conversation with my 78 year old British mum

[Skittles]

We were talking about my "Aunt Tilly" (mum's cousin) in England who has a habit of leaving off the country, state, using a four digit zip code yet her cards somehow still get delivered to America.

Mum: Well you have to remember she's a couple of years older than even me.....wow, it's hard to think of us being this old - I remember when we were kids.....we were like sisters........I remember when we were getting machine-gunned she ran a lot faster than I did.

(silence)

Me: Did you say.....MACHINE-GUNNED?

Mum: Yes

Me: Who was machine-gunning you?

Mum: Oh, a couple of German planes swooped down and machine-gunned the whole town. British soldiers were grabbing people and tossing them undercover but Tilly and I ran to my house. Your grandmother grabbed us and threw us to the floor against a wall.

Me: Did anyone get killed?

Mum: No, they were a bloody poor shot. Only one lady got shot, in the leg through the window of the rowhouse next to your Uncle Henry's place.

Me: Wow that just sounds awful

Mum: You have to remember, the Germans were only 30 miles away. (pause) I hate the war in Afghanistan.

:O

[Cerridwen]

1. And exactly where, did you think you got *your*

kick-assedness from? Hmmm?

:hi:

[Skittles]

2. LOL

it's just so....surreal for your mother to casually drop the subject of machine gunning into a conversation :hi:

[Cerridwen]

5. No kidding. That was my first thought. I typed my second thought.

"Well, geez, Cerridwen, it *is* after all, Skittles' mum." LOL

But yeah, surreal is a good word for that out-of-body feeling you get when a parent drops a bomb into the conversation (pun intended).

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Off to the Greatest Page, my dear Skittles...

yes INDEED

[Skittles]

12. check this out Peggy

some years ago, my brother said he was at mum's house watching a TV show about WWII planes - they showed a clip of German planes - he said mum looked up from her knitting and said, "Those bloody Germans - they kept me awake all the bloody time. Bleeding noisy buggers they were." My brother said she went right back to her knitting and he stared at her a bit and finally blurted out, "Are you talking about when they were BOMBING you?" He said she looked at him like he was nuts and said, "WELL THEY WEREN'T OVER THERE HAVING A BLOODY PARTY WERE THEY." :o

[Warpy]

4. I worked with an Irish gal who'd been a secretary in London

during the Blitz. She went on holiday to Ireland and said she didn't sleep for the whole week she was there, too quiet, no bombing.

It just goes to show you can get used to anything.

It just sucks that people have to.

I hate war. I'm with her.

[Canuckistanian]

6. Yup.

Sort of puts the whole "America in danger from terrorists" in perspective, doesn't it?

What your average Briton faced in WWII DWARFS any danger the average 21st century American will ever face.

[HipChick]

8. They still dealt with a lot from the IRA..the IRA just missed Maggie Thatcher sitting on the loo..

[Canuckistanian]

10. Right, almost forgot about the IRA

Millions of Londoners lived daily with the threat of IRA bombs. Did they panic? Insist on taking away civil rights?

No, they thumbed their noses at the terrorists and went about their business, secure in the knowledge that EXISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT would get the perpetrators.

Radical idea, isn't it?

[stevenleser]

11. Well... the security in London is much tighter than it is in NYC

When I was sent to London to work for a week in 1999, every office building seemed to have metal detector entry and almost the level of security seen in most airports. I dont think they have quite the same level of freedom from being searched over there. My perception is that their civil rights arent up to what ours are to being with.

[BeHereNow]

7. I love your mum- tell her "thank you" from me, for making you.

The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree,
so I know she rocks, being your tree of origin and all.

BHN:hug:

[JohnnyLib2]

9. Thanks for a powerful reminder of history.

Incredible, isn't it? :thumbsup:

[RubyDuby in GA]

13. That conversation is the very definiton of awesome