I know that as we all get older our memories aren’t as good, but I have to admit that over the last few weeks my memory is absolutely terrible.

I seem to beginmost of my conversations with “Did I tell you?” or “I’ve probably told you this already.” Knowing deep down that I have most definitely not only told them once but several times. And I can see by the look on their faces that they’re thinking ‘oh no, not this tale again’ but are just too polite to say anything.

I can actually stop mid-sentence a glazed look of wonderment floating across my face as I and the person I’m talking with realizes that I have basically no idea what I’m talking about because I’ve lost my train of thought. You know the saying, my train of thought has left the station, well mine never entered the station to begin with. The train is not running today.

I’ve found myself just standing in the middle of the shopping aisle gazing into thin air and just wondering what the heck I came in for. Make a shopping list I can hear you say. Yes, I did, and then I forgot to take it with me. So, I am left strolling up and down the aisles hoping that something will jump out and remind me of what I went in for. I even phoned Pete and asked him to take a photo of my shopping list and forward it to me. A few minutes later I received a text saying that he didn’t know how to send the photo. Ten minutes after that I received a text with half of my shopping list that he had attempted to write.

The lad in the store must have seen the confusion on my face because he very bravely asked if he could help me. The poor lad looked bewildered when I asked if he could nip to my house and get my shopping list. He just laughed. Did I detect a slight nervousness in that laugh?

Fortunately, Pete was to the rescue and after deciding it would be quicker to just phone me instead of trying to write the list down in a text, we began the long trek around the shop as my list was not in aisle order. Up and down, backwards and forwards and to make matters worse I needed the toilet. There was no other option, the rest of the shopping would have to be put on hold. The mission would need to be aborted, as I dashed through the aisles heading for the loo, leaving my trolley with the lovely young shop assistant, explaining that I needed the loo and as my bladder wasn’t as young as hers, I couldn’t possibly wait.

I’m sure that was a conversation she didn’t need to hear or will probably have been the talking point at her break time. And bless the young girl there she was still stood with my trolley when I arrived back, I was about to explain why it had taken me so long, but I thought that maybe she had suffered enough and didn’t need to know the ins and outs of my toilet habits. So, I was ready to continue my telephone shopping with Pete only to find that my battery was flat. Oh, bloody hell I’d forgotten to charge the stupid thing last night well never mind I’d just have to pay for the goods I’d got. As I walked outside and into the carpark I gazed around. Now, if only I could remember where I had parked the car.