I Have Never Minded My Own Company Part Two
Without Prejudice
I went completely off track on the first blog of " I Have Never Minded My Own Company " and I need to reel the idea back in as its really quite a funny story leading up to that famous utterance.
One of my older brothers who runs a business and is always busy decided to treat himself to a long trip. An expensive indulgent trip of a lifetime. He has been divorced for a number of years, built up his business, had girlfriends, houses, custody of his kids from young teens, who are married now and off his hands. He hopes.
He loves all things military and is an expert on the subject especially World War Two. He volunteered for the Army but missed out because of medical reasons. He also missed out on being conscripted in the time of the Vietnam War. He was a bit dark about it all but poured his passion into reading about Wars.
So when the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli rolled around he decided to be in Turkey for what would be a moving and important remembrance of that terrible tragedy. Australians hold Anzac Day very close to their hearts. A memorial to all the fallen in every War, right up to those who served in Vietnam.
So from before Anzac Day he would be away a long time for him, ( an unheard of thing for my brother,), he tends to be always working.
A flight to Singapore, then the QE2 from there to Southhampton in the U.K. Stopping at Turkey for the Gallipoli remembrance.
I imagined how romantic that cruise would be for him. As kids we had returned to the U.K. On a luxury Greek Liner, The Ellenis, Via Papua New Guinea, Colombo, Suez, North Africa, Greece and Italy. We had the best time of our lives. We were young teens ourselves then. Our Father and older Sister were entertainers and they played on stage for the entire trip of six weeks.
I imagined my brother sailing the high seas in luxury and indolence being chatted up by women of a mature age. He is a teetotaller by nature like all my family except for me in the past but now I have joined them and you soon find out what a bore drunks can be.
I imagined moonlit nights on upper deck with warm breezes blowing, ladies with silken shawls dropping from their slightly sunburned skin, flirting gently with him and he feeling like a King. I saw him in my minds eye in the pool in the daylight hours, surging up and down the pool, showing off. My brain images snapped on to dinner suits worn by the men and pretty floaty waisted cocktail dresses worn by the ladies to Formal Dinners every night.
Oh the fun he would have. It would be like stepping back in time to when he was 16. He of the inverted vee swimmers body honed on the Gold Coast and swimming or sun baking all the way to Port Said on The Ellenis. It was too hot to do anything on the ship when we hit The Suez Canal. One of the last boats to be allowed through before the conflict. All those wonderful youthful memories would be coming back for my brother.
I couldn't wait to ask him all about his trip and was impatient for his return, calling him as soon as I heard through the grapevine he was finally home. The grapevine being my large family and extended family. If you have read My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell you pretty much know my
Mother and four brothers and two sisters. Just add a very kind, entertaining Goon-like Harry Secombe of a Dad and you have the complete picture.
He had a wonderful trip he said. I excitedly asked about the cruise and was there any romance on offer. Had he been feted over, had ladies flocked to his side, buying him Virgin Mary's and Pimms Number One Cup minus the alcohol and decorated with more fruit. Had he been daring and pretended he was James Bond, urbane and slightly dangerous ?
" No, Janette" he said at my twenty questions. He said I ask a question and then don't wait to listen to the answer. Brothers !
So I listened, while brushing the dog to keep my impatience under control.
" I was the youngest person on the ship ( out of 2,500) and spent my time wheeling other passengers around in their wheelchairs, helping the older ladies with their walking frames and bandaged calves, aiding folk down the gangplanks at port who looked a little unsteady on their pins"
Wow my brother had changed. He of the 100 dates in a year after his divorce. And he kept a diary and score of them all. He, of the answering all the replies for his advertisement in the personals of the Courier Mail. And telling me about some, turned out one was a nutter, one smoked ( he liked her but hated the smoking part ) and one had breasts the size of watermelons. This is not a conversation you want to have with your brother. Aargh
So Turkey was great, England was great. Getting to see his Son and Daughter In Law and grandsons in London and 94 year old Aunty Betty in Wakefield Yorkshire were highlights. She spoiled him rotten as per usual and he had gained 10 lbs on her Yorkshire Puddings alone.The Wilshers are a long living lot, well the female side anyway.
Then I asked him if he had found it lonely on his solo sojourn, had he missed home and hearth, felt homesick or plain ill at his aloneness in strange places ?
" I have never minded my own company " he simply stated.
And I thought how true that was for him.
I am the writer of the family and I love words, poems, sayings, descriptions, English in all its forms. But I am also the Observer. The one that sirs back from the main and drinks in the sight and sound of things. Then expresses the picture in words. Draws it, so others can see.
My brother ever since I can remember, liked to be by himself. Never unhappy. My parents taught us that. To be happy by ourselves. As long as we had a book. Being bored meant you were boring. That life was a lot less dramatic and a lot more balanced if we were occupied. That music stimulated and fulfilled us like nothing else. If we were happy by ourselves we were happy with ourselves. Not in a conceited way, just contented with calm seas and great splashes of happiness interspersed with Joy and Laughter.
Xxx
I went completely off track on the first blog of " I Have Never Minded My Own Company " and I need to reel the idea back in as its really quite a funny story leading up to that famous utterance.
One of my older brothers who runs a business and is always busy decided to treat himself to a long trip. An expensive indulgent trip of a lifetime. He has been divorced for a number of years, built up his business, had girlfriends, houses, custody of his kids from young teens, who are married now and off his hands. He hopes.
He loves all things military and is an expert on the subject especially World War Two. He volunteered for the Army but missed out because of medical reasons. He also missed out on being conscripted in the time of the Vietnam War. He was a bit dark about it all but poured his passion into reading about Wars.
So when the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli rolled around he decided to be in Turkey for what would be a moving and important remembrance of that terrible tragedy. Australians hold Anzac Day very close to their hearts. A memorial to all the fallen in every War, right up to those who served in Vietnam.
So from before Anzac Day he would be away a long time for him, ( an unheard of thing for my brother,), he tends to be always working.
A flight to Singapore, then the QE2 from there to Southhampton in the U.K. Stopping at Turkey for the Gallipoli remembrance.
I imagined how romantic that cruise would be for him. As kids we had returned to the U.K. On a luxury Greek Liner, The Ellenis, Via Papua New Guinea, Colombo, Suez, North Africa, Greece and Italy. We had the best time of our lives. We were young teens ourselves then. Our Father and older Sister were entertainers and they played on stage for the entire trip of six weeks.
I imagined my brother sailing the high seas in luxury and indolence being chatted up by women of a mature age. He is a teetotaller by nature like all my family except for me in the past but now I have joined them and you soon find out what a bore drunks can be.
I imagined moonlit nights on upper deck with warm breezes blowing, ladies with silken shawls dropping from their slightly sunburned skin, flirting gently with him and he feeling like a King. I saw him in my minds eye in the pool in the daylight hours, surging up and down the pool, showing off. My brain images snapped on to dinner suits worn by the men and pretty floaty waisted cocktail dresses worn by the ladies to Formal Dinners every night.
Oh the fun he would have. It would be like stepping back in time to when he was 16. He of the inverted vee swimmers body honed on the Gold Coast and swimming or sun baking all the way to Port Said on The Ellenis. It was too hot to do anything on the ship when we hit The Suez Canal. One of the last boats to be allowed through before the conflict. All those wonderful youthful memories would be coming back for my brother.
I couldn't wait to ask him all about his trip and was impatient for his return, calling him as soon as I heard through the grapevine he was finally home. The grapevine being my large family and extended family. If you have read My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell you pretty much know my
Mother and four brothers and two sisters. Just add a very kind, entertaining Goon-like Harry Secombe of a Dad and you have the complete picture.
He had a wonderful trip he said. I excitedly asked about the cruise and was there any romance on offer. Had he been feted over, had ladies flocked to his side, buying him Virgin Mary's and Pimms Number One Cup minus the alcohol and decorated with more fruit. Had he been daring and pretended he was James Bond, urbane and slightly dangerous ?
" No, Janette" he said at my twenty questions. He said I ask a question and then don't wait to listen to the answer. Brothers !
So I listened, while brushing the dog to keep my impatience under control.
" I was the youngest person on the ship ( out of 2,500) and spent my time wheeling other passengers around in their wheelchairs, helping the older ladies with their walking frames and bandaged calves, aiding folk down the gangplanks at port who looked a little unsteady on their pins"
Wow my brother had changed. He of the 100 dates in a year after his divorce. And he kept a diary and score of them all. He, of the answering all the replies for his advertisement in the personals of the Courier Mail. And telling me about some, turned out one was a nutter, one smoked ( he liked her but hated the smoking part ) and one had breasts the size of watermelons. This is not a conversation you want to have with your brother. Aargh
So Turkey was great, England was great. Getting to see his Son and Daughter In Law and grandsons in London and 94 year old Aunty Betty in Wakefield Yorkshire were highlights. She spoiled him rotten as per usual and he had gained 10 lbs on her Yorkshire Puddings alone.The Wilshers are a long living lot, well the female side anyway.
Then I asked him if he had found it lonely on his solo sojourn, had he missed home and hearth, felt homesick or plain ill at his aloneness in strange places ?
" I have never minded my own company " he simply stated.
And I thought how true that was for him.
I am the writer of the family and I love words, poems, sayings, descriptions, English in all its forms. But I am also the Observer. The one that sirs back from the main and drinks in the sight and sound of things. Then expresses the picture in words. Draws it, so others can see.
My brother ever since I can remember, liked to be by himself. Never unhappy. My parents taught us that. To be happy by ourselves. As long as we had a book. Being bored meant you were boring. That life was a lot less dramatic and a lot more balanced if we were occupied. That music stimulated and fulfilled us like nothing else. If we were happy by ourselves we were happy with ourselves. Not in a conceited way, just contented with calm seas and great splashes of happiness interspersed with Joy and Laughter.
Xxx
