Not got a lot of exciting pictures at the moment, so I have added some borrowed from other people. Quirky and made me smile.
A bit like the Olympic opening ceremony that we watched live last Saturday morning. Chantelle called me in just as the music sequence had started. We had missed the rapid move through English history. With MySky we were able to watch it later, and then again with an invited audience during the week. Not sure why they were showing all the history - Kenneth Branagh swanning about pretending to be Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Why? Never mind, it was a good summary of the incredible things that have come out of England. The Industrial Revolution, the internet (apparently), a diverse range of cultural innovations: the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Punk, Dance Music and on into the present day. Comedians such as Rowan Atkinson, the Pythons, Harry Enfield. It was 2 hours of pure nostalgia. A mixture of raw power mixed with funny bits. James Bond parachuting into the stadium with the Queen and Rowan Atkinson playing the Chariots of Fire - genius. It made me reflect on my roots. And on my status as an immigrant.
I will always be English in my core, no matter how long I live in NZ or anywhere else. My children will eventually be more Kiwi as they stay here longer and their English experiences fade into the background. But I will always be English. There is a shared Englishness that marks me out as different from a 100% Kiwi. Defining what makes the 2 races is an interesting exercise. The English are at heart cynical complainers who none-the-less have a blitz spirit when faced with adversity. Kiwis don't like to complain out loud - or feel gulity when they do. A whinge is quickly followed by a "She'll be right" or "It's all good". POMs are labelled as "whinging POMs". The English regularly moan for extended periods without feeling a need to lighten things up. There are arguments both ways for which race has the better mental health.
Another point was made by an Ozzy colleague at work. She said that when you emigrate you take with you a snapshot of the culture you are leaving as it was at the time of departure. That stays the same in your head while the culture left behind continues to change. You end up a decade later having a vision of the Motherland that bears no relation to the reality. She talked about Greek friends at school whose fathers were very restrictive and protective of their daughters because that was how Greek society worked when they left Greece a generation earlier. Modern Greece is different now.
This maybe mean that after being an immigrant for a decade or more, you end up not fitting in anywhere. Immigrants are always different in their new homeland with their strange accents and ideas. But if they go "home" they are also different like time travellers.
I do not regret emigrating from England when all things are considered. The quality of life of my family has improved on the whole. Nuff said.
PS I apologise for any typos. I am off duty!
