Laburnum

The laburnum blossom was exceptional the year I made my first communion in Co. Dublin. That was in June 1970..Fast forward fifty-four years and I'm attending an event about dementia hosted at a church venue in Cheltenham, and later walking in a cemetery in Stroud, close to my house. My mother, so young in her smart costume and hat in my first communion photos, is now shrunken and shadowy. She has vascular dementia. I send her a card  almost  every week, but today l learned that it's best to tell her only good news, keep the tone light at all times, and to remind her that I'm Helena, her daughter from Stroud (she has four daughters). 

Flashback: https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2409066176970753007