Interesting Post

I forgot to mention this yesterday - my train of thought keeps derailing - but I had an interesting card in the post yesterday. I saw it was my mums handwriting, and it sorta surprised me. Jo popped it open, and there was a little "just a note" care in there, and she read it first, complete with a "what the...?" comment, and handed it over to me.

The basic jist of it, mum is changing her name back to her maiden name, as well as going from Mrs to Miss. Interesting stuff. So I gave her a call. For those that don't know, my mum and dad (The source of my surname) divorced when I was 6 - almost unheard of back then - and she she remarried on my 10th birthday, where she took my step-dads name of Ford. Yes, like the car. And guess which car company he worked for. John died three/four years ago, and mum offically because a widow, a title she's never liked.

So, I re-read the card and called the old girl up. "What's the hap old girl?"

Apparently over the last few months, she's felt less and less like "herself", like she had no identity, and was part of a family that completely ignored her. The Fords are not the greatest of people. When mum called a few weeks back to tell them "Congrats, Gemma had a baby!" they replied with "Oh, (our daughter) had hers six months ago, you're an aunt". They don't visit Johns grave, they never visited their mum when she was alive, turned up for her funeral, and vanished again.

Now, I can't blame her for any of this, but when asked why she didn't want to mention it to anyone before hand, she told me she didn't want people talking her out of it, changing her mind, or whatever. Which kinda confused me, as she's A) An adult, and B) It's her call.

She actually apologised to me - she felt bad that aside from when me and Gemma were ickle, we've always had different names. Well, as they say, what's in a name? I suspect she's up to something, but can't place what. And, after all, she's got a MUCH more interesting surname now. Married name, English, Married name Ford, Maiden Name: Osmotherly.

I mean, how much cooler is that name?! There are only two in the the phone book - Nan/Grandad, and Uncle (Mums brother). Not your average "Smith" now, is it. When companies ask to set password and ask for her maiden name, I never use it as when on the spot, I can't remember the spelling of it! hehe

Not sure what Gemma thinks about it - she's not mentioned it to me, so fingers crossed she's got her mail, or is going to be a tad surprised reading this! hehe

Oh, and for the record, the paperwork you have to do in order to go from Married Name to Maiden Name = hell. The paperwork to go from Married Name to Married Name to Maiden Name = Indescribable Hell.

One day I'll dig out the stuff about the Osmotherly side of my family - I remember as a kid, Mum, Nan and Grandad spent MONTHS collecting info for the family tree, and went back hundreds of years on it. I know there's a town that has something to do with our ancestors up north somewhere, and that we have family in the States, Australia and scattered across the country.