Monday, March 10, 2008

desperate house of commons wives

I bumped into Ffion just the other day. She and I have so much in common, Two women, both married to a William who’s very important and spends a lot of time in London, Both far from home. The politics might come between us, her husband is more interested in matters of high diplomacy but we Labour chaps like to deal with the grass roots, because, after all, the roots are all that's left of the grass after the napalm has finally burned itself out but if she wasn’t a Tory and I wasn’t so jolly well working class I’m sure we’d get on very well. Actually, I’m not quite sure what class Ffion is from as she’s welsh and they probably have their own devolved class system in Wales now so perhaps we can be chums after all.

Anyway, the reason I mention it of course is that as the jetlag finally starts to get to David Attenborough who sadly reportedly now so is identified with that gorilla scene that he starts crouching down and whispering whenever anyone so much as opens a packet of peanuts in his earshot the BBC has done a series on the rare and exotic within our own shores and in their search for working class people their researchers even visited my own village although they didn’t find anyone to be in the show as the whole population had just been moved out to make way for filming a gritty but heart warming northern drama for ITV. Milly rather reduced my chances of being interviewed on TV though as when she answered the door to the BBC she told them her mother neither worked, nor had any class, sigh.

This isn’t the first time the girl has hurt my feelings like this. Just the other day she came home from school very pleased with herself. ‘I got an A in science mummy!’ she proclaimed proudly. ‘And the teacher said I could be an engineer at Wilton or Corus when I’m older’ . My heart sank. My own daughter, going into trade, in the North! I fought back the tears. This had been a Labour Party family as far back as I could remember. We’d always stood up for the poor and powerless like Lord Sainsbury, Rupert Murdoch, Roman Abramovich (even my neighbour says poor old Roman must be feeling hard done by at the moment: I'll make a socialist out of him yet) Our family had always done proper jobs that made you proud to go to conference, jobs that were tough and dirty but had to be done; public relations civil servants, left wing playwrights, Sunday Times columnists. My daughter's announcement of an interest in commerce felt like my fountain pen being pushed through my heart.

‘But darling’ I said, choking, ‘don’t you want to write a blog like mummy when you grow up?’. Milly just didn’t understand. ‘I can still write a blog even if I have a job can't I?’, she said, quizzically. Oh, her youthful innocence! What would she write about, I wanted to ask her, Today I went to work and came home watched a bit of telly before going to bed? Tears welled up in my eyes. Didn’t she know that a really successful blog was one about other people doing stuff. My God, providing your own material for your blog? Whatever next? ‘But Milly, think of your family!’ I cried. ‘Think of your Grandfather who fought in the war!’ Milly raised her eyebrows. ‘Grandfather was born in 1947’, she said. ‘But think of your Great Grandmother who threw herself in front of the king’s horse!’ Milly sighed. ‘But it was beating the favourite Mummy, which Great Granny had bet the house on without telling Great Grandaddy’, she retorted. ‘Anyway’ continued my heart breaking daughter, ‘If I got a job I could get dooced and then my blog would be even bigger than your’s!’ I sighed a big sigh. That’s my girl...I think….and I wondered if Ffion had the kettle on...

10 comments:

Mopsa said...

I'm not sure Ffion is the friend you're looking for Rilly; her reputation goes before her. Tilly looks set for a brilliant career, though - just keep back 25% of her wages and you'll never have to work again.

aims said...

That Milly is getting smarter as the years go on dear Rilly. I had never heard of doocing - thanks so much for the heads up!

Cath said...

Oh dear Rilly-
Don't get too disappointed in Milly. Sometimes we think our children have let us down but we can turn these situations into opportunities. Yes we can!
Just think of the royalties AND a wage coming into the house....
Marvellous!

James Higham said...

Hosw are Hilly and Tilly? Haven't heard from them for some time.

Mr Farty said...

Dearest Rilly, you always bring a smile to a dreich day in Embra.

Perhaps if you're thinking of posting something otherwise unmentionable, you'd like to put it here?

Please say you will! Mwah!

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Ah Rilly, so much to read after my enforced absence. Tis a surprise you haven't been left high and dry being as you are also in the primitive north ...

Anyhoo hinny, I can really emphasise with you - I'm sure it would be impossible to hold down a job, blog and care for the children (even with a nanny)- plus as you rightly point out, people who work have nowt to write about!

Pig in the Kitchen said...

Rilly, I think you are going wrong. You need to re-invent yourself as 'La Petite Femme qui Habite au Nord de Luton', fall in love with Stay at Home Dad, have sex with Creative Type Dad, leave your child with - I dunno - M&M, then go out and sell your story. That's how bloggers get published.
Pigx

The Draughtsman said...

Nice to know things is still reet grip oop Noarth. Getting up for work half an hour before you went to bedd and off doon te ' pit. Cummin hame shattered and scruffy and neeeding a bath ( not a barth) thats fer suthern foak then gettin in te bed afore ye meet yersell getting up again. Ne time te write a blog.
Yes Rilly, your so right, the poor lass needs to get her priorities right.
Cheers.

J.J said...

Oh sweetheart - I hate to be the one to break this to you but you and Ffion cannot possibly have so very much in common after all.

Haven't you heard that her husband is gay? Will you tell her or should I?

Penny Pincher said...

How fascinatng Rilly - I'll not watch David Attenborough again without imagining his strange behaviour around nuts..