Received an e-mail from a friend of mine who is a professor in a University in Austria.
Went to university with him 20 odd years ago, no real contact with him there but after I left he sent a long letter to my college which they forwarded on and then sent me lots of letters. He moved back abroad but would try to see me when he could and we would go for days out together as friends. He sometimes has filmed me the whole time we are out and says he has a collection of films of me - quite eccentric behaviour. Once he got a flight to the US and got one stopping in London just to see me. Sometimes I get told completely inappropriate things like his sexual fantasies which I really don't want.
Anyway, he had a baby last year with his girlfriend. He has now sent me a message saying he wants to work in England for a term and he wants to bring the baby but the babies mother isn't happy. He's asked for my new address and new phone number (moved recently) and says he wants to call me to discuss English nurseries.
I've left it a week. My view is the child should be in Austria with her mother not brought over here to be put in a nursery long hours with no-one speaking her language but then its not really my place to decide that. I am also concerned why he's asking me - I don't want to look after his child and my children are much older. Does anyone know if a nursery would even take for 3 months and how much would they charge? He doesn't even know the area though. I don't mind meeting up once but I feel uneasy about this - its odd the way he's referred to his partner as "the child's mother" and not my partner. Any advice on how to deal with this - I would be much happier messaging than phoning as I will be on the spot phoning. I'm married with 2 older kids and 3 pets and got enough to do without childminding but that's probably not what he's after. Thanks very much.