Nobody would disagree that animals are therapeutic. Our first visit to this Catholic convent which acted as a refuge for 29 girls and one boy was in 1999. It is in a very poor agricultural area of Southern India. The small hospital attached had no hot water, girls’ quarters and sanitations basic. We tried persuading any rich acquaintances to help, no go. Then a Spanish charity, Manos Unidas (Joined hands) rebuilt the hospital and quarters for the children. Best of all, a building for small animals. The children would never have felt an animal’s fur. No way they could touch the local dogs and cats, disease risk. I have never seen such joy as these girls, including our sponsored ‘daughter’ with hamsters and baby rabbits. The expression ‘Love to bits’ nearly came true.

I must admit to have been doing a lot of complaining about lack of communication with my family. All or nothing, see everybody on visits to UK, then have to hope they will remember my existence. Anyway, history of family communication. At Christmas, before the wrappings were torn off, together with cards, I made sure I got the details for thank you letters. Otherwise it would have been a pro forma. ‘Dear Auntie, Grannie, Godmother, thank you for your present, voucher, cheque. I got cross in late years when not thanked for cheques, because if they went missing it was hassle and expensive to sort it out.

Letters were a chore, even if beautiful writing paper and a new pen were present. Write, envelope, stamp, post. Then came FAX, now no excuse. They could draw houses, their cat, castles and ask Daddies to send them on their FAX machines. When overseas I would write to my Mother every week, FAX it to her care home, and they would read them to her. When she died they regretted not getting my news, they enjoyed it too. Now, the marvels of the Internet and e-mails. What’s App. No excuse. I still have to nag for news, some exceptions, but mostly dried up. I was amazed and delighted to get several greetings on Mothering Sunday. 

Mr G and I had terrific input with all our grandchildren, we had time, opportunity, we lived in France, just crossing the square on their own to get their pain au chocolat was exciting. Two were flown down to Marseilles for a marvellous week in the port of Cassis. They are all adult, and there are great-grandchildren. They have exciting holidays, exciting jobs - it is not nosiness, I am fascinated to see what these young people are doing with their lives, and how they are coping with certain things, like health and housing, which are so much more difficult now. Having had a reputation for independence and ability to cope with crises they cannot absorb that my mental health depends on talking to younger people. Hopefully a bit of their youth and enthusiasm will rub off on me. Moodscopers are great, by the way. So grateful. 

The Gardener

A Moodscope member