Karmacat: I'm passionate about my DFW journey to riches

Karmacat

No, sorry Sea - I was in the Peace Tax Campaign, and I went to Greenham with my buddies from the office where I worked, for Mencap.

Karmacat

You grew up in a commune? So you *are* an old leftie, even if you're half my age!!!

Sea78

Ah right

I remember sitting in a tree, with my green frog wellies on while different women kept bringing me pieces of fence to link together to decorate the tree with Looked very nice!

I was also involved with Menwith Women's Peace Camp in the 90s - in North Yorkshire.

Sea78

Karmacat wrote: »

You grew up in a commune? So you *are* an old leftie, even if you're half my age!!!

:rotfl::T Indeed I guess I am. For a long time I scoffed at the whole idea of the commune - now I'm stuck in the house in my little nuclear family I begin to realise how wonderful it must have been - all that help with the kids AND all those people to talk to!

Karmacat

Wow! That is so sweet - you and your green frog wellies! It was full of idealism, some leftover from the 60s, some of it horror at what Thatcher was starting to do, some of it the realisation of the first strike capability inherent in Cruise missiles. Which we saw in the first Gulf War (except I didn't see it, I was backpacking in Turkey. A bit scary sometimes).

I was very proud of the Peace Tax Campaign, campaigning for a change in the law to allow the end of the conscription of the taxes of conscientious objectors. The typewriter we started out with was the one used to type the original manifesto of the ANC, i.e. before Nelson Mandela was jailed!!! I used to stare at it and think what it had "seen".

I don't know how mothers today manage, with families having gone so nuclear and so dissociated from the extended family - I keep thinking of the African saying, it takes a whole village to raise a child. Keep the dream alive - and I've just seen the Helen Keller quote in your sig!

Sea78

WOW! at the typewriter.

My mother is wonderful though - she has collected a huge amount of Greenham stuff and helped to found the Northern feminist Archive - if you have any old stuff from your greenham days it will always find a happy home there I don't know whereabouts you live, but you can go have a nose around it too if you are interested - based at Leeds Uni.

I would love to live collectively again - think OH would freak out - he is very particular about who he even shares a holiday with let alone live/eat/breath the same space:) We had to move eventually and the commune was sold as we just got too much abuse from people in the area (we lived in Chapeltown in Leeds) and also women were beginning to use it a little like a refuge, which then lead to other problems and wasn't very safe for the kids who lived int he house. We all got the same surname (us kids) and we're all kind of like brothers and sisters I also have my mum as well as 3 other 'kind of like' mums - one of whom came over from the States and I went to see at the weekend.

Sea78

oooh - just have to say - given the same surname in a **** you to patriarchy - not because of any dodgy shared bed/unknown parenting situation lol!!

Karmacat

Sea78 wrote: »

oooh - just have to say - given the same surname in a **** you to patriarchy - not because of any dodgy shared bed/unknown parenting situation lol!!

Wot? :rotfl: Giggling here, I have *no* idea what this post means, the second half anyway! Sorry!!!!

Sea78

I just thought that with the saying we all shared a surname and I had lots of kind of like mums might make you think of odd kind of bed sharing/hopping, getting pregnant willy nilly, not knowing who parents are ....

Actually. I'll stop. You probably never thought that in the first place lol

Karmacat

Noooo!!! :rotfl: :T I applied to join a commune when I lived in London (guy who seemed to be "running" it was a bit conceited tho - I know, if someone was running it, not a commune. S'why I didn't join). I know they're not like that! But you must get that a lot! Actually, I think its the highest form of idealism and commitment - and it sounds like its lasted too, since you saw one of your "mums" last weekend. Lovely.

I've gotta go.... sob........ my stomach is rumbling........... *really* hungry here. This is great! I'll have echoes in my head when ever I see your name now. Does that sound strange? Oops! Done it again.... ah well.