It's not two tins and a piece of string nana
(Subject line courtesy of my daughter.)
My brother's post lunchtime phonecall to my mother having descended - in less than the time it takes to say hello 5 or 6 times - to the hell that is her repeating: "It's no good, I can't hear you." "Pardon?" "This phone's very quiet." I took the phone off her, did a threeway conversation with them both instead, then challenged her about the phone 'conversation'* she'd had a couple of days ago with her friend who lives a 5 minute walk away.
On that occasion, I could not hear J's side of the call, but could hear mum putting in "Fine"s and "Okay"s and "I see"s at appropriate intervals. Unlike today, when I could hear my brother's side of the call loud and clear.
"Well," she said," well<
/I>,
that's because J's only round the corner."
*I don't actually think she heard any of what was said to her, in fact I am damn sure she was just making appropriate noises. She's damn good at it and it's one of the reasons we always have. So much trouble with her when being seen by medical staff: she provides them with appropriate responses even when she's only got a vague idea of what has been said.
My brother's post lunchtime phonecall to my mother having descended - in less than the time it takes to say hello 5 or 6 times - to the hell that is her repeating: "It's no good, I can't hear you." "Pardon?" "This phone's very quiet." I took the phone off her, did a threeway conversation with them both instead, then challenged her about the phone 'conversation'* she'd had a couple of days ago with her friend who lives a 5 minute walk away.
On that occasion, I could not hear J's side of the call, but could hear mum putting in "Fine"s and "Okay"s and "I see"s at appropriate intervals. Unlike today, when I could hear my brother's side of the call loud and clear.
"Well," she said," well<
/I>,
that's because J's only round the corner."
*I don't actually think she heard any of what was said to her, in fact I am damn sure she was just making appropriate noises. She's damn good at it and it's one of the reasons we always have. So much trouble with her when being seen by medical staff: she provides them with appropriate responses even when she's only got a vague idea of what has been said.