Mother's Day and the duck billed platypus

While I am of course riveted by the election results as they trickle out of the UK overnight, I am also of a basically frivolous and self centred turn of mind and I have to say I am equally interested in Mother’s Day which occurs on Sunday this year in Australia. As with the UK general election there are a number of parties involved and theoretically they should all be fighting to make outrageous promises of good behaviour and producing gifts and bribes in the manner of all the best politicians to win my favour. Things are not looking good though as in joyful anticipation of the day I have already had to borrow five dollars off a friend to fund the purchase of a ‘surprise’ Mother’s Day present from the school stall. I am also not taking it as a good sign that at least three of the parties involved have already asked me what we are doing for Mother’s Day and have then been puzzled by my Kennedy-like response of ‘Ask not what your mother can do for you, ask what you can do for your mother”.

I should come clean at this point and admit I’ve just had a fabulous lunch with a friend at Marque restaurant in Sydney – top tip their Friday set lunch menu is great value and just the kind of indulgent treat a couple of mothers need – so in fact I feel I’ve had a pretty good go at Mother’s Day already – which is guaranteed to make it a happy weekend for the whole family – it’s amazing how maternal recriminations vanish over a glass of champagne and a procession of amazing dishes.

Drama Queen No.1 is currently studying Oedipus Rex, leading to all kinds of unsuitable conversations round the family table. However the biggest blessing (not a word one associates with that particular bit of literature) is that it re introduced me to Tom Lehrer and in particular his fabulous song Oedipus Rex that deals with mother obsession at its peak. I dread to think what Mother’s Day was like in that particular household for as Tom Lehrer sings, “Yes he loved his mother like no other. His daughter was his sister and his son was his brother.”

I had forgotten how much I love Tom Lehrer songs. I’ve been sending all my Catholic friends the very non PC Vatican Rag and am trying unsuccessfully to persuade the Drama Queens to memorise his sung version of the Periodic Table. As one of the commentators on the Oedipus clip pointed out you have to love the man who produced the immortal line “I’d rather marry a duck billed platypus ……than end up like old Oedipus Rex.”

So Happy Mother’s Day everyone – and should you be reflecting on the shortcomings of husbands and gift giving, just remember you could have married a duck-billed platypus.