Making It Up

Contact

memories

—

by

Jax Blunt
in

we’ve got to the reminiscing stage of being together. For some reason today there was a pile of pictures of our childhood lying around – including one of Katrin dressed as Paddington. I’d have borrowed it to scan but I’m not sure I want to show you all me dressed as a cat…

I remember her reading my books – when I went to university she moved into my bedroom and read pretty much everything on my shelves including a whole pile of science fiction/ fantasy not aimed at 9 year olds. Oops. Still, she got a very wide ranging education! I remember her coming to stay with me in Durham when I had my little house, and taking her to a Bon Jovi stadium gig in Gateshead. I remember that we forgot to take suncream, and with Katrin being kind of ginger, she burnt something rotten. Before that her taste in music wasn’t so good, I queued on the phone to get her Take That tickets – first time around, not reunion.

All my memories seem to be of quite a while ago. I moved away – when I went to university, I stayed away. I didn’t come back to Yorkshire until a decade ago, and I suppose by then they’d grown up without me. I did try – I used to go see Katrin in her little house in Denby Dale, but then I started to develop this social life and had a baby and I was working full time – they sound like excuses or justifications, but really I’m just looking for answers. I don’t know whether I’ll like them if/when I find them, but I really do feel like I need some.

I’ll be doing some pondering on that type of thing, but I’ll probably keep it passworded. As and when I get around to a password I’ll let you know.

Home Ed Inspiration, Ideas, and Activities

Click the links below and scroll through my collection of ideas, workshops, excursions, and more to discover practical everyday activities you can do together in and around your home classroom.

Home Education Inspiration
Home Ed: Ideas and Activities
Home Ed: Topics and Discussion
Exploring Neurodivergence in Children

Comments

5 responses to “memories”

  1. Tim avatar
    Tim

    “’m not sure I want to show you all me dressed as a cat…”
    (you really would have enjoyed that. :rofl: )

    Reply
  2. Michelle avatar
    Michelle

    I don’t think there are any answers. It’s just the way it was. You can’t rewrite the past just as you can’t write the future.
    I hardly see any of my siblings. We are busy with our own lives and friends. My dad keeps us in the loop about what each of us are doing. The youngest 2 I see about once a year and no matter how much Clo would love to see James more, he is busy with uni and his friends and seeing his niece is not high on his agenda. Ditto with my sisters as they are busy with work / new baby and our lives don’t overlap at all.
    No guilt, no regrets, it’s just the way it is. But if you feel like you need some answers, I wish you all the best in looking for them.
    xx

    Reply
  3. Jax avatar
    Jax

    I think it’s the fact that the other three are close and I’m the one looking in that is making me ponder.

    Reply
  4. Sarah avatar
    Sarah

    It’s taken years for my family to stop looking for someone to blame, to stop trying to assign guilt and just accept that it just was and there’s nothing we can do about it.
    Mutual friend Kris is getting all Buddhist and talking about living in the moment, in the now. We can only build on what is and move on from there. She makes a lot of sense (as always)
    I hope you find the answers you need, and I hope they help you find some peace and fond memories along the way.

    Reply
  5. HelenHaricot avatar
    HelenHaricot

    i agree with michelle. TBH, you moved away, you got a new life, you had children, and they became the nucleus of your new life – sounds like a good plan. and there is a large age gap between you and Katrin. i don’t think you can beat yourself up about decisions in the past. you have led a busy life and chosen the focus – your children.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get in Touch

Need support for your home ed journey? Looking for tutoring for your young person? Have an idea for a collaboration? I’d love to hear from you!

Get in Touch

How I Can Help

After 20+ years of home educating my four children (two now adults), I’ve gathered a wealth of experience that I’m passionate about sharing. Beyond blogging and guest writing, I offer several services designed to support families on their home education journey.

Resources to Support Your Home Ed Journey

I’ve put together a collection of resources that I’ve genuinely found useful over the years—things that have actually made a difference in our home education. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to freshen things up, there’s something here to help. These are the tools, guides, and materials I’d recommend to a friend, because they work.

Featured products

Browse the Shop