Glimpses of a parallel life 1.

The next few posts will deal with my reactions to being back in the land of my birth and amongst family and strangely familiar places and people.

My family is immense - not in physical girth, although none of us is anorexic by any means: I merely mean there's a lot of us. I have 11 first cousins just on my mum's side living in the UK. She came form a smaller family than my Dad and I have lost count of all of the cousins on his side. Most of those cousins now have children of their own - at least 2 each. you can see where it can become overwhelming.

What makes up for the initial daunting number of warm bodies (most are married as well of course, so that adds another 9 spouses to the mixture) is the fact that every one of them is complete gem. They are, both individually and collectively, the warmest and most hospitable people on the planet.

Yes, they are family and should be expected to be one thinks, but apart from the collective identity, there is also the natural warmth and friendliness that makes the length of the trip worthwhile. 

I spent a lot of time driving around familiar back roads and by-ways. I had clear memories of sitting in the back seat of the family car when I was in single digits and seeing the same roads and fields pass by. It was like being a 10-year-old with a driver's licence!

In all that travelling, all those great meals and all of the warmth and love form my family, I couldn't help wondering what might have been if my parents hadn't gone to Australia in 1973. It's that which is going through my head now, after having the time to digest the sights and sounds of Ulster, and the memories of the smiles and laughter settle down and find comfortable places in my mind.

I saw the school I would have gone to, the places I would have played rugby and cricket, the places I would have shopped and the several alternatives to post-secondary school life. No matter what I think I've done in the last 35 years, there'll always be the question "What if?"

As I move through these musing over the next few days after a day of walking around London, maybe I'll find the answer. Or maybe it'll remain unanswered, which may be the right thing!