There’s been a change at the coffee bar in the retirement home. Afternoon tea and coffee, that is available between 4 and 6, is now served by volunteers from among the residents. It’s no big deal. Boiling water is on tap, the tea is in bags and the coffee in a large container. It’s more of a do-it-yourself operation than anything else. There is an added item, however – a slice of cake. And thereby hangs a blog…
Everyone knows how thick a slice of cake should be, more or less. Everyone, that is, except residents of retirement homes. First of all, in order to confuse the issue, there were a few different cakes. “I want a piece of that one!”
“No wait, I changed my mind! That one over there looks much better.”
She leans over the counter and whispers confidentially: “Can you, er, cut it a bit thicker than that?”
The next customer waits until a piece has been cut before she changes her mind, three times. She too asks for an ‘extra-large’. “And could I have 2 pieces?”
I heard from the Thursday volunteer that the two hour stint of duty passed very slowly, but was interrupted by little snippets of interesting gossip about residents, staff and others, accompanied by slander, allegations and other conversational matter that makes up the stuff that abounds in every coffee house. Sounds as though we are normal after all!