Little Englander

A few years ago, when I promised Mrs S that I would do my level best to help regain her residency of Canada, we were confronted by a tearful Mother in Law who cried "Don't leave me behind!"

At the time I explained to her that no member of our family would be left anywhere if they wanted to be with us, and that Mrs S and I would take care of them as necessary. This appeared to mollify her, and an extended trip was arranged for Mother in law to see if she liked it here in BC. The intention being that we would take care of all her health and pension expenses should she be allowed to stay with us in the future.

Well, the extended trip is here on our doormat and I'm keeping my head down. Mother in law gets taken shopping, to movies, and all around, yet she is curling her lip up at everything. She doesn't like the food, the sun's too bright, we're not there to cook her breakfast in the morning; all that stuff. No major or minor detail of our lives is worthy of praise. "I don't like it." Is the current litany. She can't seem to get her head round the fact that there isn't a Waitrose or Marks and Spencers over this side of the water; and even if a product is the same, well the packaging doesn't look like it does in the UK. There are subtle shifts in flavours she spits out as though they were poison. Nothing is 'right'.

Brother in law has already briefed me that Mother in law is very manipulative, and I can see why. She wants to be looked after by us and no one else, and will not accept anything else. We could beggar ourselves as her servants and she would still not be happy. No wonder Sister in law's consumption of Jack Daniels soared while dear Mother in law was visiting her in the USA.

Well, we have our comeback, and it's a simple but direct "Sorry you don't like it here Mum. We wouldn't have suggested you come over had we known." Cue flight back to the UK in six weeks and no returns. By way of a contrast my mother, Ma Sticker, came over last year and enthused that had she known about BC, and Victoria in particular, she would have brought the whole clan over for good while the Sticker boys were still in short trousers. Yet Mother in law, who gave birth to younger Sister in law when she lived in Quebec, is showing displeasure at many aspects of life here in gorgeous BC. You'd think she would have had the taste for Canadian stuff. Funny the way things turn out isn't it?

Anyway: A quick welcome to the Sidebar to The Lone Voice in Politics and Inspector Leviathan Hobbes the Thinking Policeman in Law Enforcement