life lessons that are priceless – the wrong side of the hill

«When two or three old people are gathered together in the name of lunch, you can be sure of the subject of conversation to start the ball rolling. Illnesses of all shapes and sizes are the thing and the Organ Recital begins. Heads, bodies and legs are dissected; noses, throats and ears, skin and bones, arteries, liver and lights, and […] hearts and minds. Once you start on minds you are in for a basinful. Of the two it is better to stick to hearts and whether or not you are allowed to walk upstairs.

Hips and knees lead to bones. Stomach, teeth and gums, closely allied as it is not much use having one without the others, can lead to a dissertation on dentistry. Impacted wisdom teeth are good, but there is a trick called root canal treatment that takes almost as long to describe as the lengthy treatment itself, with your jaws jammed open till the cows come home. There is a strong sense of competition, even as to the waiting time at hospital (length of); tales of woe are capped and re-capped as the Organ Recital progresses.»

«The Organ Recital», in Home to Roost and Other Peckings, Deborah Devonshire