Went to visit my parents yesterday. Unlike other people who I worry may stumble across my blog and take great offence to something I have written, there is no chance this might happen with my mum. She is one in a million but when it comes to "new" technology she really is in another league.
She's 82, so is allowed the occasional senior moment, but we had a great chat about every subject under the sun. Then Tom offered to show her how her new mobile phone worked and all sense seemed to go out of the window .....
I'd bought the phone for her as she'd lost the charger for her old one. She didn't use it too often and I soon found out the reason for this!
First off she wanted to check if the ring was loud enough for her to hear it. So Tom went to her landline and dialled the number. Great, she liked the ring tone.
Then she wondered if she would be able to hear what people were saying to her. Tom was speaking to her on the phone - and no, she called, she couldn't hear him - same problem she'd had with her old phone. I went back into the room where she was and she was holding it like you would speak into a dictaphone. I put her straight - and she was pleasantly suprised to find now she could hear!
Tom then talked her through how she could make a call picking a number from her phonebook. He patiently went through the steps - about 5 times, then in true trainer style suggested a little exercise for her to put her learning into practice.
Her task was to switch on the phone, pick my mobile number from her phonebook list and call me.
3 times she did this - and each time she picked her own home number by mistake - 3 times her home phone rang - 3 times Tom pointed out what she had done - 3 times she said to him "I'll just answer the phone and you can explain it to me again".
I'm pleased to report that eventually she got it - I think. Won't test her out by calling her on her mobile as no doubt it won't be switched on.
Now she wants to get "online" - how we will get on with mouse control is any-one's guess.