I had something brilliantly funny to tell you. But I've forgotten it. Sorry about that. It doesn't help anyone does it?
I've found that Big Brother in the form of Google Now does have some value. Whilst waiting at the bus stop, the digital signs telling us when the next one was due simply said "Check bus timetable". The woman who arrived a couple of minutes after me and who was close to mastering English asked politely, "Have you talked to the timetable?" I looked down to my shoes and shook my head. Then I looked at my phone, and it told me there was just three minutes until the number 5 was due. Scary, but ever, ever so helpful.
Anyway, I'm pleased to say my own big brother is being a better son to his mother than I am, and has gone off to Cyprus to see Grandma. She'll be delighted to see him. They'll have a lovely week in thee sun. Fabulous. Our next trip is not yet scheduled...with the offspring finishing school this summer, having various things lined up - they're both performing at Edinburgh Fringe again, the Boy is at Army Camp, and The Cat has a part in a film during the 'summer holidays', and after September it all gets foggy, we've not sorted anything out. Shocking really; thank heavens for Skype which occasionally works.
Last night we were in Cyprus anyway. We went to see Othello at the National. Funny how the Turks always seem to have had their eye on that bountiful island! We enjoyed it. Quite sensational really. A modern setting and not a single performance which was anything less than superlative. Even Adrian Lester, and he doesn't normally float my boat. It brought tears to my eyes, literally. In some ways I hoped for an American ending, when everyone lived happily ever after. But that Shakespeare certainly knows how to wring every once of misery out of his stories. Grab a ticket if you can.