I've taken a major step today. I told my mum that I needed to talk to her about something, and wanted to take my time over it, and of course, that instantly worried her

She knew something was wrong, but thought it was about work. I've been with my wife 30 years, and she has seen me get more and more morose with my home life, so when I spoke to her today, she said "Whats this about, has your wife got a man?"
I said no, but close...and then launched into the...

Billyharry

My wife and I grew up in the same town. It was chance that we both there. Her father got a job in London when she was 2, so needed to commute there, so they moved from the rural part of the country she was born in.
My mum and dad decided that I would benefit from a more green setting than the flat in East London where we were living. I was 5 when we moved out of London, old enough to pick up a cockney accent and to be inflicted with West Ham United. By chance, they chose the same small market...

Billyharry

We have a general election here tomorrow. For No2 daughter, its the first time she can vote, and shes looking forward to it. Her politics are her own, but shaped by her parents, quite naturally. She leans towards me more than her mum, and whilst it is gratifying that is so, its even more gratifying that she can challenge me,and ask me "why" I believe things, and what I think about this and that. I would much rather an independent thinker who casts her vote, than a young person who slavishly...

Billyharry

A couple of weeks ago, my mother-in-law came up to take the kids out to the cinema. Whilst we were waiting for them to get ready, we were watching the news. There was a piece about the latest wave of immigrants from the Eastern European Union, countries like Romania, Poland, etc.

My M-in-L said something like, "Oh, its terrible, all these immigrants. "
I replied that I thought it was ironic that people in this country were being racist towards white people and were...

Billyharry

I haven't spoken of this before, don't blog, keep a diary or anything like that, so I'm hoping this helps me a bit, not to mention being vaguely interesting for others.
My eldest child (No.1 is reference to age, not favouritism ) was born with a heart defect.
No one knew about it beforehand, and she was only diagnosed with a heart problem when she still looked a bit blue 12 hours after her birth. She was born at a maternity home, which was ill-equipped to deal with something like...

Billyharry