When we were out yesterday afternoon at the Supermarket doing our usual weekly food shopping, there were present, as usual, many elderly people. Those who fall into the age category, let us say, of being over 70 years of age. They appeared to be in various stages of physical condition, which is reasonable enough, since people are individuals and stricken with bad health due to genetic inheritance, lifestyle and misfortune.

I'm not all that much a keen observer of people. I tend to glance, then become distracted with whatever else I'm involved with. And in this instance, it's selecting the foods that we will be placing on our table for the next week.

But I do note the presence of older people. And take pleasure in noting that often there are presented a husband and wife of advanced age. Paying tribute to their long-lasting marital status, most appear to share the shopping experience. As do we.

Yesterday I became aware of the presence of a truly elderly pair, white and wizened, bent with age, and so fragile-appearing that if the merest hint of a breeze were present surely they would have been bowled over. Good thing there's no wind to speak of in interiors. They quietly went about their business of hovering over the fresh fruit and vegetable selections. Then I lost sight of them as I went about my business myself.

Only later to wonder how they might have travelled to the site to do their shopping. Wondering whether one of those faint remnants of what they once were, was still driving. Bringing me to recall an incident that occurred a few years back when we had parked our car, and I was reaching into the back seat to remove one of our little dogs to place it into a dog carrier I had slung over my shoulder. As I straightened up, withdrawing myself and the little dog from the back seat, I was shocked to suddenly feel something hard strike my backside.

An elderly driver had pulled his vehicle into the parking spot next to ours, paying no attention whatever to the obvious sign of the open door signifying that it might be a good idea to wait before proceeding. And in so doing, he hit me with the side of his car. I wasn't hurt physically, other than a slight bruise, though under the circumstances it was obvious that much worse could have occurred.

As I angrily remonstrated with him, he simply responded adamantly that I had hit his car. I was in his way. Besides, he muttered, his wife was blind. I had to remind him that his wife wasn't driving the car, he was. And he absolutely refused to admit he was in any way responsible for hitting me.