Make Bradford British 2

The critics panned Part I. I liked it and I liked Part 2 even more. This time the housemates were paired up and sent to live in one another's homes for four days. The Muslim fundie and the binge drinker struck up an unlikely friendship on the basis that they were both basically lads, the retired white policeman and the young black dude- both of them eccentric in their very different ways- learned from one another and ended up in a kind of father son relationship, the mixed race landlady and the Muslim graduate discovered they were sisters under the skin. Only the wealthy white liberal and the Pakistani taxi driver failed to hit it off. He was a male chauvinist pig, she was a self-righteous prig- and she and her husband bullied him about his bad attitude until he broke and ran. The whole thing was great fun- and as heartwarming and predictable as if it had been scripted by Richard Curtis.

Family Matters

I went to the hospital yesterday afternoon expecting a fight, but Eric had stopped being grumpy and aggressive and the hour passed without incident. I'm glad. I don't like myself when I'm angry.

My daughter has posted an excellent article about her upbringing. Read it here.