The Contingency Plan

Is it just me or are emails between friends and family always better when you're out of the country?

Natasha's currently in China. She's there with Mum to help our grandmother with her new living arrangements. The old bird's 84 and has a feeling she's going to "cross over" soon and wants to spend time with her two older sisters before that time comes. Yes, older. Eighty six and eighty nine to be precise.

Anyhow, I received an email today from her describing how she's peed on her ankles a number of times while trying to use their hole-in-the-ground toilets, recieved matching mozzie bites on the tip of both index fingers and visited a local hairdresser who didn't know how to cut curly hair and has consequently cut her a fringe. Ha! Let's just say it's bad.

And to top it all off, the three old women like to talk. She wakes up most mornings to find one of them sitting on the edge of her bed, talking to her. They talk to her when she's watching tv, in the shower and even when she's peeing on her ankles. At first she thought it was charming but that wore off when our grandmother started to follow her from room to room talking regardless of whether Tash responded. Mum has had to step in and help a few times to help, but usually she's also being spoken to as well.

I think it would drive me nuts and would rather Hugo's antics anyday. He's currently standing next to my chair and rubbing his spit over my knee and up my leg. He then slaps it as it makes a sound pleasing to his little ears. It's a beautiful thing.