Day one

So this is an unusual blog because it only has one target audience - my darling Rari. Rari (/Rachel) is my twin (from another mother, no it's not one of those crazy octomum science experiments, just a happy coincidence) and she lives a somewhat chaotic life. Whenever my mum and I meet up for a chat instead of discussing my life (one would think that was a mothers first interest) our conversations invariably start out with,

'So, have you heard about Rari....?'

After this the speaker always takes a sip of their drink, G&T being the preferred dramatic interlude

'Well........

She's going to Sudan.

She has deep vein thrombosis

Her rickshaw crashed and now she can't move the right side of her body'

No, these are not dramatic made up examples, this is Rari's life.

Understandably we prefer to discuss Rari's latest escapades as our boring lives revolve around predictable occurrences such as laundry and public transport. It's far less exciting to say 'I was walking to the shops to buy cereal and the pavement was uneven but I was fine because thousands of years of evolution have prepared my body for these situations'. We prefer to live through her adventures and therefore be able to discuss more interesting things such as vegetarian food options in Bangladesh or how to obtain Gin in dry countries.

So, who is Rari? I will now relate the vital components.

1) Rari is a girl who thinks Richard Mercer is god.

In a world of music sharing where a goth may love metal but also have a penchant for Fred Astaire it's comforting to have a friend who's music tastes revolve around one radio program. Love song dedications. If there's a song that involves two people who are together or apart or lesbians or dead or just so gosh darned happy they have to sing about it, Rari will know the words. Celine Dion is her morning prayer and Backstreet Boys are her night time lullaby. This makes car trips hugely enjoyable as there's nothing so cathartic as pushing your out-of-tune vocal chords to the limit with Rari (and Whitney Huston).

2) Rari is a girl who loves mint slice.

OK so maybe love is the wrong word. Obsessive all-consuming adoration of mint slice is probably a better description. It's not due to lack of exposure, she is surrounded by good cooks (something I'm sure she has orchestrated to minimise situations where she has to 'create' her own meals) and she has traveled widely so it isn't that she doesn't realise there is other food out there, it's just that she wants mint slice. Now. As soon as you walk into a supermarket her body tenses slightly, and her eyes get this distracted look as she focuses on locating the biscuit isle. This is followed by a quick and satisfying hunt along the shelves until she turns to you, eyes shining with joy, the mint slice held out like a trophy. I have seen world famous chef's enjoy eating a meal, but I defy any of them to say they have experienced the contentment evident on Rari's face as she takes her first bite of mint slice.

3) Rari is emotional

Now I'm not going to point any fingers here, I've definitely been referred to as a little overblown in the feelings department myself. But that's why Rari and I get along so well! When we meet up it's a fantastic roller coaster of emotions, only it's more like a dodgem car that has broken loose and is hurdling through a busy city, swerving and crashing into things. When we first meet up, we are ecstatic. Happiness beams out of our every pore and the world is a big rosy coloured bubble of delight. But what's this? Something bad has happened to one of us? Suddenly, the clouds come over. Tears constantly waver on our eyelids as we reveal the truly terrible state of affairs. In this moment of darkness there is only one place for us to go, we are angry!! So very very angry! Our chopsticks have become weapons with which we cut through the air to highlight our rage. The next hours will continue like this as we cover every single aspect of our lives. But who would want to discuss things in any other (boring) way?

4) When Rari loves you, it's the best.

So this ends the first blog to entertain Rari while she convalesces, more tomorrow xxxxxx