Monthly Archives: September 2011

I’d never really fully appreciated why the Sun is associated with masculine qualities, but it was arrestingly brought home to me yesterday by my own 11-year-old Darling Sun (sic). We had previously been discussing what extra curriular activities he should sign up for (me being pushy and he reticent and totally resistant to the idea of actually taking an interest in something that I would have cut an arm off to have had the opportunity to do at school). The conversation meandered onto other topics:

DS: I just found out today that X* has a girlfriend,she’s called Y.
*(X now goes to a different school)

Me: Oh. Really?

DS (nodding sagely): Yes. It happens around this age apparently.

Me: Oh. Does that mean you have a girlfriend now?

DS (smirking slightly): Yes. Her name’s Z.

Me (wondering if this is the reason for reluctance re:clubs): Ah. So what’s Z into then?

DS (shrugging) : Dunno

Me: You must have got to know her a bit if she’s your girlfriend. What is she interested in?

DS: She’s interested in ME.

And that says it all really. The Sun is associated with masculinity because the world revolves around it, all else is eclipsed by its radiance, it is invincible, peerless and it shines out of its own proverbial. Yup, the Sun is definitely masculine.

I went to see my Mum yesterday. She turned 91 last week and is in good health for her age, though she eats far too little. The only real thing wrong with her is her memory, which has increasingly deteriorated over the last few years and is now so bad she can’t remember how to make a cup of tea.

Until fairly recently, she did a passable imitation of being fine. I remember the time that I visited and it became apparent that she had not a clue who I was. I’d never have guessed, but in Polish, as in French, one doesn’t say “you” in the same way when speaking formally. When your mother effectively addresses you formally, it’s a fairly safe bet that she doesn’t recognise you as family, let alone her daughter. It was a huge shock and very upsetting (for both of us). I didn’t have the children with me then (fortunately) – although she seems to still recognise them most of the time and even remembers their names.

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