Marriage and other confusing matters

2230 (10.30 PM if you insist). Wednesday May 9th, 2012. Frankfurt.

This end of the world was falling to sleep, and but for the fact that Blogger had a problem and I (along with many other people) could not access my blog and I was waiting for them to resolve the issue, I would have been in bed. My wife needing to be on the early morning shift at the airport had already been asleep for some time.

An email arrived from one of my favourite Internet contacts in the UK. A reply to the mail that I had sent to her the previous day about correspondents on Yahoo news US electronically foaming at the mouth about how a war with Iran was necessary (????) and the new Israeli government needed help (maybe a couple of extra nukes to add to the 300 or so they already have?).

Apparently a day later they were still electronically foaming at the mouth. This time though as Obama had come out in favour of Gay marriage. She didn't say whether this was going to lead to any legislation (I expect not) - just a confirmation of the way things have been heading for some time.

Shook my head, wondered why he would be silly enough to do this at this time (support it quietly by all means, just don't stir the pot), particularly only 24 hours after Romney had changed the history of what he had said on another important issue yet again (Pravda in the days of the USSR had nothing on the 2012 version of Mitt Romney).

Then I started to wonder. Is Gay marriage legal here? I know that it is in the Netherlands, as they legalised it when I was living in Amsterdam - some 6,000 couples (more all-female than all-male, I remember) took their vows within days.

But in Germany?

The strange answer from this fount of all wisdom was: I DON'T KNOW!

But does it matter anyway? I am not Gay, I do not know anyone who is, and if it is legal it is surely the concern of the couples involved - otherwise it is none of my business one way or the other.

All the more curious in its way is that I came from that generation in the 1960s who started to renounce marriage and started just living together instead. I have been there at one point of my life. You talk about getting married, but it is no big deal. You'll still be together if you want to be. And all the old taboos about sex outside marriage are long since forgotten usw. Marriage? Yawn.

I would add that I have now been happily married for 10 years and 3 months so there is a positive side to it.

Anyway that has risen to the surface in European news this week. The new French President, François Hollande, used to live with the previous PS Presidential candidate, Ségolène Royale, had four children with her, but they never married. That broke up, he now lives with someone else, again they are not married.

Is this so important?

No, move on. So two guys want to get married, or two ladies? Fine - their choice, move on, let them live their own lives.

2250.  (10.50 PM if you insist). Wednesday May 9th, 2012. Frankfurt.

My (female) wife, who should be asleep by now, sticks her head drowsily round the door and wonders where I have got to. "10 minutes", I tell her. Blogger had still not fixed my issue (nor that of a load of other people apparently). Not that it would affect our relationship that much - she little understands why I spend so much time on here, she just tolerates it.

I suppose some people would start foaming at the mouth about her and me being married if I thought about it for long (white - well sort of - European male, yellow - well sort of - Asian female), but why is it their business? IMHO it isn't .....