Brave New Worlds

It’s strange to think that when I post this blog, my elder stepson, his wife and their toddler son will be on a plane bound for Canada where they are going to live. Last week we attended a family farewell party for them and the next day Tom and I looked after the baby whilst they said goodbye to their work colleagues. It’s been a time of mixed emotions; we all want to keep our loved ones close, but our daughter-in-law is a French-speaking Canadian who can see the opportunities her country can offer their little family and Tom and I certainly support them in their quest to make a good life.

This view was reinforced after our babysitting stint. It was getting late, but we decided to drive home to Wales whilst the roads were quiet. We stopped at the first takeaway we found to buy something quick to eat, a kebab restaurant in a straggle of run-down shops by a dual carriageway. As we waited for our order, a handful of men also waiting struck up a sexist, racist conversation that was painful to hear – not least because our daughter-in-law is black. Did we say anything? Of course, not – we had three hundred miles to travel and didn’t especially want to end up in an even uglier situation. Now, I’m not naïve enough to believe that any place is perfect, but being confronted with such casual racism and sexism, I was simply grateful that night, that my stepson and his family were leaving that particular crowded, claustrophobic and narrow-minded part of the world behind.

To the secret beach...

We needed to recharge our batteries after our return to west Wales. The weather’s been glorious and Tom’s been trying to persuade me to visit a little beach he and my stepson discovered some time ago. I’ve dragged my heels as the beach is only accessible by boat or down a steep cliff and I wasn’t especially reassured by Tom’s ‘It’s easy! You’ll be fine!’. And, actually, it was fabulous, although quite a slog (even more so coming back) and I managed the cliffs a lot better than a pair of frail-looking Dutch ladies who practically landed on us. The sheltered bay was perfect for swimming (not without a swimsuit, as Tom told Lily, but without a wetsuit!) and we had a lovely day, so it was well worth the effort and just goes to show that sometimes you just have to be brave!

The sweetest ‘brave new world’ story this week has come from a new Facebook friend, writer Tina K Burton, who was kind enough to buy my novella, Only True in Fairy Tales and liked the heroine, Eloise’s rescued greyhound, Gracie so much that she’s hoping to adopt her own Gracie. Tina’s written a blog about the beginning of the adoption process which I guarantee will have you keeping your fingers crossed for everyone involved – especially when you see the lovely photo of the beautiful girl who’s waiting for a new home. You can read Tina’s blog here.

Painting is 'By the Cliff Edge' by Tom Tomos