Droning on

She's not a friend like yours Misadventure that does support in bad times. Other than she would take your mind off things.
And her daughterslve just down the road star bird so she's sees them every day. In fact they fatten drop in while I'm there.
I think it was the phone and Whatsapp that got to me. The constant interruption and the way her eyes would drift to it or she'd pick it up to check that a message hadn't come in without her noticing. I know now how little children must feel when their parents are always on the phone or pad!! No wonder they're sometimes cross and frustrated.
I guess Ihave to move into the 21st century!
I still don't know whether to say why I don't want to meet again or just let it drift.....

Yes Friday my said neighbour is like that. She will say 'Jean is doing so and so this week' or 'Chris has been to so and so' I have no idea who these people are

I just carry on and see my friend of over 40 years occasionally as she is widowed and her family define her.Mine don't, I am myself and actually feel sorry for her.
You must decide if you can do it.

How often do you meet, Eglantine21? Do you always do the same things when you meet up? Why not suggest something different? A walk, a bus trip, mooching around the charity shops, visiting a garden , an exhibition, a train trip, the museum. That might help break the habit of looking at her phone every five minutes.

Unfortunately my sister does the same.We. Live hundreds of miles apart,and when I visit I love to meet her grandchildren,but it’s not the first time that a planned trip out has turned into an all day evening babysitting,as my niece needs a break. We usually arrange a bit of shopping and lunch,but then spend all of the time looking for somewhere we can get a buggy into, and then seeing to the baby’s needs,and all the time discussing all of her grandchildren’s teething potty training ,How well they are doing at school etc. Then she is pinging messages back and forth to her daughter,about the children.
I also have gc but unless it was an emergency,I wouldn’t take them on a planned day out,I always babysit when asked and love spending quality time with them,but would feel that it would be wrong to expect someone else to feel the same about my Gc. I have stopped planning trips with my sister as I do find it difficult and now I pop in for a coffee and a chat which is a shame,but even telephone calls are all about her daughter and gc.

My big failing is being a good listener, after a one sided conversation about my friend's GD in which she
doesn't pause for breath I literally have to interupt the flow to add a word or two about my own GD.