![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xmakinaWell it's a little late, sure, but this weekend is worth documenting.
On Friday I went up to Derby for a number of reasons:
1) Come out to parents as poly
2) See my old am-dram group's (know as BSP) production of Sweeny Todd
3) Go to the Big Bi Fun Day
All in all, it was A++ all round.
Friday
Went up to Derby on the 10am or so train. Quick change at Birmingham, nothing really of note. When I got to Derby I was met at the station by my dad. We got talking and within 5 minutes I'd come out as poly. It was easier, I found, to start with "Me and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
miss_amaranth have opened up our relationship to new people" than jumping straight in with the funny new word. He took it really well, indeed, he stated that I'd already told him. I hadn't. I have no idea how that happened. But it was awesome.
Me and my dad spent the day together, enjoying the gorgeous weather around Darley Park and the city centre. It's been 6 months since I was last in Derby and the skyline has changed markedly. There is now a bus station and a large hotel where there was nothing and the Cathedral is looking less and less dramatic. It was great spending time with my dad, me and him have always gotten on and he seemed really intrigued by polyamory and how it all works.
We had a really nice lunch at this pub which was in the (I think) original Darley Abbey. We then took a wander into city centre and finally had a look in the Quad, an arts & media centre built about a year-or-so ago. We entered the art gallery bit (which was both free and the main point of the Quad) and were greeted by a broken telly and a pile of chairs all seemingly glued together. I looked at my dad and said words to the effect of "I don't appreciate this, you don't appreciate this, let's not kid ourselves" and we left. Chairs are for sitting on, not being glued together. If you have a broken telly at least switch it off. Modern art is dumb.
I was back in Derby and I had developed a real hankering for a Shake Out (the first place me andmiss_amaranth ever found that made custom milkshakes (resulting in G having a Dorito milkshake at one point, but that's another story). Sadly, they were closed and so was the copy-cat in the Guild Hall so it was off to the one in the Westfield. There my dad tried his first ever custom milkshake (I picked cookie for him as I figured it would work really well, and it did) and I think I converted him.
Then it was back to their flat to see my (now very deaf) dog, Toby, take him for a walk and then just relax and cool down for an hour. We then went over to their local to meet mum after she'd finished at work. Again, another extremely awkward conversation gracefully dodged owing to mum also thinking I'd already told them about poly. In her words "As long as you're happy and your safe, it doesn't matter". My parents rock.
At just before 7 me, mum and dad went to the station to collect the ever wonderfulmiss_amaranth who was joining me for the rest of the weekend. We dropped our stuff off at the B&B my parents had got for us, owing to there being no room at their place for us to sleep, and went off to see Sweeny Todd. An extremely tough production, for sure, but BSP pulled it off brilliantly. The chair was very clever and the singing was excellent. It was really nice catching up with the BSP crowd, even if they do bring out the (I like to think) old awkward me.
A walk to Kedleston for a heart attack (double cheeseburger) and chips, enjoyed withmiss_amaranth on the tables outside in the still very warm night was a lovely end to the day.
Saturday
After a lovely cooked breakfast, me andmiss_amaranth went over to my parents flat to drop our stuff there. We chatted with my mum for a while and heard about their ordeal in Rome (went for 2 days, got stuck there for 2 weeks). Was quite the story. We then took a bus into Derby and a train to Leicester and went the Big Bi Fun Day. Fun it certainly was! The weather was excellent and meeting some new faces, some old ones and some whose reputation preceded them (and who, in turn, mentioned that mine had preceded me!).
It was excellent socialising with everyone, finding out that Lego make games (OMG!) and the evening in the park was a wonderful end to it all. That night me andmiss_amaranth went back to her parents house, enjoyed Chinese food and watch American Pie: The Wedding. An excellent end to the day.
Sunday
The morning was atmiss_amaranth's, and despite the problems they are having with miss_amaranth herself, her parents were very civil. Clearly I still bring out their "Everything is fine and normal" side, which is a shame because I really wanted to rip into them about the whole thing, especially after their constant assertion my parents wouldn't be as okay with everything as they are...
Sunday had been planned solely for the purpose of explaining poly to my mum, but there wasn't a whole lot to explain so instead it was just a lovely day around Derby with her. We talked more about her new church (the "Happy Clappys" as she calls it) than anything else, really. She seems really happy and it's very much something she's happy to keep to herself about which is good.
We were introduced to drinks that can cost as little as 60p, had a lovely meal and generally caught up and enjoyed each others company. Mum andmiss_amaranth really seem to get on which is always good to see, especially given how things are with her own parents.
After a lovely day with mum andmiss_amaranth I bid farewell to Derby (without the slightest hint of regret, I really do not miss that place) and returned to Oxford. With the £5 my mum gave me for tea, I picked up a Carnitas Burrito from the Mission and enjoyed it cold back in the flat. I swear, there's something in the water around Derby that makes my stomach cramp up like a bitch. Not fun.
Monday
So, not technically the weekend, but when you wake up to an email from your mum containing the details of Derby Pride and "hoping it help", well, it's worth mentioning, surely *grin*
On Friday I went up to Derby for a number of reasons:
1) Come out to parents as poly
2) See my old am-dram group's (know as BSP) production of Sweeny Todd
3) Go to the Big Bi Fun Day
All in all, it was A++ all round.
Friday
Went up to Derby on the 10am or so train. Quick change at Birmingham, nothing really of note. When I got to Derby I was met at the station by my dad. We got talking and within 5 minutes I'd come out as poly. It was easier, I found, to start with "Me and
miss_amaranth have opened up our relationship to new people" than jumping straight in with the funny new word. He took it really well, indeed, he stated that I'd already told him. I hadn't. I have no idea how that happened. But it was awesome.Me and my dad spent the day together, enjoying the gorgeous weather around Darley Park and the city centre. It's been 6 months since I was last in Derby and the skyline has changed markedly. There is now a bus station and a large hotel where there was nothing and the Cathedral is looking less and less dramatic. It was great spending time with my dad, me and him have always gotten on and he seemed really intrigued by polyamory and how it all works.
We had a really nice lunch at this pub which was in the (I think) original Darley Abbey. We then took a wander into city centre and finally had a look in the Quad, an arts & media centre built about a year-or-so ago. We entered the art gallery bit (which was both free and the main point of the Quad) and were greeted by a broken telly and a pile of chairs all seemingly glued together. I looked at my dad and said words to the effect of "I don't appreciate this, you don't appreciate this, let's not kid ourselves" and we left. Chairs are for sitting on, not being glued together. If you have a broken telly at least switch it off. Modern art is dumb.
I was back in Derby and I had developed a real hankering for a Shake Out (the first place me and
miss_amaranth ever found that made custom milkshakes (resulting in G having a Dorito milkshake at one point, but that's another story). Sadly, they were closed and so was the copy-cat in the Guild Hall so it was off to the one in the Westfield. There my dad tried his first ever custom milkshake (I picked cookie for him as I figured it would work really well, and it did) and I think I converted him.Then it was back to their flat to see my (now very deaf) dog, Toby, take him for a walk and then just relax and cool down for an hour. We then went over to their local to meet mum after she'd finished at work. Again, another extremely awkward conversation gracefully dodged owing to mum also thinking I'd already told them about poly. In her words "As long as you're happy and your safe, it doesn't matter". My parents rock.
At just before 7 me, mum and dad went to the station to collect the ever wonderful
miss_amaranth who was joining me for the rest of the weekend. We dropped our stuff off at the B&B my parents had got for us, owing to there being no room at their place for us to sleep, and went off to see Sweeny Todd. An extremely tough production, for sure, but BSP pulled it off brilliantly. The chair was very clever and the singing was excellent. It was really nice catching up with the BSP crowd, even if they do bring out the (I like to think) old awkward me.A walk to Kedleston for a heart attack (double cheeseburger) and chips, enjoyed with
miss_amaranth on the tables outside in the still very warm night was a lovely end to the day.Saturday
After a lovely cooked breakfast, me and
miss_amaranth went over to my parents flat to drop our stuff there. We chatted with my mum for a while and heard about their ordeal in Rome (went for 2 days, got stuck there for 2 weeks). Was quite the story. We then took a bus into Derby and a train to Leicester and went the Big Bi Fun Day. Fun it certainly was! The weather was excellent and meeting some new faces, some old ones and some whose reputation preceded them (and who, in turn, mentioned that mine had preceded me!).It was excellent socialising with everyone, finding out that Lego make games (OMG!) and the evening in the park was a wonderful end to it all. That night me and
miss_amaranth went back to her parents house, enjoyed Chinese food and watch American Pie: The Wedding. An excellent end to the day.Sunday
The morning was at
miss_amaranth's, and despite the problems they are having with miss_amaranth herself, her parents were very civil. Clearly I still bring out their "Everything is fine and normal" side, which is a shame because I really wanted to rip into them about the whole thing, especially after their constant assertion my parents wouldn't be as okay with everything as they are...Sunday had been planned solely for the purpose of explaining poly to my mum, but there wasn't a whole lot to explain so instead it was just a lovely day around Derby with her. We talked more about her new church (the "Happy Clappys" as she calls it) than anything else, really. She seems really happy and it's very much something she's happy to keep to herself about which is good.
We were introduced to drinks that can cost as little as 60p, had a lovely meal and generally caught up and enjoyed each others company. Mum and
miss_amaranth really seem to get on which is always good to see, especially given how things are with her own parents.After a lovely day with mum and
miss_amaranth I bid farewell to Derby (without the slightest hint of regret, I really do not miss that place) and returned to Oxford. With the £5 my mum gave me for tea, I picked up a Carnitas Burrito from the Mission and enjoyed it cold back in the flat. I swear, there's something in the water around Derby that makes my stomach cramp up like a bitch. Not fun.Monday
So, not technically the weekend, but when you wake up to an email from your mum containing the details of Derby Pride and "hoping it help", well, it's worth mentioning, surely *grin*
