Brain Drain

I arrive home with a colleague and show him around the improvements - the new study and kitchen are not enhanced by the sight of a naked 83-year-old wrapping towels around himself in the open doorway of the bathroom.

It seems we are faced with a new problem - 'he who shall not be shamed' has decided he cannot use the new shower. The fact that we have not had a new shower installed and he has made use of it for a good four years is neither here nor there.

'I've tried twice,' he exclaims, 'but it's either stone cold or scalding!' I calmly tried to explain the controls ('It's a knob' I say pointedly) but that just fuels a lot of harrumphing and shaking of head, fists and unfortunately towels which is singularly off-putting. 'When the plumber comes I'll get him to sort it' he fumes. Unfortunately, there's nothing to sort unless the plumber can do something about an ageing memory: unblock the brain drain perhaps.