Middle of the generations

As gradually your children go, you take on responsibility for your parents.

All her life, A's 90 year old mother lived in Keynsham, only moved to Aylesbury two months ago so she was near both her sons, and several of her grandchildren. J could visit on Saturdays, and Sundays she has lunch with us. The residential home is close and phones us with any problems. Every Friday evening S visits her. I was getting to know her, and through her, to know her son, my husband better. Last week we compared our attitudes on size of families.

But at 4.30 on Saturday morning we heard that she'd gone into hospital. The hospital said she had pneumonia and yesterday she died.

Today is Sunday. We shall miss her at lunch time.

Off to uni again

'Where's Daddy wandered off to?' she queried this morning as she packed her computer and cleared her room. 'If this were you, you'd have had a heart attack by now!' she warned him eventually, as he beamed and bumbled round the house, not carrying her boxes to the car.

She needs even more stuff this year because she's renting somewhere with three lads.