My parents have escaped this dreary climate for a week and are currently lapping up the sun in Portugal.
Of course I am not jealous, well not that jealous, but it's hard not to become a little envious as I sit here in my cold kitchen with three layers of clothes on hugging my mug of hot chocolate, and images keep flashing in to my head:
None of this is helping.
Not at all.
I did express some slight annoyance at the weekend that they were flying off on holiday (again). They help us with the school run twice a day so when they are not around life gets quite complicated.
But then my mum surprised me with her honesty.
I had been reading an articles in the Times on John Suchet who is in the tragic situation of caring for his wife who has Alzheimer's and I mentioned it to my mum. She said it was a condition they thought about, and some of their friends had been discussing it recently. There is no history of dementia in our family but it still worries them, as do wider health matters.
They are in the early 60s and fighting fit. But they know that one day they may not be. So they want to go on holiday and enjoy the good times while they still can.
And hats off to them. Indeed they should.
Long may the holidays continue!
