It’s inevitable that kind people will give helpful advice to the aged, even when the aged person concerned happens to be Supergran (my mum). On this particular occasion the kind person with the good advice was my kid brother Robert, also something of a superhero himself being a fireman (and extremely handsome in his uniform!).

“Mum,” he said, “you know you really oughtn’t to just say the first thing that comes into your mind. Try to think first before you say things to people.”

“Oh, that was a bit tactless of him,” thought Supergran but she kept it to herself because she didn’t want to hurt Rob’s feelings.

“And you really ought to get out more and meet new people – get involved in new things,” added the whippersnapper superhero.

Perhaps he didn’t know that she was “Supergran” and had had more than her fair share of excitement in her ninety-two years. She smiled to herself.

Nevertheless, Supergran thought long and hard about it and decided to take her son’s advice. One cold morning recently she ventured out, seeking the new and exciting… in our sleepy old home town of Dawlish in Devon. She wondered who would be out on such a day, and wondered also if she would recognise anyone (owing to her near blindness).

At last she came across a gathering ahead of her – a load of tall people. Supergran has shrunk to five-feet tall so she couldn’t see what was going on.

“Ah, how exciting – new people,” she thought and she approached a lady on the outskirts of the throng.

“Excuse me,” Supergran said very politely, “but may I ask what is going on? Is it an event I should know about?”

“Well,” began the lady, “it’s all over.”

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry I missed it,” Supergran sighed, “all the same I should like to know what I missed out on.”

“It was a funeral,” said the lady.

Supergran, mindful of the lady’s feelings, managed to keep a suitably serious and sympathetic expression for some moments; then she flew off home and had a laugh to herself over a nice hot cup of tea.