Did I tell you about this trip? I can't recall.

It's less than a month since I was last here and a quite funny feeling to be traveling light, as in no wife and kids. It took me no time to get here at all. Sunday afternoon was spent dozing off and on in my parents garden listening to the wood pigeons throaty coos. Kate Bush's last album used the calls of these birds to set the scene of an English summer afternoon and whenever I listen to it I am transported into my folks back garden with family conversation over coffee and cake.

My mothers reminiscences are somewhat repetitive as something will trigger a memory in her mind and she will reminisce about it and then forget, only to reminisce again an hour or so later. It doesn't really matter I guess, as I don't think she notices or if she does she probably forgets that she has noticed. Sometimes it saddens me, like when Dena and I gave my father his Birthday gifts on the day we were leaving, 4 days ahead of his actual birthday. One day later my mother called me in a panic because we hadn't gotten my father any gifts for his birthday. Or the Christmas gifts carefully hidden behind the couch by my mother only to be discovered at New Year. In the end it doesn't really matter and I try to assure my father that from my research it isn't the beginning of a downward spiral. It won't get worse, it won't get better. Be happy with life as it is here an now.

...A warm summer afternoon sitting under the cherry tree together with coffee, cake and the people you love, talking happily about the stuff of then and now. This is as good as it gets.