One day when I was about 10 or 11, my Mum came home from the supermarket with, among other items, two big bottles of Schweppes Tonic Water. When I saw her putting them in a cupboard I said, “ooh, is Grandma coming?!”, and when she was able to breathe again after an extended laughing fit, my Mum confirmed that her own mother had indeed just decided to visit and would be arriving on Saturday. Twenty five years later, I have just stocked my own fridge with 12 cans of Schweppes Tonic Water and some limes* – because my parents arrive tomorrow! They’ll be around for six (yes, six. S-I-X) weeks, on and off – they have two or possibly three side-trips planned, as usual.<\/p>\n
You might not be seeing much of me until mid July…<\/p>\n
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\n*I have gin already – duh. Gin and tonic is my “family drink”, inherited through the maternal line. We might not have a fancy name or pedigree, a family crest, or any lands or titles – but when we get together, the women in the family all follow this long-standing and proud tradition. When I am bereft of all female relatives, I usually just drink beer, although a G&T is hard to beat when sitting on a patio in the summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One day when I was about 10 or 11, my Mum came home from the supermarket with, among other items, two big bottles of Schweppes Tonic Water. When I saw her putting them in a cupboard I said, “ooh, is … Continue reading