Thanks, you are right, & we have also cut ourselves off from mum as we can't cope with her either. But, we have to remain in touch with her friend to a certain extent because otherwise when something happens to mum, we need to know. Last time she went into hospital, we were the last to know, & SD was livid about that for a whole week. Even though mums friend tells me things I'd rather not know, information is key for SD.