My mother Pat Cairns (pictured) will be 100 years old on 1 September. She started reading the Guardian Weekly when she retired to an isolated hilltop farmhouse with no paper delivery. It became her window on the world.
Now it’s posted to her house in Bedfordshire and is passed on to me. One of her aims each week is to complete the Quick Crossword and she eagerly awaits the solution in the next edition.
Pat is a proud Yorkshirewoman, although she spent her childhood in Brazil and continued to travel to many parts of the world. This ignited a keen interest in world events. She feels that TV news coverage has little international content and lacks the variety and depth she enjoys in the Guardian Weekly.
Her knowledge of current affairs is astounding and she has very definite opinions! Her view of those in authority is that they lack “gumption”.
Gardening is her passion. She spends winter planning next year’s colour scheme and always has the most magnificent show of tulips.
At 95 years of age she became a silver surfer. She uses her iPad to keep in touch with family and friends – particularly my sister in the US, whom she Skypes frequently – also her nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She now reads the Guardian online regularly.
I wonder how many other centenarians read the Weekly?
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• This article was amended on 29 August to correct a reference to grandchildren.
