assist and advise them with compassion and understanding and will refrain from immediately dismissing their thoughts and suggestions without due consideration for their feelings.
I have not forced my daughters into having their eyebrows (or anyone other part of their bodies) waxed, they made the decision for themselves, when they were ready. I have merely ensured they use a qualified beautician and in my presence. My girls and I enjoy our ‘girlie’ beauty evenings. We chat, we giggle, we discuss a range of subjects and we have fun. They feel they have been pampered and feel good about themselves following one of our ‘treatments’. Get over yourself Ms Roberts. I shall carry on my journey through motherhood completely relying on my own instincts and will refuse to the listening to the cackling of other mothers who ‘know best’.