(no subject)
By way of background, my brother Malcolm was once married to Joanne. Just after they met her parents moved to Perth on the other side of the country, and a few months later she persuaded him that they should go there too. We weren't particularly happy, because most of the family really didn't think they were right for one another. She loved going out and partying, his great joys are family and sport, so his idea of a good time is having a family barbecue or playing or watching sport with his mates or family. They got married in July 1992, and we said things like "you could enjoy a few years together just the two of you before you get tied down with a family": it didn't work-they had Kayla in March 1994 and Brooke in August 1996. By November 1996 she had left because she was "bored with being married". She has been an absolute cow about custody and access-she has taken the girls away when it was his weekend to have them, when we went to Perth for Christmas 2006 we didn't see the girls because she took them away for the whole school holiday period from mid December to the end of January (even though Malcolm is supposed to see them at Christmas). She always makes it difficult for the girls to be with him for special occasions (birthdays, Christmas and Fathers' Day).
Malcolm re-married Leanne in 2002 and his life is going well, but it is still often hard to get to see the girls, which is a great sadness to him.
Earlier this month, Joanne brought the girls to Sydney. She has remarried too but her husband stayed home. She was going to a school reunion and we hoped that we might see the girls-we were ready to go where ever we had to, whenever we had to. To our surprise, Joanne told the girls that she would bring them to Penrith on the Tuesday to see us. I arranged to take the day off and offered to pick them up and take them back to her friend's place on the other side of Sydney. To our AMAZEMENT, she actually came over on the Monday afternoon and booked into a motel at the end of my street for two nights. My parents picked them up at the rail station, then took them to see my brother Ian and his family (his daughter Emma had a school concert she wanted to take them to) then I met up with them later. On Tuesday we all spent the day together, then the whole family (well, 21 of us anyway) had dinner at my place. Joanne was nice to all of us. She seemed a bit tentative, (expecting us to be nasty to her I think) but we were so happy to see the girls we were happy to be nice to her too. The girls got on brilliantly well with all their cousins. A great time was had by all. EXCEPT for when my oldest brother, Ross, walked in and said "Hello Leanne, good to see you!" (My brother's wives look nothing alike!!!)
Which all goes to show that sometimes the things that are causing you grief sometimes turn out OK. I am quite sure that none of us would class Joanne as a friend, but it was great that we all got on. And the girls are planning to come back. Kayla, Brooke and Emma have plans for a 2010 get-together.
Malcolm re-married Leanne in 2002 and his life is going well, but it is still often hard to get to see the girls, which is a great sadness to him.
Earlier this month, Joanne brought the girls to Sydney. She has remarried too but her husband stayed home. She was going to a school reunion and we hoped that we might see the girls-we were ready to go where ever we had to, whenever we had to. To our surprise, Joanne told the girls that she would bring them to Penrith on the Tuesday to see us. I arranged to take the day off and offered to pick them up and take them back to her friend's place on the other side of Sydney. To our AMAZEMENT, she actually came over on the Monday afternoon and booked into a motel at the end of my street for two nights. My parents picked them up at the rail station, then took them to see my brother Ian and his family (his daughter Emma had a school concert she wanted to take them to) then I met up with them later. On Tuesday we all spent the day together, then the whole family (well, 21 of us anyway) had dinner at my place. Joanne was nice to all of us. She seemed a bit tentative, (expecting us to be nasty to her I think) but we were so happy to see the girls we were happy to be nice to her too. The girls got on brilliantly well with all their cousins. A great time was had by all. EXCEPT for when my oldest brother, Ross, walked in and said "Hello Leanne, good to see you!" (My brother's wives look nothing alike!!!)
Which all goes to show that sometimes the things that are causing you grief sometimes turn out OK. I am quite sure that none of us would class Joanne as a friend, but it was great that we all got on. And the girls are planning to come back. Kayla, Brooke and Emma have plans for a 2010 get-together.