Summerabbacat

@weinerdog and @Geemeedee have summed up well what I thought of this chapter. The hope I previously had (as did several others, including @weinerdog and @drsawzall) that Seth's father would ride into the sunset and be his knight in shining armour, does not seem to be an option now. Certainly Jim has a new life with his new wife and daughter for which he cannot be faulted, however, I now believe they are the reason that he took little, or if being totally honest, no interest in his children from his marriage to Mommie Dearest. It is all very well to detest your former spouse (and there does seem to be a great deal of animosity between the two), but to ghost your children (even the hideous Stacy) is not the behaviour of a parent worthy of admiration. I would like to give Jim the benefit of the doubt, but I am inclined to believe his invitation to Seth to stay with him was motivated more by his desire to piss off his ex-wife. Their hatred of each other seems very unhealthy and I have to wonder what really went down between the two. Seth is more lost than ever so it would seem. I think the only adults who genuinely care for him and have any clue how to help him are Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve. His despair in this chapter appears to be heading in the same direction that Blake's previously did. I hope his friendship with Craig, Blake and Ty will be enough to sustain him. Terrific chapter @Ronyx. I still loathe Stacy though. I just cannot find it in myself to have any sympathy for her at all, regardless of the difficulties she has faced.

My favourite chapter so far, as @CincyKris commented, a great "feel good" chapter. I am reading it early Saturday morning and for some reason, I found the support Toby received from Evie and Drew and Brian and Gordon profoundly moving. @CincyKris and @centexhairysub made similar comments regarding the support Toby received from the four, support he would never have received from Deirdre or the odious Jasper. I think the less they are involved in his life the better it will be. And Amalia Vincent, what a delight she appears to be. A wonderful tonic well received thank you @Robert Hugill. I am very surprised, pleasantly so, how much I am enjoying reading of the growth in Toby's life. He is a delightful character and central to the strengthening bond between Brian and Gordon too. The relationships between the three have enriched each of their lives immeasurably, and shall continue to do so I believe.

OMG @drsawzall I believe you are even more suspicious than I am of these pious puritans. The "donations" or "gifts" were used for bacchanalian feasts; an orgy of drug and alcohol-fuelled rambunctious sex between two or more people of any gender; buying extravagant gifts for family members and non-family members who provided much needed "relief" during "difficult" times; real estate and ostentatious houses, cars and clothes. I envisage very little of the funds donation found there way into providing the basic things in life for those who have so little or into any form of community outreach. I believe many of the larger organised religious affiliations are nothing more or less than corporations who con their followers into believing their brand of "God" and conveniently establish themselves to enjoy a tax-exempt status funded by all, including those whom they may despise, who have to pay tax.

The ubiquitous hairy plumber's/builder's crack made its first, but dare I say not its last appearance, in this charming slice of life in north-western England. I have to wonder if Owain fancies a large man in a jockstrap, and if so, does Colin possesses such a sexy piece of clothing. Mhairi and Owain's renewed filial relationship appears to be progressing at a leisurely pace. Given both are currently single, I have to wonder if there will be any setback to their relationship if either one and/or the other settles into a relationship (or even just some good old-fashioned fucking on a regular basis). Hot-desking. Hate it. I do not find it conducive to a happy, healthy or productive workplace. Another fine chapter @Robert Hugill. I had the face of many an English actor pop into my head, even if momentarily, when reading this chapter.

@CincyKris perfectly described the intensity of this chapter for me with "this chapter crackles with electric tension". The approaching hurricane, the mania with which Whisper was digging, the aggressive behaviour of Luna towards whatever or whomever lurked outside the chain fence and Micco's blow to the pit of his stomach all had a sense of foreboding. @drsawzall those damn red herrings have become red piranhas for me, viciously and effectively stripping and shredding my brain of any rational thinking when it comes to this story now. I feel I can only rely upon any predictions @weinerdog may make (which as some of you will know from other stories, are at times "spot on"), the astute observations of @drpaladin or my own wild speculations. The latter is the basis for me thinking: the shelter is a sham, inside the apparently decrepit hurricane shelter is a very sophisticated operation run by Martina, importing a huge amount of cocaine from South America and heroin from the Far East Martina's husband did not die from the effects of COVID; he forcibly snorted a lethal dose of cocaine when murdered by Martina after he uncovered what the "real" purpose of the shelter is Sam was also murdered by Martina when he got a little too "greedy" and wanted more of the share of the profits from the drug cartel she is the head of in the USA Micco's "black outs" have been caused when his drinks or food has been spiked by Martina, Rory or Frank Rory is not the sweet little innocent she appears to be; she is a cold-blooded killer who was responsible for Sam's death Burke is suspicious of Martina but does not have enough to reveal her double identity yet Elvis is still alive and is secretly engaged to Kris Jenner And I just saw 50 pink pigs flying overhead in Sydney, Australia Riveting again @Libby Drew, such that I may have completely lost my mind with trying to "use the little grey cells" and make a considered assessment of what the hell is going on. The good doctors @drpaladin and @drsawzall may be the only hope I have of restoring sanity.

It is the inference that your life is easy as you don't have a spouse and don't have children, therefore you have no responsibilities and are somewhat selfish. I have had this comment thrown at me (not by my family, they know better). My response, no one forced you to get married, no one forced you to breed, these were your choices. Just because you have managed to reproduce does not mean you are superior to those who did not. If anyone is selfish it is you.

Is Colin's mother physically incapacitated in any way or is she morbidly obese? It does not mention she is. She is only 70. This is not old. 70 is the new 50. Unless she is physically incapacitated or morbidly obese, then why can she not walk to the church fete if it is that important to her. My response to her - get off your fat arse and walk you lazy cow. As for Miles - she is your mother too. You live 30 minutes drive from her and you work 9 to 5. Does Annalisa work outside the home or is she a stay at home Mum who looks after the twins? Interesting chapter @Robert Hugill. Perhaps Colin should tell his mother and brother he is gay to enable him to distance himself from them. The bar name Ten Tons Of Fun made me immediately think of the Weather Girls who were known as Two Tons Of Fun when they were back up vocalists for Sylvester in the late 70's. Both were biiiiiiggggg women, especially Izora Armstead. Is Colin obese or merely a large-framed man?

I split my sides laughing at "Noah's Mother answered the door, a short, yet substantial woman with fly away grey hair pulled loosely into at bun." Such a polite euphemistic way of saying something like "she was built like a tank" or "she was as big as the side of a house" or "she was fat". I had no idea what a 'Victoria Sandwich Cake" was until I looked it up on "the 'net". Sponge cake is something I have never particularly liked, even those my mother or grandmother cooked. I could almost smell the freshly baked cakes and biscuits of my youth. Both my mother and grandmother made wonderful cakes, biscuits, tarts, pies, jam and roasted vegetables. And let's not forget an Aussie favourite, pavlova (yum). What a delightful chapter @Robert Hugill. The baking brought back wonderful memories of my youth in rural Australia, particularly the holiday time spent with my maternal grandparents, both of whom, but particularly my grandmother, my two brothers and I adored. It was never "a chore" to visit them or have them visit us. They played a big role in our lives until our late teens at least.

Once again I am in complete agreement with you and @weinerdog @drsawzall; there is something about Jim's story which does not add up. He appears to have the financial capacity to have challenged Mommie Dearest if she obtained a restraining order against him under false pretences. He claims to have fought her for two years before giving in, but what was their to fight about. Jim acknowledged Mommie Dearest was telling the truth in that she feared he would try to take Stacy away from her so as to seek professional help for her. Mommie Dearest's paranoia seemingly was not without cause, but why would this have been persuasive to have Jim denied access to his children. The fact that Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve appear to be friendly towards Jim is favourable, but they may not have been privy to all that transpired between him and Mommie Dearest. It is easy for me to say and I probably would have been tempted to do the same thing (I lie, I would have done the same thing and more, and relished doing so), but I do think Jim should have refrained from slagging off his ex-wife and calling her a bitch, even though she is. He seemed just a little "too keen" to win the popularity vote from Seth. I hope for Seth's sake his father is telling the truth and not just point-scoring against his ex-wife. Seth may think the chaos has retreated from his life, but I fear it has just taken a diversion and will rear its ugly head again until his issues are resolved with his mother and the skank, and until all is revealed about his father's absence from his life. I know you generally refrain from something this drastic in your stories @Ronyx, but could you make an exception on this occasion and kill-off Stacy. She wore out her welcome very early in the story and has been a thorn in everyone's side apart from her mother and Maggie. I have little doubt the latter would ditch her without giving her a second thought if it was to her advantage.

I share your distrust of this particular fundamentalist church @drsawzall, in fact, my distrust extends itself to all fundamentalist organised religions and to a lesser extent (slightly) to organised religion in general.

I was particularly moved in this chapter by the revelation of Owain's large donation to the Parish Church to have a seat dedicated to Lily in the Garden of Rest. It seems he possesses something in abundance neither of his hideous parents did, an appreciation of kindness and a genuine love for those who showed it. Owain's explanation of his youth and his summation of his parents and Nathan demonstrated a significant generosity of spirit, diplomacy and forgiveness. He could so easily have described all three with just one word, the "c word" which rhymes with hunt or as @drsawzall has so eloquently expressed it before, c u next Tuesday. Speaking of @drsawzall, your speculation was spot on regarding Mhairi and Owain's grandmother. Did you borrow @weinerdog's crystal ball or tarot cards, or was it due to your analytical mind or good judge of character, that you made such a speculation? I was not surprised to learn their father and grandfather had a falling out. As much as I despise the fundamentalist bullshit that dominated their father's life and impacted their own, I cannot help but admire his pacifist principles, even if as an adult I don't think pacifism achieves anything (I held similar beliefs until my early 20's, until I realised that many members of the human race are despicable). I am not sure what to make of young Joe yet. He appears to be pleasant enough, but some of the comments he made at the cafe with Owain lead me to believe he may have some of his father's less attractive characteristics e.g. few if any principles when it comes to getting money. Another very enjoyable chapter @Robert Hugill. It appears the growing relationship between Mhairi and Owain is going to be one of this story's greater attractions. She is showing herself to be far less uptight than I envisaged she would be, particularly now she is more aware of how the two formerly most influential men in in her life i.e. her now ex-husband and her father, were both c u next Tuesdays.

I think Steve will have to experiment continuously over the course of the evening and perhaps into the next day to determine which is the best way to administer the "penisillin" to Diego to cure his headache. Most medications seem to be most effective when administered orally, but with some medications they achieve the best results when administered rectally. Perhaps Steve should record the experiments for future reference should Diego's headache return and require further doses of Steve's "penisillin". A very amusing chapter @John Henry. I felt sure the cupcake frosting that both Brian and Kenny licked would contain the crushed viagra. The newly-engaged couple are in for a night of lust-filled adventure.

I asked myself, is this the work of the same author who is keeping us entertained with Brian: Taking Courage? Superficially, the two stories seem to have little in common; however, after reading the first chapter of this new story I realised they have much in common. Both stories feature well-written, engaging and somewhat "damaged" gay men as the central characters and are set in smaller towns/cities in the UK. An enthralling start to this new story @Robert Hugill. Choosing the most appropriate emoticon was very difficult. I was angered (very fucking angry) at the stupidity and bigotry of Owain's fundamentalist parents and the hypocrisy of Nathan (what a c..t); saddened by the life Owain has seemingly led, at least partially due to said stupid and bigoted parents; and gladdened by the unlikely friendship between Owain and Lily and the emergence of a new relationship between the adult Owain and the adult Mhairi. Ultimately, I chose the 'love' emoticon as the story telling is so very, very good, the characters very well drawn and the setting quintessentially and delightfully English. I suspect Mhairi and Owain's grandfather may not have liked his own son or as speculated by @drsawzall their grandmother may have kept her own fortune, more befitting an heiress. It may be that any wealth their grandfather and/or grandmother had skipped a generation by design of said grandparent(s). Perhaps one and/or the other did not care for Mhairi and Owain's mother either. It surely must have been a deliberate "tongue in cheek" moment to name Owain's sister, Mhairi, his nephew Joseph and his ex-brother-in-law Nathan @Robert Hugill. I had a Monty Python's Life Of Brian moment imagining Michael Palin (it was his voice I heard) saying "It was not Joseph, Mary and Jesus you git, it was Joseph, Mary and Nathan", albeit with the father and son's names swapped.

OMG, more sex in the workplace. I cannot imagine such occurrences in my workplace (and I cannot think of anyone I would want to have any kind of sex with in my workplace). I think it will be beneficial for both Toby and Noah to be able to share their interest in plants, bugs and boys. I assume from their conversation at the end of the chapter, Noah does not discuss such things with his older gay brother. I guess if he, the brother that is, is at University studying for a PhD he may either be away from home or too busy when he is at home to discuss sex with Noah. Another delightful chapter @Robert Hugill. From the description of Kostas it sounds like he is hung like a horse, but apparently could well do with a little bit of manscaping. Perhaps he too, like Connor, could do with a little "cosmic refreshment" (perhaps with a chainsaw rather than a laser). The workplace should have been called "Bares" rather than "Ares", and from the description of Kostas, Bruno and Connor, it is one which well may appeal to "Bears".

A most amusing chapter @Robert Hugill with Brian and more particularly Gordon giving counsel to Connor on the etiquette, joys and potential "pitfalls" of anal sex. Perhaps they should have clued him up to rimming too, although his girlfriend may have insisted on some manscaping before she was prepared to even contemplate it.

Another profoundly moving chapter. I have to wonder if there is a correlation between Micco's gift for communication with his non-human brothers and sisters and the depth of his feelings of sadness, abandonment and loss. I strongly suspect there is. Would he be affected so deeply by life's high and lows had he not seen his mother and sister murdered? I would hazard a guess and say yes. He is my favourite human creation from any one of your stories I have read @Libby Drew. It appears most of my fellow "critics" are inclined to believe Sam was murdered for his money or to stop his fortune dwindling further. I recall a comment in a prior chapter (perhaps made by you I think @weinerdog), that what if the murder of Sam was the means to inflict pain on Micco, believing that Micco was in love with him? Perhaps his mother and sister's killers? This school of thought struck me as a distinct possibility in this chapter with the torturous texts Micco is receiving. I believe @pvtguy's comment that if Micco can focus and communicate with the animals he may gain some insight is very much needed. I have felt all along this gift may be what will save Micco; the wolves and the panthers do I believe know who the real murderer was. Whoever it is must pay heavily for Kane's death at least.

I don't have any sympathy for her either. My comment was motivated by the impact such events may have had on Otis' psyche. I think it more likely she was drunk and fell asleep smoking, which then set fire to bedclothes or something similar before engulfing the house.

Otis, Otis, Otis. If Hudson wants to eat your arse just lay back, sit, squat, stand, whatever it takes and say "dinner is served". Never underestimate the pleasure which can be derived from someone who will willingly do this to you and is apparently quite good at it. I wonder if Otis lit the fire which killed his mother. I seem to recall he has had "flashbacks" where he could smell smoke. Or perhaps he was home but managed to escape.

He proves the old adage "its the quiet ones you've go to watch". Perhaps now he has been freed from the burden of "playing straight" he might go a little crazy @drsawzall, or maybe it is just a hormonal rush, or perhaps he is a boy who who needs to feel useful and wanted. He was protective of Seth to a certain extent, but Blake's perceived need for protection is even greater. Dare I say, Ty may be a nurturer by nature. @weinerdog your tarot cards/crystal ball proved accurate again. Mrs Bowen is going to have a bigger role in this story and I for one welcome her with open arms. A woman with four cats is worthy of my admiration (I have four too, although have had as many as a baker's dozen, although of those eight were foster cats). Jim is a bit of a mystery. Seemingly he has been living in the same town/city ever since he and Mommie Dearest divorced (you were correct again @weinerdog aka Madam Zelenska), but has had no contact with his children and apparently knows next to nothing about their lives. I can well understand him NOT wanting to know anything about Stacy's life, but Seth? I wonder if he is telling the whole truth because if one thing is for sure, Mommie Dearest has not. Very rewarding chapter @Ronyx. The mention of the cats a highlight for me. A Stacy and Mommie Dearest-free chapter was very welcome yet again; however, I envisage the respite will be short-lived and before too long both of these heinous ho's will make their unwanted presence felt again.

Brian and Gordon's acceptance of Toby's interest in plants and ecology is reaping rewards not only for Toby, but also for his newly-formed extended family unit of Brian, Gordon, Grandpa Drew and Grandma Evie. I don't believe Toby will be as upset if Deirdre up and leaves as what Brian thinks he will be. He, Toby, has made several comments in recent chapters which recognise that his mother is not reliable and has no compunction about "dumping" him if it suits her to do so. Whilst it may still hurt him to some extent, his newly found joy with his newly-formed extended family, appears to more than compensate for the loss of maternal love. The fact that both Brian and Toby do not underestimate Deirdre's unreliable and selfish nature helps to cushion any disappointment Toby may feel when she continuously lets him down. Toby's joy from the luridly painted picnic table was wonderful. I had visions of the table top being painted burnt orange, with lime green legs and splashes of Minneapolis purple on both the table top and the legs. My kind of picnic table. As for the black and white nude photographs of Brian and Gordon, I immediately thought of the wonderful black and white nudes from Robert Mapplethorpe. Another joyous and somewhat riotous chapter @Robert Hugill. Grandma Evie is a hoot. Just what Toby needs. And just like his plants, Toby is flourishing in this new environment of acceptance, harmony, joy and respect. Deirdre has done him a favour by being such a bitch.

It seems Jasper is universally loathed; Deirdre, his only apparent fan. If she moves away with him, particularly abroad, Brian should be very careful. She may have dumped Toby for now to perhaps appease Jasper, but she cannot be trusted. "Handbags at dawn" appealed to me too @drsawzall, although I initially pictured drag queens rather than Deirdre and Denise. The latter would likely have a riotous time with drag queens, the former not so much. Deirdre's cousin David is fortunately nothing like her. His friendly banter with Brian and Gordon testament to his easy-going nature. He would also have a very positive influence on Toby if Deidre decides to follow Jasper to "greener pastures". Although "the cast" in this story is a relatively small one @Robert Hugill there is still plenty of action to amuse, agitate and annoy.

Damn @Libby Drew. My suspicions of Martina have weakened a little now it is apparent Sam was broke. And maybe I am clutching at straws, but Burke is the first one on the scene again. Deja vu? Coincidence, perhaps. Perhaps not. Chase is clearly jealous. He is uncomfortable acknowledging Micco had a relationship with Sam. Their mutual attraction is obvious to Burke, perhaps to others as well. The plot thickens, with more of @drsawzall's "friends", those pesky red herrings swimming freely.

Sort of like Donna Summer's epic Love To Love You Baby @raven1.

This chapter certainly put paid to the old adage "the British stiff upper lip" or "no sex please, we're British". The work place is more like an ultra-risqué 'Carry On' film with Philippa definitely more Barbara Windsor than Hattie Jacques. Perhaps the business should have been named Arse rather than Ares. Perhaps like FCUK the business was deliberately named Ares for this reason. And I am definitely in agreement with Toby, I would find Brian and Gordon's "clean cut" look far more attractive than the "heavily hairy" Connor or Kostas. And why is it that "plumber's cracks", as we call them in Australia, are always hairy? A most amusing chapter @Robert Hugill. The extra service offered at the upmarket men's clothing store was a real surprise, particularly given the older man in the store seemed to know what was going on. I had visions of Are You Being Served with Mr Humphries gleefully and Mr Lucas not so gleefully performing these services under the watchful eye of the very glum Mr Grainger. Somehow, I doubt Mrs Slocombe's "pussy" would get a look in in this store.

It is easy to see why Brian does not like the Barton twins. I thought they were more than just obnoxious little asswipes. I did not find them amusing, charming or anything else which even came close to a quality. I am somewhat puzzled by Diego's attitude towards Billy's methods. The actions of the school superintendent, the Thomas' and their demon spawn called for tough actions; sometimes "playing nice" does not work Diego, particularly when dealing with the likes of the aforementioned scum. I have to agree with Diego regarding suing the school though. Take civil action against the superintendent, hit her where it hurts most, the hip pocket. They may even be able to get some of the other board members to join the suit, after all the superintendent deliberately misled them. Perhaps the Barton brats can play a trick on the superintendent. I was pleased Becca was not a TERF lesbian, rather she specifically mentioned trans rights as an area where there is still much to be done at the school. From what I have read of TERF's they only seem to have a problem with MTF transgender persons, seemingly FTM transgender persons are invisible to them. Another enjoyable chapter @John Henry, although I have no sense of humour when it comes to children "playing" with drugs of any kind.