At a certain age it is quite common, so I am told, to worry about short term memory loss, a condition charecterised by the syndrome/disease associated with the great American philosopher and hypochrondiac Al Z. Heimer. I think I am at the early stages of this condition especially over forgetting people's names (and have been since my twenties, a great handicap in the Diplomatic) but don't exhibit (yet) the more dramatic aspects like forgetting to put on/take off my trousers. But I am beginning to wonder. Our local Kirk hands out 'offerings envelopes' to hand in during the collection with no name -just a number to identify yourself to the treasurer and matching your gift aid tax relief registration. Being distracted this morning with chatting up the four young musicians in our midst-the Bronte Quartet, I pulled an envelope out of the top drawer in the middle of relating some apposite anecdote to stuff with the specie necessary to fulfill the Wife's and my fortnightly financial obligations. Then set off to church and handed over the loot at the appropriate moment. Just after the service during the coffee and biscuits mix- in an elder tactfully enquired if I had meant to hand in an empty envelope! Shame and Chagrin. I fumbled for my wallet and found in my breast pocket another envelope, unsealed but with a note* clearly visible. Oh dear; I had pocketed two envelopes but only filled one and have absolutely no memory of either act. The Elder was very understanding-thouigh elder he is younger than Huttonian and has yet to reach the age of uncertainty. ButI do remember replying to a query from one of the musicians about the likely reaction if I did hand in an empty envelope' ''Excommunication' I jested. And it seemed funny at the time.
* Do you really have to make the point that this was not a miserly low value coin? Blog-ed
PS a bloggee has commented that these increasingly common instances of memory loss have been described to him as 'Senior Moments' Put that way......
