That twin thing again

[soulstar]

It was Mum's birthday yesterday.  My Aunt Alex (Mum's sister) and Bob('s)-my-uncle (her husband) came down and we all had dinner, which was nice.  We don't usually see them on birthdays, cos they're Jehovah's Witnesses.  In fact, several of my family - my cousins on Dad's side who live locally - came round to see Mum, and brought flowers and cards and stuff.  I'm very pleased with them! :-)

Anyway, when I got round to Mum's, she had a visitor - her friend Jenny.  Martin was best friends with Jenny's son all through primary school, so as such she's known us for about 20 years now.  I let myself in, walked into the living room to say hi, and...
Jenny:  Goodness!  You and Martin are so alike!
Mum:  I still don't see it...
Jenny:  He was down here just before you came in, and it's the way you stand and speak as well.  But really - you could be twins!

Bzuh?  I mean, maybe I should be used to this by now - it's been happening since I was 18 and he was 13, when the obvious age-gap between us must have .... stopped being obvious?  But if it's that we appear to be about the same age, surely it would make more sense for people to assume that we're brother and sister who are a year apart in age, or something?  Why always the twin thing?  We get it more now than ever, together and separately.  When M started his new job, he was "recognised" by a girl who I went to school with.  I can't see where we look so apparantly alike, and neither can he, or Mum.  Funny thing is, there are photos of Dad when he was about Martin's age now that could be M with a dark wig on, and photos of Mum when she was little that look exactly like me as a child.  Come to think of it, when I was home from uni one time (so, when I was about 20), I opened the door to Jenny, and she did a double take, thinking Mum had gone blonde.  But then again, I've had people tell me I looked just like Dad, too.  It's all very strange!

Do I look that much like Martin, though?  Perhaps I should stick up some photos and post a poll.  Any excuse for some tickyboxes!

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Considering I've only made 786 posts in just over four years (I'd forgotten it was December '01 I started this thing.  Huh!), I'm quite surprised... though I expect I'd be lower if I'd checked the number of posts I used to make per week instead of the number I'm making now.

Comments

[clarey-h.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you have quite a colourful family. My branch of the family (me, my sister, my Mum and my brother) tend to keep away from the rest of our family, because they are just odd. Sort of out of touch in reality - not in wacky way (like the wacky aunt in Spain), but just quite odd - if that makes sense!

[soulstar.livejournal.com]

Well, they're certainly confusing! I can never keep track of which of them aren't talking to which at any particular moment, either.
Sounds like your lot might be even odder than mine, though... I think our lot keep at least some kind of tenuous hold on reality. Mostly! *g*

[clarey-h.livejournal.com]

Yep - they are, and were odd. I'm quite open about this (although my Mum thinks its shameful), but my Dad's parents were first cousins, which made his parents his second cousins, and means I was related to them in a weird cousiny type way as well. The weirdest that they ever were at my Dad funeral. They just ignored my Mum and my Grandma acted like some grieving widow. It was just awful. Guess that's what it's like in rural Durham!

[soulstar.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is getting spooky now, what with the crazy Aunties in Spain, and now this... cos I have a similar thing in my family. Not quite so close at hand - it was cousins of my Gran, and the result was another cousin who became known as "poor Rose"! They lived on the Isle of Wight... maybe that explains it. ;-)
My Mum did also used to go out with her cousin Geoff (except they're something like second cousins twice removed, so it's not quite the same) when they were about sixteen.

Sounds like your lot are a bit odd in general. It does sound awful about your Dad's funeral. Your poor Mum!

God, relations are confusing!!

[clarey-h.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - bloody confusing!

Well at least my family unit is quite close, we've been through some crap, but we are all still together.

[soulstar.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's good :-) Your immediate family are the more important ones, anyway.

[clarey-h.livejournal.com]

Yep - much as they annoy the hell out of me, to the point where I can't live with them, I still need them, and would do anything for them. I'm sure it's the same for you.

[soulstar.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. Especially the not living with them part ;-)