I'm English living in Asia, but I'll be in UK for most of July and August. However, access to a decent computer might be a shortcoming. My parents are not 'with it'!

Someone was pondering on why so few Brits/Europeans might post here. And my guess is that it is very American. My best friend out here happens to be from the U.S. so maybe I'm biased, but I remember when I discovered MB, I told my WH that maybe he should read it. He decided it was American crap and nobody could understand him. I think in England we have a stereo-typical opinion of most yanks - the loud-mouthed Americans are often portrayed in the same tone as the 'bloody French'. Well, the French saved my dad's life and 2 of my aunts live in the U.S. so my opinions differ.

Personally, I have loved reading on MB. From those first desperate days when I first found it to a more peaceful me today, it has helped me through some dark times, made me laugh, made me cry. But you always know you're in good company. TT

Hi Tummytuck.


I agree. Half my family are Americans (American mum!) so my opinions differ also. I am an American citizen, although I was born and brought up in the UK.

Alph.

Great to have friends in the same time-zone! Sometimes I'm all alone to "rule" the board - just to find my messages have been swamped with new ones and sunk to the bottom of MB when I get back.

I'm waiting for Anne Robinson to slaughter all but one contestant (anyone seen Dr Who with the Ann-droid?:)) so Flog It will start... can you get anymore British? Haha!
Yet I'm Belgian (Flemish part) so please excuse me when my English isn't totally correct.

I'm a BS, twice over. First D-Day Oct 2003 where I found out H went to prostitutes (a few times over a period of 2 years, starting when I was pregnant) and had sport sex during that same period with my (now X-)BF (1 year). One year later, after working hard on the M, I found out he went to prostitutes again - so now D'ing as WH will not go into counseling because he's "sorry and will not do it again" - like he said the previous time - but I cannot go through this cr*p again. It's beginning to look like SA.

I bought a little house and will move there next month!
STBXRWH (R is for repeated) is reasonably friendly and co-operative but I'll be glad to move out and get on with my life. H started dating one week after I told him that I wanted to end our M, how's that for being important to him? "I don't want to be alone" was his response. I told him I don't want him to bring any of his dates to our house as long as I'm living here, and he respects that, but he's so foggy I need a foghorn (bullhorn?) to talk to him. Yech.

So "recovery" for me is "self-recovery" at this point.
I think all MB stuff is very valuable for any relationship, so I'm very glad and grateful to have found this website and all you wonderful people.

It seems we have a very diverse gathering here! Great!
Greetz
Brit from Belgium

Hi brownhair...sorry your M is ending. You sound excited about your new house, is it in a different town to your STBXRWH?

I've never seen Flog It but I've always loved the programme title! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Hello StrongFoundation, yes it's in different town.

If you like the programma title of Flog It you might be disappointed to see the actual show <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> !!

Thought so! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Hi,

I'm not from the UK either, i'm an aussie, but also in a different time zone.
I know jokes about accents are sort of silly... but Bob those were hilarious!!
Actually, I probably shouldn't speak too soon, you'd probably be LOL right now about my accent.
(I have been to the US once... I have never been asked to repeat myself so many times. I felt like such a freak! Its much easier over the internet!)

ALso, about the cultural difference regarding self-help. I agree with TA. Its the same in Aus, people are wary and there is a real stigma attached to counselling, along with the stigma that is generally attached to being too honest about your personal problems with friends etc. Many people think counselling is for those with mental illnesses, and problems are to be soldiered through, not aired in public. Hence the high suicide rate here, esp among young men, who are least likely to talk about problems. H and I have not told anyone about MC, and I have told perhaps two friends about IC. Others would probably be shocked.... hmmm maybe I should tell ???

But anyone here who has ever tried counselling or actually read a good self help book has a different attitude about it. ALso, those friends who have been deeply depressed and pulled out of it by doing something out of the ordinary, and really reaching out, have a different attitude.

Hey smur,

I guess I'm the only one in this time zone left standing...

Or sitting...

Sorry I can't say anything more cohesive, but please drop by again. I'm so tired now. I'm off to bed.

Zzzzz...

sigh.......you can tell this was written by some silly farn EYE-talian who knows nuthing about southerners! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> It's not "heidi, hire yew," it's "hie..howreyew?"

When will you blimey blokes and blokesses ever learn proper English? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

ROFL MEL ! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Even the Brits mock my regional accent - lets just say its not the most romantic of tones ! In the 'States folks think I'm Australian !

Well, my European friends - this weekend is going to be a SCORCHER almost everywhere in Yerp ! What you folks doing to make the most of this fathers day weekend ?

As for ME, well my little boy has Chickenpox ( poor dear - he doesn't make any fuss, bless him) so I doubt we'll go to our holiday home in Wales this weekend which is a shame. Can't go turning the village into a plague zone !

So I'll probably do some gardening and beer drinking in the sun.

How 'bout you folks ?

Hi b0b,

People in the US think I'm from South Africa - and I have a 'posh' accent (NOT a genuine Geordie, BTW!).

Alph.

DD5 is making a huge, glittery sticky card for her daddy. As far as I know, DD12 hasn't started anything for him yet.

I don't know if he'll want to spend any time in the house with me if exposure Espanol comes to a head this weekend. I suspect that Fathers Day this year will be just the three of them!

Enjoy those beers - and wear sunscreen if you are gardening!

Alph.

Good morning y'all !
Not much sunshine here in Belgium, but it's nice and warm, at last.

H is taking our dog and his new GF (the one who's too old but will do for now) to the seaside for walkies this weekend. That stung at first but I'll have to get used to it - I'm pretty sure other women will also be here in the house once I left. Still - it hurts. People in the fog apparantely tend to bump into others, hurting them, because they don't know you're there to get hurt <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
A mutual GF of H and myself agrees H is behaving quite selfishly, and she doesn't even know about his A's ! Go figure.

About the counseling - it's getting better in Belgium, but for a long time counseling/therapy was also considered to be something for "crazy" people. Now it's for "new agers" also, haha.

We have Dr. Phil on tv now, and the Supernanny etc. Such shows that concentrate on changing behavior, by analysing what is going wrong and trying to remedy that, make people see that it can be done and you don't have to be an axe-wielding murderer to get help.

Still many families think it's better to deal with these things in private - or not deal with them at all - and just "get through it". They don't look for help unless things get totally out of control - hence reinforcing the "you gotta be nuts to need therapeutic help" idea.

We got a long way to go to my sig line. But we're working on it!

Good day to y'all...

Apart from getting over my nasty summer cold!! cough splutter....I will be celebrating my daughters 10th birthday today!! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Tomorrow we pick up his and hers Harley Davidsons <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> (well my Dad will ride mine as I don't have a licence yet! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />). This week I passed my CBT (Compulsory Bike training) and my theory test....the road test next....eeeeeeek

Sunday will be spent cleaning all the chrome <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> oh and drinking beer in the garden!

Of course!

PS....I don't have an accent as I'm from the South! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Sorry to hear about your son Bob...hope it's not too awful for him!

Wow, this thread was on page 3 when I posted! We were all typing at the same time apparantly <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> !

Dear Alphin, I hope your family and friends support you? This must be a really hard time for you.

Dear Bob, time to pamper your son I guess..

Dear StrongFoundation, hiphiphurray for your daughter!

Er... no accent here, but my English is very English it seems. I have no problem in England but when I'm in America people sometimes don't understand me, haha !

Strong you're passing yor test and your first bike will be a Hog ?? Wow.

my first bike was a Honda 90 stepthru ! LOL !

Have fun but be careful out there....I still carry bits of metal and a limp through bikes !

My son was COVERED in spots yesterday, and itching badly. I remembered what MY mom did for me when I had a bad case of chickenpox in my teens, and I ran him a cool bath and put TCP in it before bedtime.

Bless him ! He got to sleep right away and slept for 10 hours !

The spots are healing this morning but he's still sorry for himself.

WH has always claimed to hate Father's Day, writing it off as a commercial scam. Still, the girls usually make something for him and I usually cook one of his favorite dishes.

WH has asked me to go mountainbiking with him on Sunday. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />I will invite him to a special dinner in our garden.

Today I finally have my second appointment with SH. I'll be reporting later on one of my threads.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Poor kid. They are so brave about it, too - must feel so awful for them. DD5 had Chickenpox a couple of years ago - her whole playgroup class was laid up at the same time!

It's a horrible disease. Better to have it when you are little, though. I got it from DD12 when she was 2 and I was 25. She had a grand total of 3 spots on her body, whereas I was totally covered - in my hair, ears, mouth, throat... YUK!

Ewww - disgusting. I still remember brushing the scabs out of my hair weeks later! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Alph.