Cassy looked at the pictures filling the screen, the latest celebrity couple smiling broadly, their white teeth gleaming as they presented their perfect new baby to the World. They’d used a surrogate, of course, why ruin your figure when somebody else would take one for the team, at a price.

She thought of that exchange between George Bernard Shaw and Isadora Duncan when she had apparently suggested to him that if they had children together, they would have the perfect combination of her beauty and his brains. The risk is that they get your brains and my beauty instead, my dear, he had countered, laughing. That was then and this is now, Cassy thought, there would have been no such chances taken with this baby.

By Janet

Cassy looked at the pictures filling the screen, the latest celebrity couple smiling broadly, their white teeth gleaming as they presented their stunningly beautiful new baby to the World. They’d used a surrogate, of course, why ruin your figure when somebody else would take one for the team, at a price.

George Bernard Shaw and Isadora Duncan came into her mind. Duncan had apparently suggested to him that if they had a child together, it would have the perfect combination of her beauty and his brains. He had countered this, however,  by saying that the opposite was also just as likely to happen, which would be far from ideal. There would have been no such chances taken with this baby, though, Cassy thought.

By Janet

Mars – Day 1

Hi Mum.

Greetings from Mars!

Yes, we’ve finally arrived and thank God for that. I don’t think I could’ve spent another minute on that shuttle, if you paid me. Two months with six of us cooped up in a space the size of our back bedroom and you can imagine that tempers frayed, not to mention the smell. No wonder they made us strip off and walk through a disinfection chamber on landing. Honestly, I don’t blame them as we stank to high heaven. It was quite embarrassing though but I don’t think Martians are as self-conscious as Humans. It’s interesting how much you learn about people when you can’t escape them. For example, Ginny talks in her sleep and Ryan snores like a warthog, two things I would rather have not known. They of course swore they didn’t, but a little secret recording settled that dispute. Food wasn’t too bad until a couple of weeks before we landed and there was no fresh food left. Dehydrated spag bol sounds OK but, trust me, it isn’t. Think very soft slimy tinned spaghetti strands interspersed with grit, and you get the picture.  The flight was so boring too. The trouble with space is that the view out of the window is quite samey, day after day, not like the journey from Swansea to Cardiff. Imagine month after month of mainly darkness. We managed to keep ourselves busy though. Joe ran a daily morning fitness class of squats, lunges, press ups, sit ups and the plank and Cary ended the day with a yoga class. As you know, I’m no fitness fanatic but I think it’s done me good. That, along with reading, puzzles, listening to music and the occasional makeshift karaoke, initiated by Rob, helped pass the time. I bet you didn’t know that Rob’s DJ’ed at Clwb Ifor Bach. Admit it, you don’t know where that is, but it’s a club in Cardiff so that’s really cool.

Anyway, enough for now. I’ve arrived safe and sound and I’ll message again when I’ve met my exchange family. Say hi to Dad and Jen for me and give Luna a big tummy tickle.

Cariad mawr,

Fi

xxxx

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