50+ and proud of it.

My wife loves my mother very much. But, I suspect, is slightly relieved that she's not her mother as mine is 97 and of frail mind and body (see previous post...). I always get the impression that there's a certain smugness there - until now. Her Mom is 20 years younger and is still active and of sound mind and, well, n early body. We invited Mom-and-Dad in-law over the other Sunday for Sunday Roast. So we did the usual going-to-town on the joint of meat, vegetables, roast spuds and the like. We had just got the joint cooked to perfection when the phone rang. "Hello, sorry, I'm not very well and I can't travel, sorry. You haven't gone to much trouble have you?" "Oh no. Not at all(!) ", my wife made that wonderful face like she was sucking lemons. "I, am, not, wasting this piece of meat!" "Got a plan then?" "Actually, yes, the meat's done. The spuds are half done and we haven't started the veg yet. Why d

My Mum is 97 and is now in a very nice residential care home. A while back however, when she lived at home, she was admitted to hospital where she was attended to by a young doctor. He gave her all the usual tests and concluded that, whilst her physical health wasn't brilliant, her mental health was very good. "She remarkable for her age, she still does her own shopping and everything!" "No," I replied, "she *thinks* she goes down the shops, but that was in 1997, she hasn't left the house on her own for at least five years." "Nope, she's really just fine." "OK, ask her what day it is" " August " "Ah, I see what you mean." The other week was her 97 th birthday and it just happened to coincide with a trip to Dudley Zoo . We went to see her the day after the trip to find it had been cancelled "due to lack of interest". Not to be deterred, the home organised for an "Animal Man"