Always a bit distant, my old fella
Not a horror father - a good parent to the three of us when he was around but often he wasn't around. This played on my mind a bit as a kid - often we'd have to go and visit dad at places like Dunfermline and Plymouth, where he'd been sent for work.

We grew up in Barrow-in-Furness, a shipbuilding town, and I knew that my dad worked in the shipyards and that his particular job required him to be on sea trials on new build ships and subs.

I grew up, moved away, graduated, got married etc. and left my upbringing behind. My dad retired in 1991, at 53.

At Christmas 2002, my parents came to stay with us. A lovely day, with both sides of the family around.

Dad smokes, and I smoke, and at some point in the evening after a lot of booze had been scoffed we were in the garden smoking. I'd just taken a major career change and he'd been asking me about it. Don't know why, but I asked him what was with the occasional absences in my childhood.

His response was three letters - M O D.

My ol' fella, whom I'd always assumed to be a shipyard worker, was working with the MOD in a fairly senior capacity.

I've never asked him, and I assume he can't tell me anyway, what he was doing. He's since told us that he was employed by the MOD but that's it.

There's no punchline. Just a dad doing stuff you don't expect him to be doing. It does explain the fact that he's not short of money now, though.
( The Disappointed Caravanner of the year, Fri 26 Nov 2010, 20:10, Reply)