I played a concert in a Nursing home 5 years ago today to 25 women between the ages of 85 & 100 and George, the only man. Several time Betsy fell asleep on George which tickled two women nearby. George looked embarrassed but finally gave in and cradled her in his arm, much to the amusement of the two ladies.
Rosemary ‘loved to sing’, but only when no one else was singing. When I introduced a singalong, she stared at me blankly, as soon as I stopped she warbled like a bird. It was an unusual and unusually tender experience. Maureen sat throughout without clapping once but with the tiniest faint twinkle in her eye. As she was led away in her chair she blew me a small kiss.
When it was all over I had a lovely talk with Margaret, who told me about her work and how she was still ‘very busy’ for her age. The Matron winked, “That was all a long time ago, she hasn’t let it go. She won’t remember you in five minutes.” As I was leaving I saw Margaret again. “And what do you do?” She asked.
Then I wrote this song:
