Eccentric Seal

This trip origionally started life as a visit to see my parents in Colchester. But I soon realised that given the very long train jouneys involved, it would make sense to break the jouney in London. Which then meant catching up with London friends, which in turn meant extending the trip by a few days to fit it all in. Leaving us with this ludicrously ambitious 7 day itinary: Day 1: Travel to London by Virgin Pendalino- stay the night at my sisters place Day 2: Natural History Museum with Dad Sis and London Pals. Take the train back to parents place in Colchester with Dad Day 3: Chill out at Mum and Dads place Day 4: Colchester Zoo Day 5: Travel back into London, chill at sisters place Day 6: Olympic Park with my sister and London pals Day 7: Pendalino  back to Glasgow My travelling companions were a 2 and a half year Jimmy and a five week old Kirsty. Just so you know, I had intended to write some observations on the galloping pace of gentrification in London and the excelloration...

Way back in 2013 I wrote this piece about the feminist concept of male privilege and how it plays out for economically underprivileged men. Now I'm wondering what happens at the other side of the class divide. How does male privilege work out there? This is something I can only observe from the outside. Sometimes through the pain of others. The particular difficulties posher friends seem to have with their fathers. Their strangely rigid and studied performance of femininity that seems somehow linked. There's a distinct "flavour" to upper and upper-middle class gender relations. One that is difficult for me to put my finger on. When the subject came up on a gender discussion forum I speculated on historic differences in gender roles. Going back a century- working class women were expected to do hard physical work at home, while their men did hard physical work outside. Meanwhile upper class men were running industry and empire while their women were expected to...