More on Albert
25 February

Well, during this week, I've spoken with to a number of people about Albert.

Ross agree with me that something is up and that it could do with a medical opinion. His mum, who know a thing or two about medical matters, says that is could be signs of all sorts of things - some quite small and quite easy to treat.

Linda felt that I would get fairly short shrift from my folks. She felt that I was more likely to get them riled and chunnering than to sort anything out and so she counselled all sorts or caution.

Whilst not as extreme as Linda had predicted, my parents weren't that happy with me raising the topic. I think they feel that they know best. And, as they pointed out, with their involvement in the British Legion, they have seen a lot of this sort of thing over the years. One of there main fears appears to be that any medication will automatically lead to nursing homes. And they also see many around them who are far more ga-ga and are still functioning.

But, and this is not very Quakerly of me, I do not care so much about all the others. I am concerned about my dad and my mum. One of the things that has come home to me in the past few days is that I have always wanted to be a good and dutiful son. And, if that sometimes that means saying awkward things, then I shall say them.

And I know that, fifty years ago when I was three, my dad was stricken with remorse at his father's stroke. I know that I felt powerless because, at three, I was. At fifty-three, I do not have to be entirely powerless and nor do I want to be.

How things go from here I don't know. I would like to think that my parents will get some sort of medical opinion - not necessarily to effect a cure but to set a marker so that help can be factored in at later stages. But we'll have to see. So much depends on them being amenable to the suggestions of others. And they don't have a good track record of that.

Also during the week we watched, The Wind that Shakes the Barley. After Flags of our Fathers, it was our second meretricious film in a week. Like Clint Eastwood's film, Ken Loach's has everything going for it. It is well scripted, well staged, well acted. The story of the struggle for Irish independence is not an unknown one but it was good to see a (non-partisan) Irish perspective. I just wish that Ken Loach had a bit more of the humanity of (say) a Mike Leigh in Vera Drake. It was all very worthy but quite dull and about twenty minutes too long.