Family Gatherings C/D

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A grandfather's 90th (!) this w/e. Really anxious about it. It goes OK. In fact, hang on, this is fun. Talked to cousin haven't seen in years (like 14 or 15) and he's great to talk to. (Never really saw eye to eye w his parents). V pissed, cajoled into not taking last train to london, now staying at B&B. As soon as last train no longer a possibility, v pissed sister having been in v high happy mood turns sour when aunt (said cousin's mum!) makes disparaging comments. sister in tears all night. give cab driver vaguest directions to B&B that we don't know where it is. try to console sis, who's too far gone to make a diff. first train back in morning.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Next day needed warm fuzzies to make up for cold pricklies, only to find that a date had cancelled on me. grr. spend day tidying garden. go on run. feel rub.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They can be great. Drinks bought all round etc. I have many many uncles and aunties and thus many rich cousins so weddings tend to be fantastic. Also I have a few very cool cousins. My mother is a twin so we see her sister alot and their family.

Generally if there's enough people there I don't have to bother talking to the more annoying relations, hooray. Actually I'm looking forward to my brothers wedding in August. His friend who gets us into places around Dublin is DJing, yeah gran rave on feel the vibe.

― Ronan, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pfft, my grandpa's 90th was 2 years ago. It was OK really as my mum did great food and everyone was quite cheery (NB this is unusual for gatherings featuring the miserable old git). However the main family gatherings I go to are Jewish ones on my mum's side and they are fantastic as all the relatives constantly tell me how great I am, i.e. beautiful, clever, wonderful, etc. etc. more more please relatives, in real life all I get is constant bitching & sniping.

― Emma, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My mother is a twin so we see her sister alot. This doesn't make sense. Why would twindom mean you would see her more? Unless she is identical - and its actually your Mum who has taken on another persona so she can be a bigamist. Did she ever "pop out for some milk" when you were a chil;d and not come back for a week spent with her other family?

Now a lot of my family seem to be getting ill family gatherings are even more hellish (now in a handwringing way) than they used to be (annoyed with politics and cheating at cards way).

― Pete, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

comments i got ranged from "my you're fatter aren't you" and "what an evil grin". great fun.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I meant she's closer to her twin than other siblings.

No she never popped out for milk, who do you think we are? The Bransons?

― Ronan, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My mum said yesterday 'oh think there's something not right about identical twins'. Hein? What is she on? Anyway I wuv my family as yesterday they all flocked round my new hair cooing admiringly and my dad said 'you look like my little girl again', ahhh, sweet. Also my auntie is psychotically loyal to family members and any tales of People Who Have Done Me Wrong are met with wild rants & death threats (well nearly) from her + a great way of saying 'well there's obviously something WRONG with them' with WRONG implying a range of worrying psychological problems. Families rule.

― Emma, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

All my imediate relatives live within a 5-mile radius, so I guess this sorta thing doesn't happen in my family.

― jel --, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

We don't speak to them. Except a few trips to Wales where all members of my family got so bored we almost died. I think family gatherings are terrifying from what I've seen of other peoples. All those people.

― alix, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was babysitting for my cousins on Friday (they are five and eight). And it was really nice. They're always good when I'm there. Unconditional love from children is great.

― Anna, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Unless you are Jonathon King.

― Pete, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Dud. They always ask me what I'm planning to do with my life. A subject I try and avoid thinking about.

― Matt, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

These are my cousins Pete!

― Anna, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think that's an excuse.

― N., Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I am ignoring this thread now on the grounds of you all being sick.

― Anna, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Who is the sick one here?

― N., Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Internet Rehab with hardman toughtalking psychologist Nick. They should make a tv programme about it.

― Ronan, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nicholas, stop it now.

― Anna, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That should batter him down, us his full name. Family gatherings are taking on more new twists as well now that I am an uncle to an increasingly violent two year old and oand increasingly noise one month year old named after a disease.

― Pete, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My mum still thinks you are lying about that Pete. She demands a birth certificate as proof. I spent yesterday afternoon cuddling / cooing over my cousin's week old baby and it was the best thing I have done in a very long time. Is there a substance known to man that is softer than a weeny baby? I think not.

― Emma, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My last time in the presence of my family, I made some reference to having a good few friends in London. A sidelong glance from my mother, accompanied by the contemptuously delivered "But they don't bother with you, do they?" She's about as nice to me as the mother in Cutting It is to her kids, if that's the name of the wonderful Debbie Horsfield hairdressing drama on the BBC.

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I must add that I wuv my family very much. Looking around the room I was pleased to be part of such a bunch of strange people.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Were you kneeding her? Babies are more robust than your "softer than Andrex" suggestion suggests.

I shall endeavour to rustle up Ruby Ella's birth certificate.

― Pete, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eh? Do you mean kneading? What's that got to do with anything? Anyway her hair /skin was the softest thing I have ever touched. It was heavenly. And week old babies are really not very robust at all you know.

― Emma, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

On the Moh hardness scale where 1 = Talc and 10 = Diamond, Babies come in at number 3 - which is admittedly pretty soft I guess.

If you kned me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me...

― Pete, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah well my family have softer babies than yours as wee baby was a 1 on the softness scale.

― Emma, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

which means that said baby could theoretically be scratched with talc, so DO NOT USE TALCUM POWDER ON THIS BABY AS IT MAY DAMAGE IT.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Weeny baby vs Talc: FITE!!! i am laughing too much at this...

― katie, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh no!! Talc! Oh no!

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If anyone tries to damage this baby I will tear off their head and pour talc down their neck cavity. GRRRR.

― Emma, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Small, drunken gatherings = classic in my family because juicy secrets get revealed. Eg. gran ran off to Liverpool with another man and grandad had to go and 'fetch her back'. (A great phrase which I can't imagine applying in a comparable situation today.)

― Archel, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Our family gatherings seem to consist of a big bunch of people who all know each other and live near each other, and us. Also there is always much cooing over my cousin/aunt/one-removed/something-or-other who has a niece who is older than her. they never seem to tire of this.

― Graham, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Bouncing Babies" is perhaps appropriate here. Last full-on everybody possible gathering was 1994, dad's side of the family, to celebrate grandma's 80th. And quite fine it was. :-) I am barely in touch with my mom's side of the family outside of her sister.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A good portion of my family gets together every Christmas. Last year was particularly difficult as it was the first Christmas since my grandmother died. Very bittersweet. On the plus side, though, my younger cousins are now 16 and 14 and are both hilarious and cool. It is very disconcerting to see someone you held as a baby behind the steering wheel of a car...

― Dan Perry, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

my family gatherings are really great, cos it always ends in fighting. the list is endless. aunty maree and aunty janice are in a snitch with each other. or i punch some girl and spew up all over her. or me and my brother get into a physical fight. or everyone yells at me for being a vegetarian. or my brother gets into an argument with my dad. or my cousin rhys gets into a fight with his brother anthony. or anthony picks a fight with his sister christine. wahey my family, the stuff that reality TV should be made about.

― di, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you have not suffered at a family gathering. I was addressed by my aunt as if I was my brother, then when she realised the gender issue she said- "Oh I thought you'd put on some weight"

I like watching them feud though

― Menelaus Darcy, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

Yesterday's baptism of baby niece went OK; I was godfather and the ceremony was in a mushy liberal 'federated' church, ie, they don't believe much of anything different from yr typical secular humanist food pantry. I was godfather and the vows weren't very hardcore (I didn't even have to renounce Satan -- not that I like him, most of his metal bands are shit)

Best laff: Brother-in-law bangs on an empty glass with a spoon to get attention before speaking; said glass shatters.

― Dr Morbius, Monday, 16 April 2007 14:36 (eighteen years ago)

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