Karen, 34, was devasted when her parents upped sticks from their Shropshire home for 30 years, and went to live in Cyprus

Although Karen left home at 17, she still regarded her parents cottage in Shropshire "as home, as the focal point of my life. It was my rock. My towel, toothbrush and slippers were there - it was my shell to crawl into when I needed it."

Returning to the cottage at weekends, Karen describes as "idyllic". She and her father always shared a humourous yet serious vission of the future, "When I was fifty-ish, and they were in their eighties, I would retire, and any money that I had, we'd build an extension and I would go home and look after them. That has always been the plan."

Karen got married about eighteen months ago. She lives in Surrey with her husband who gets on extremely well with Karern's parents. But a year ago, just before Christmas, Karen's hopes and dreams for the future were shattered. Her parents took a holiday in Cyprus, just for a couple of weeks, and were delighted with the place, so much so that they talked about how much Karen would like it and how lovely it would be to live there. "They were selling the idea to me that it was a nice place, and I think they were half-selling it to themselves."

Karen feelings were mixed. "I was very happy for them, but I think I ignored it really, because I couldn't imagine them selling up and moving out!" Things came to a head when Karen arranged to go on holiday with her Mum and Dad to Cyprus in the following November. Her father broke the news as they took their ususal after dinner walk. As they approached the cottage, he told her, "By the way, when we go on holiday in November, your mother and I aren't coming back." Karen was totally unprepared for such news, "You could have knocked me down with a feather. It was a shock."

Karen was very upset but felt herself caught in an emotional trap, "I didn't want to be responsible for saying to them, don't do this, I don't want you to go. They might have changed their minds. I didn't want to stop them doing what they really wanted to do."

Karen and her parents talk on the phone but not very often, "They know I miss them. I'm sure they miss me too. We were very close," she says in a slightly unsteady voice, "We end up putting the phone quickly to avoid any embarrassment to each other." Fearful of appearing selfish, or using emotional blackmail, Karen's been unable to tell her parents how she really feels, , "I couldn't do it to them."

Karen is at the moment, owner of the house in Shrophshire. Her parents needed money to buy their house in Cyprus, and asked their daughter to buy the cottage in order to help them achieve their move. Karen visits the cottage, but doesn't live there, "It's devoid of furniture, very cold, and not the home it was. It's familiar, but unwelcoming." Although Karen would like to live there, her own and her husband's work make it impossible.

Although she feels abandoned by her parents, Karen also believes they have made a very brave move, "They have no home to come back to, they've severed all their ties, though they can of course come and stay with me." Asked where that left her, Karen replied rather brightly, "I'll get over it. I do love and care about them, and as long as they're safe and happy, that's good enough for me."