I spent a day with my elderly parents earlier this month.

My mother is a very devout Catholic but she has always been sympathetic to the differences in others, but also strong in expressing her own beliefs and values.

She told me of a dream she had recently which made me laugh until I cried.

She said that in her dream her 93 year old neighbour had asked her if she would take her to the hospital so that she could have an abortion!.  (I’m already laughing!)

My mother had said she would take her on the bus and along the way she became aware that a rather posh lady from her parish whom I will call Margaret was coming with them.(I’m laughing harder – I know this lady!)

My mother said that it was so frustrating because in the dream she kept having to get off one bus and onto another about five times en-route to the hospital with this 93 year old pregnant lady and posh Margaret. (I’m still laughing!)

My mother said to the old lady “are you sure you need to have an abortion” and she said she did and Margaret told my mother off thinking that she was imposing her strong views on this subject on this old lady. (Oh my God!)

My mother said I was not imposing my views, I just felt that this lady was too old to need an abortion.

In the end she said we ended up at the hospital – but in my dream it wasn’t the hospital it was in the shop front at Rackhams (Department Store) – I knew, she said, that it was not the hospital but the old lady and Margaret seemed okay with it. (I’m losing it!)

She said I said to Margaret “you see them tubs over there, you won’t believe this but when I was a young teenager me and my friend Sheila got into one of them and they lifted us up to the next floor” Margaret said she did not believe it, so in her dream my 83 year old mother got into the tub to prove it – Dream ends! (I’m hysterical!)

It is hard to convey the humour in this moment but I was laughing and crying hysterically and I have written this blog to say if you have ageing parents have a day out with them because time is short and you may be surprised by their capacity to bring joy.

My next blog will be: Waterloo Road

William Defoe