Bizarre!

It has been a rather bizarre day.
It started in an ordinary way though, with Martin and me taking the bus  into town to buy a few gifts, followed by  attending Winchester GoLD's Christmas Lunch Party. Here we came across the snow people in my blip, and a few other festive people and creatures. Our job was to help serve up the meal to the fifty or so guests, which some of the learning  disabled  Members and  volunteers had prepared and cooked. It was quite a feast, and most delicious. Afterwards, Santa Claus joined the party by Zoom, answering some interesting questions from the Members, some  of which were  left field ones, requiring diplomatic answers from Santa, while others were more straightforward such as "Who is your favourite reindeer?" Answer " That's like asking who is my favourite child!",and from  a Member,  heavily disguised as the Grinch, "Do you like the Grinch?"  
Then there was a game of pass the parcel, but I slipped off to visit my Mother. I was a little taken aback, when the door of the care home lift opened to reveal the figure in my extra, until I realized he wasn't actually one of the residents  who had been shrunk. In my Mother's room I discovered  a Poinsettia plant but she had  no idea who had given it to her. There was also a birthday card among her display  of Christmas cards which was actually for another resident who shares  my mum's surname, but not her first name! 
Once I had  made my escape from the Care Home, I walked back into the city centre to catch a bus the two  miles home,  and  thought life would return to normality. How wrong can you be? At the bus stop I was accosted by an older lady pushing a rollator stacked high with possessions, who sought my help with catching a bus to her daughter's home, near where I live.  It was now six pm, and as she told me her story I became more and more concerned  for her safety. She wanted to surprise her daughter with an unannounced visit,  before said daughter travels to Australia tomorrow. After a cup of tea with her she would make her way home again- to Salisbury, a good 25 miles by road from Winchester!  However, there is no direct bus between Winchester and  Salisbury so she would have to take a bus back into Winchester, and then a bus or train  to Southampton,  and take a train from there, reversing the route she had taken earlier today, but which now was hazy in her memory. I suggested she  phoned her daughter to ask her to meet her off the  bus, but she said that would annoy her daughter still further, beyond the annoyance of seeing the  uninvited guest at her door. There was also doubt still remaining over whether her daughter was going tomorrow, or had already departed on her trip. 
I knew then I was committed!
So we travelled together on the bus, beyond my stop, until we arrived at her stop, which she didn't recognise in the dark. I then had to lead us along the series of little paths and roads  to the correct Close. (Thank goodness for Google maps, as I wasn't sure of the best route!) Progress was slow as we were, of course, hampered by the heavily laden rollator. 
I had  commented on this  and M (we were by  now on first name terms and had shared our religious  persuasions)  admitted she had " security issues", and although acknowledging  some of the goods were presents for the daughter, agreed others weren't strictly needed on this trip..        
We arrived at the address of what M said was her daughter's house, although  it didn't seem familiar to her and when I said there was a sign saying "Beware of the  dog!" she confidently asserted they didn't have one. My heart sank because the house was  in complete darkness, but M cheerfully said, "there's a car in the drive way - that's a good sign!" I thought, "Well, they probably took a taxi to the airport,and left the car at home."  M rattled the letter box and knocked loudly on the door.
To my utter amazement and great relief, after about five minutes, a light went on and the door was opened by a middle aged woman in a dressing gown. She saw me first and  said quizzically, but with a polite  smile "Hello?" Then she noticed my companion standing in front of me, and let out a  squeal of horror and disbelief, exclaiming, "Ohh, it's you !!",  before recovering herself and giving a her mum a big grin. M thanked me for  my assistance and we wished each other happy Christmas and I wished the daughter a good trip to Australia (which seemed to surprise her) as M crossed  the  threshold with her rollator, and I hurried away home.          
Fortunately, my husband  was already home, having had a "normal" journey back, and was willing to believe my bizarre account  of why I was an hour late. I'm still wondering,though, what happened in M's daughter's household after I left.