MY MUM (2)

My Mum is staying with me this week, having come to be present at my daughter's "translocation" (the ceremony where Danish children leave the sixth form). Now 86, any sort of travel is a bit of an ordeal for her these days, particularly mentally. The physical side is, in many ways, a lot easier for old people, since there is someone to help you on both the railways and through Stansted Airport. But there is always a risk that it doesn't work out as planned, I suppose.

We had a pretty gentle day today, not least because it was tipping down with rain. So I gave her a private sitting at the local cinema. She watched the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a lovely film about pensioners decamping to India, which seemed appropriate. Then this evening we watched the England - Italy football quarter final. She thought that Italy deserved to win, which was a fair comment, even if she is not really a sports fan.

We'll try to take things easy this week, since she gets tired. But there's always Wimbledon to make her relaxed; tennis is the one sport she really likes.

Walter Blotscher