Dear LPG,

I recently wrote a message about my aunt thinking that she can sort all her cupboards so that everything is accessible which is an impossibility as we all know (►►►), but there is another aspect of our arrangement which I want to talk about.

As I mentioned, she has had a decade and a half of retirement while I am just about to join the retirement fraternity, but she has always been my go-to family member for so much of my life.    

I mentioned in my last message that I have been making a point of visiting more as my family has moved away, and I find myself living alone. I know that I am at the tail end of my working life, and when I finally give up work, the faster-paced weeks will end suddenly. Taking the time to visit her regularly has made me more relaxed and more prepared for life in the retirement slow lane in the nicest possible way.

Not so long ago, we found ourselves watching a video quite late into the night, and I did not feel like the late-night trek home, even though it was not very far away, and it suddenly dawned on me that I had no real reason to bother. We both live alone in houses designed for the families that once lived with us, and we both have spare rooms. That night, I made use of hers. 

I think she enjoyed having someone to have Sunday breakfast with, and there is something quite special about waking up knowing someone else is in the house. It gives you a reason to make that special breakfast and get up a little earlier. 

So, that has become a part of our routine, too. We sometimes vary it, and I pick her up to spend the time atmy house. And our spare rooms have suddenly become more organised now that they are being used again.

We both look forward to it, and while it happens every fortnight, what we do with our time still covers quite a spectrum. We still toggle between a bit of shopping, a television programme or video, a cuppa and a bit of cake or a meal out, a bit of house sorting, and there have even been days when she has stood or sat at the bottom of my kitchen stepping stool. At the same time, all my out-of-date groceries are subject to her comments… 

I think that what I am trying to say is that the word ‘sleepover’ brings to mind images of a relatively young collection of children creating mayhem in one poor, unsuspecting parent’s house overnight. Still, it can just as easily be two, or even a few more, pensioners enjoying a bit of overnight company and looking forward to someone to have a special breakfast with the following day.  

WY, Nunhead