WHAT I LEARNT THIS SUMMER (3)

So far I’ve talked about shared experiences with my daughters and friends. Let me now talk about those I’ve shared with my son, EM-E. I share a passion with my son for motorbikes and cars. He is a fully qualified mechanic and is on his way to becoming a competition motorbike mechanic, studying at . And me? I just love fast cars (Fords, preferably) and bikes (anything except the increasingly unreliable BMWs with their plethora of Chinese made parts.).

It’s a bit more difficult to spend time with EM-E due to the fact that he spends most of his time studying motorbike mechanics in  Barcelona. When he comes back he has to catch up with all of his friends and family so he has to spread his time widely. However, we did spend a few days together in the house in the Sierra doing stuff in the house.

We didn’t go out much. Instead, my son used his knowledge about electricity and mechanics to install the TDT and to re-wire part of the house. I paid him back in home-made scouse, oxtail stew and Cornish pasties. In the evenings we watched DVDs, listened to Blues, drank beer and generally talked bollocks (beer, pies & talking bollocks: three of the four most important elements in the daily life of a red-blooded English male!).

Most of the time was spent indoors, talking about the past, the present and the future. My son sees his future away from Seville. I hope he manages to get a job in GB at least for a couple of years before deciding what he really wants to do. This was a time of bonding between us. As he grows older, I see that my son is ever more worthy of my respect and admiration. He has made most of the same mistakes that I did, but sooner. He has recovered from them more quickly and he has begun to sort his life out more efficiently.

This is in great measure thanks to his mother, my ex-wife, who never gave up when I despaired of him. She has been the real rock of his existence and the foundations of his present and future success. I have contributed my small share, but she should take most, if not all of the credit. I’m just amazed and thankful that he wants to be with me and that he appreciates the time he spends with me as much as I do.

At present, my ambition is to share some motorbike travels with him, be they in Spain or in Europe. My greatest ambition would be to tour GB with him, roughing it, over several holidays. Let’s see if it happens.

We also managed to fit in a barbecue on the patio – nothing fancy just sausages, brochettes and crisps. Night time on the patio is a truly evocative experience. I light it at ground level so that no-one (except cats and other small animals) get dazzled. Sitting in the warm night listening to the crickets and other creatures rustling around in the “garden” beyond the patio while food, drink and talk circulate around the table beneath the star-dappled sky is a true privilege. And what elevates this privilege to something even higher is good company. If you have that, you are rich beyond measure.