Other Father's Day

This post is about fathers but I'm not going to talk about my own because it's a long story and he's never been part of my life. Don't get me wrong, I had a great childhood thanks to my mum, the men I mention below and the rest of my family!

I want to talk openly about those men who might get overlooked on Father's Day but totally deserve the acknowledgement!

Uncles

When my mum divorced my step-dad we hopped in a U-Haul van from Colorado Springs and drove to Cleveland, Ohio. Why? Well, my mum's brother, my uncle, lived there. The three of us (me, mum, sister) lived in my uncle's 1-bedroom apartment for a while which was cramped, hot (Cleveland summers can be a tad warm and humid) and not ideal (the "murphy bed" helped - talk about space saving furniture!). We were happy though. I remember watching the OJ car chase in that apartment.

We all moved into a much bigger place right opposite the main gates of Lake View Cemetery.

My favourite memories of living in the house are:

- my uncle's double cooked chips

- movie nights with popcorn (hint: brewer's yeast is an excellent popcorn topping and Nosferatu is best watched on a film projector!)

- being introduced to music I wouldn't normally choose - The Fall being one of the bands!

- hand made birthday vouchers for films, CDs, etc

- being allowed to paint a mural on the wall (my interpretation of an XTC album cover!)

While not being a total father figure because most of the time it just felt like we were hanging out, my uncle was one of the main male influences in my teen years.

Granddads

My granddad has always been a big part of my life. When I was little he took me and my mum on camping trips to France. He introduced me to Roald Dahl, Jeeves & Wooster and history. If he didn't know something (a rare occurrence!) he would not only look it up, he would find out everything he could about that subject and then some!

My favourite memories of Gramps are:

- he convinced the young me that a blue pig lived in his coal cellar

- he took me to Avebury stone circle and got me to try dowsing

- until the age of about 13 I was convinced he had a "magic finger" (like the Roald Dahl story!) - he could use his powers to slice a banana before it was even peeled

- he introduced me to photography at an early age

- I've grown up hearing stories from him about our ancestors. I hope to be able to pass the same stories on to my children when I have them!

Fathers-in-Law

We're not married yet (hoping to tie the knot soon!) but Mr Jones' dad is another favourite father figure. One of the many things I love about the family I'm marrying in to is that they fostered a lot of children over the years which is such an amazing thing to do. I felt comfortable with Mr Jones Sr from the first time I met him - my glass of wine seemed to be always full - he kept topping me up when my back was turned!

Things I like about Mr Jones Sr:

- he raised Mr Jones and Mr Jones' brothers to be good, good men

- he is a great hugger

- he is my un-officially adopted dad because he knows my dad isn't around - isn't that lovely?!

- Mr and Mrs Jones have been married for over 50 years - look how lovely they are together! I hope me and Mr Jones Jr will be as happy together as his parents are! Below is a picture of them dancing at their 50th wedding anniversary party which I was honoured to attend!