Now, where was I? Eight years ago life was still relatively full. A sick husband, yes, but thanks to French old-age care it could have been a lot worse. He died in 2018, then SO busy, new house, weddings in UK, lots travel planned – a bit older, a bit sadder, but full of ideas. Then world-wide our lives were put on ‘hold’, Covid. 18 months not seeing family, now have seen them all, except grand-son stuck in Australia, and they are lovely. We have ‘weathered’ Covid, a baby was born, a son died. ‘Making tracks’ is difficult, I love train journeys, but not the luxury they were but you did not do the driving. ‘Let the train take the strain’ was the Ad for the Inter-city I believe.

Tracks, now, are music, lines, images reminding me of past decades. Mary Wednesday once compared my ‘stream of consciousness’ to a rambling rose, which got out of control sometimes. Now, it’s gone into over-drive. A daughter and I produced a ‘compendium’ of photos for the wake. I have firmly put a super photo of my son, about eleven, hugging a huge rabbit, back in its frame. Alongside is a sister stroking her lovely dog. Next to that the other sister, nose to nose with a foal she was grooming. A photo I had not seen was son and that sister, in the yard of our vandalised house, incredibly scruffy, hair not done, tenth-hand clothes. If you had seen them in a poor country you would have given them money and food All these images brought up ‘All kinds of everything remind me of you’. What did we do before Google? It was the winner of the 1970 Eurovision song contest, sung by Dana, an Irish singer who stood for president. Next was from South Pacific ‘Once you have found him, never let him go’. Nothing romantic, at all. Yet another change of plan, try to cancel hotel on line. No go. Got a phone number. Recorded reply in a Texan woman’s accent, giving you the choices. Made one, then had to tap in 13 digits of confirmation number. Then I got a person! Difficult to understand his accent. He asked for my number, he’d ring me back. No way. I told him, firmly, I was not letting go of the phone until I got a result, hence ‘Never let him go’. We ended successful, and best of friends.

My concentration levels are awful, watch endless episodes of ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘To the Manor Born’. 40 years old? I still find them funny. Love it when Bernard ‘has a dig’ at the pompous, patronising Sir Humphrey. And Audrey (Penelope Keith) has a glorious laugh when she gets the better of her usurper, Richard de Vere. I am doing another Future Learn course on ‘extinction cycles’, but with a vivid imagination the present madman in charge of Russia could make us all extinct. Back to the future, wherever it is. Seem to have lost track!

The Gardener

A Moodscope member.