Late night rambling
Today was enjoyable, but tiring. We visited my wife’s aunt, uncle and several cousins. They all live 100-150km away, so we don’t see them very frequently. The uncle, who was too sick to make it to our wedding, was overjoyed to see Simone. My newfound cousins are mostly a little older, but are all very nice and hospitable. Their kids took a liking to me ( probably because I mentioned a few children’s TV shows when I arrived). I think at least one of the kids thought that I was a member of The Wiggles. We ended up at another cousin’s housewarming party where I talked about parenthood and the relative merits of co-ed vs. single sex secondary schools with yet more cousins and friends. They make parenthood sound very fun and easy, though I suspect that the hard years are behind them :)
Simone got talking to a Adelaide police officer, from the drug squad. I was moved by the internal struggle that he described - the tension between the demands of the job, long-time friends who he knows break the law and his earnest desire to be ethical and not hypocritical (”I couldn’t bust someone for a slightly unroadworthy car, because I know that I have driven without a working brakelight”). I am glad that this critical job is being done by someone who struggles with ethical questions, rather than some self-styled Nietzscherian overman who feels that he can do no wrong.
Unfortunately I was designated driver for the evening, so I had to limit my consumption of wine to a trickle, while Simone guzzled cocktails. Well, I have probably done something equivalent to her the last couple of times she has driven for me…