Hit The North

The A1 beckons. Up to Nottingham and Doncaster to whirlwind-visit a dizzying array of relatives and friends, from David's prep school nephew to his aunty talking about a Lambrini-loving lickle lad of 2 years old. To C's, once a party girl, now safely ensconced in the suburbs with an elfin pre-toddler whose activity centre she refers to as Guantanamo, to wine bar babies asleep in pushchairs; lives all lived differently, making me feel, once more, out of time, that aged 36 I should be avec famille or a certifiable hedonist. But feeling wrong for my age is nothing new and leads me once again to that Larkin poem..."Well it just shows how much....how little....". After an enjoyable meal at Squeek, we head northwards, past lonely trees in motorway sulphuric light, faces glimpsed glowing ruby in headlamps, the gold and silver glitter of a city, half seen flashes of outrageous Christmas decorations to Doncaster, where I remember that any compliment will be taken as complaint by certain family members and thus living my life how I want it to be lived is the only thing I can do.

Hit The North

The A1 beckons. Up to Nottingham and Doncaster to whirlwind-visit a dizzying array of relatives and friends, from David's prep school nephew to his aunty talking about a Lambrini-loving lickle lad of 2 years old. To C's, once a party girl, now safely ensconced in the suburbs with an elfin pre-toddler whose activity centre she refers to as Guantanamo, to wine bar babies asleep in pushchairs; lives all lived differently, making me feel, once more, out of time, that aged 36 I should be avec famille or a certifiable hedonist. But feeling wrong for my age is nothing new and leads me once again to that Larkin poem..."Well it just shows how much....how little....". After an enjoyable meal at Squeek, we head northwards, past lonely trees in motorway sulphuric light, faces glimpsed glowing ruby in headlamps, the gold and silver glitter of a city, half seen flashes of outrageous Christmas decorations to Doncaster, where I remember that any compliment will be taken as complaint by certain family members and thus living my life how I want it to be lived is the only thing I can do.