The sights one sees!

Yesterday as we headed out to an early evening dinner, I came across a sight that was slightly amusing, quite sad and almost surreal. It also showed my niece and daughter the real meaning of legless.

As we walked through an area of this lovely hotel that looks like a cloister my eye was drawn to an old lady who reminded me of the Disney characterisation of Cruells Deville and Joan Collins. I will say noe that it can't have been Joan as a check on Twitter shows her to be in St Tropez, but the parallels certainly had us wondering for a while.

You might think me cruel for blogging this, but I did say at the start of the blog that it would be an.electic mix of things that interested me or caught my eye snd this qualifies.

The lady was obviously one of means. She was dressed smartly with a wide brimmed hat, wrap around sunglasses and a well tailored trouser suit. I will add a picture later when I get back to my PC.

I would guess she was in her 70's and wad tended by a man, who by his accent was British, probably in his 40's. When we first saw her she was sitting and he was standing. There is nothing unusual there, but still something seemed odd.

As we stopped to take some pictures of the gardens I missed them moving, but when I saw them he was dragging her pull along case with large hand bag attached with his left hand and gripping her upper left arm FIRMLY. He was not guiding or escorting her, but physically holding her up - almost carrying her.

Now she might have been just very unwell, but I think this was the result of a long afternoon at the bar! She was legless with that crossover step and stagger that only serious inebriation brings. Sad to see it in a lady if her age and means.

The suspicion of intoxication was strengthened as I passed the seat she had occupied and saw a half molten bag, from an ice bucket, on the floor. It had had probably been a sobriety aid.

As the made slow progress "he" almost dropped both a number of times and did drop the bags at least once.

We next encountered them as he guided the stooped figure into the hotel lobby and set her down on a seat. It was then that we heard his accent.

He then loaded her bags and another set of luggage into a chauffeur driven town car before getting a staff member to assist him decanting her into the back seat.

This was the last we saw of her, but it did stimilate much was it, wasn't it debate on our drive to dinner. We were really uncertain and prepared to believe until a check on Twitter settled the matter.

As I said it was slightly surreal and a little sad to see such a lady in such a state. That she had help was good; that this seemed not unusual, maybe not so good.