Gestures

This gave me some pause for thought today. I was telling two people at work about the Alzheimer's drugs that were prematurely ending lives. Both said they'd take the drugs if it were them. One colleague had watched her mum deteriorate with this dreadful condition, but it was the other colleague that really made me sit up and think.
'I have registered with an organisation that monitors people's progress into dementia,' she said.
'Oh!'
'I have noticed I am becoming very forgetful and I have been tested for Alzheimer's but I have no signs of it yet,' she said.
'Oh!'
'I will be monitored and if I do show signs, then I will be given what drugs they have.'
'Oh! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up,' I said,
'No,' she said, 'don't ever feel you shouldn't talk about this, I want to talk about it.'

If I think about having Alzheimer's, then I think about how I might feel if I actually had the condition full on. But how scary must it be to be there, possibly on the brink, not knowing, fearful of how it could go, knowing how we think about people who have it. That's a tough place to be.

In other news, but still on the subject of bizarre behaviour. I see that Iran has finished playing silly buggers and has handed our sailors back. The whole situation has been a complete Alice in Wonderland episode, and I'm sure it will run on. Nice of Iran to give them all new suits, hope they're not out of Traffic-man's wardrobe, because he always looks such a shambles, worse than Michael Foot.

The company Kevin works for is a Dutch company and as such, has one or two Dutchies working over here in Canada. Now, like a bolt from the blue, one of them is being sent back to Holland. This is another case where I am left thinking, 'how would I feel?' Obviously I'd feel pretty scared if I were being sent back to Holland because all I've managed to master of the language is 'there's a lion in my garden', a phrase with limited application.
However, were I being sent back to the UK. I do of course frequently moan about the lack ofs here, properly shaped baths, service industries not run to my standards, insufficient socialists, Marmite not in big enough jars, BC College of Teachers failing to acknowledge my greatness, tax not included in the price of things, not being close to mainland Europe so you can just pop over. And of course most of my family is still back in the UK.
But if I had to leave here because I were simply being sent back, I'd miss the friends I have here, miss the mountains and the land, the flora and fauna. I would miss Canada, no doubt about it. So I'm wondering how that colleague of Kevin's is feeling, because it's odd from our end too. We are used to him coming out for a drink, to hearing about his family.
But to be recalled. Hmm...if Tony just sent a ship for me, with flags saying 'England expects', how would I feel then?
But of course, it isn't Holland who is demanding Maarten's return, just the company, and if Mayhem ever called me back. Well, there are hand gestures for that sort of thing.