Lone Tree, Stonnall

Probably the last time I will have cause to head in this direction.  It is just down the road from the nursing home Mom was living in shortly before her death.  It struck me as I was processing the image that it might be thought of as a metaphor for my situation.  I don't feel so, I have a wonderful wife and good friends and wider family.  Children tend to find themselves in this situation at some stage in their lives, most cope remarkably well.

I had to pick up her final possessions after yet another visit to a hospital, this time for persistent ear ache.  One good thing came out of the visit.  Apparently I have exceptional hearing for my age.  Just as well as I have to assess noise problems as part of my work.  The consultant did explain why I had difficulty in hearing conversations in noisy environments.  it seems that after about 40 years old our brain has more difficulty in separating different noises that we hear.  And there I was thinking I had selective hearing loss when certain people spoke to me!