Taking My Mother Out For The Day

This has been such a fine summer that when it rains- as it did yesterday- it's an event. The forecasters spoke of "driving rain" but what we got was an few hours of light rain around the middle of the day, followed by a sunny evening.

We took my mother for a birthday meal at Leybourne- down the road from where Jenny and Ian live. Afterwards we went back to their place for tea. We were worried about my mother climbing the steps to the front door but she managed easily- using a walking stick and the rail. I walked beside her with a hand under one elbow but I wasn't needed.

My mother is very deaf, and when she's in company mostly just lets the conversation wash round her,  but you can't assume she's not listening. I was telling Jenny and Ian about her hogging the TV remote and she wriggled her shoulders and settled back in her chair with a huge, self-satisfied, Humpty Dumpty grin.

Two Completely Unrelated Paragraphs

I was hanging out the washing when the postman drove up in his van. I thought he looked at me a little oddly as he handed over the mail and then I realized I was wearing my blue velvet smoking cap with the tassel.

Do you think the brokenness of LJ (I spent all morning trying to post my last entry) has anything to do with the G20 meeting in Russia?