BASKETTCASE

We have just come back from North Wales from a visit to Dave's Mum and his sister and her family. Anne had not been since Dec 2007 and Dave had only managed a couple of brief visits. It was good to see Mum Basketts looking so well. She is frail at nearly 98, eats like a sparrow but takes an interest in everything and everyone. Her stories of long-ago are as entertaining as ever, and she is just as accurate in reporting events from recent times. Great stuff Mum, have a lovely birthday on the 13th.

We had a relaxing four days. We caught up with Dave's cousin Stan and his wife Jill, who arrived a couple of days before us and left two days before. We all did a bit of gardening, and Dave helped to build a hen-run for Rachel's rescue chickens. (Apparently Tesco abandon their battery hens when they reach their first moult and go into a two week non-laying period.) The hens are pretty scraggy and largely featherless when rescued, but Rachel's are already thriving and rewarding her with daily eggs. They also have the perk of her magnificent cockerel, who has taken it upon himself to announce the earliest signs of dawn every day, or so I am told. I don't sleep in my hearing aids so never had the pleasure of being woken by him.

Rachel, Roy and the children have recently moved into the extension they have had built on the side of the house. They entertained us all for Sunday dinner, together with two of the children's friends, eleven of us in all. Great meal, Rachel. If you click on the scenery picture you should see a tent surrounded by curious black cows. I snapped it on my way down from a walk up the hill on Sunday morning. Dav and Megan and their friends should have sept in it after a BBQ on the hillside, but actually Dav was found tucked up in his bed in the morning. Dieting is going to be very necessary and very hard this week!

We broke our return journey in Walsall, where Joe, Sally and Russell were recovering from a curry the night before. They managed a pub lunch at the Longhorn though.

I have left out the reason why we left home in the early hours of Wednesday morning rather than after breakfast on Thursday. A course on dementia came up which was too good to miss, so we had 24 hours in Burford. Dave spent a lovely sunny day at the Cotswold Wildlife Centre while I did my course. We did B&B in Fulbrook and curry in Burford High Street. MAybe I'll write about the course later - I feel it is going to lead to a continuing involvement in care of Alzheimer's patients.