Should Auld Acquaintance......

Today has been a brilliant day.

This morning I went to the near by small town for my physiotherapy exercise class, and managed to increase my work in spite of missing last week due to ice. Had a chat with S. about the phone call I had had from A. to tell me that a new set of courses was due to start in January. However, I hadn't realised that this would be an 8 week course and then an end, whereas the maintenance classes I am going to are ongoing. This would be much the better bet, as without someone pushing you a bit it is so easy to let it all lapse and become more severely disabled again.

After that, came home to find my vegetable box had arrived, a large delivery of potatoes, carrots, onions, 4 leeks a cauliflower, 2 cabbages and 2 good broccoli heads. The fruit was 2 oranges, 3 apples and 3 pears.

So, I cleaned out the veg basket in the fridge and placed the delivery away.

Later, My very good friend from a town across the river came over and I took her to lunch at Dobbies where we both had a salad plate and a small bottle of wine.

We then had a really good walk round and I bought one or two things from the food hall and could not resist a couple of small buys. C. was almost as good as TBSITW at tearing me away from unnecessary purchases!

Home again and ready to relax for the evening.

A Case of Mistaken Venue

Yesterday morning I set off to meet daughter in Marks and Spenser at 12.45. As I was up and about early I decided to get going.

Now on Tuesday it was a BIG MISTAKE going to Dobbies, but yesterday it was an EVEN BIGGER MISTAKE going to Marks and Spencer early..

Idly wandering round I found a pair of black pull on trousers similar to many which I own, so that went in the trolley.

Then I found a grey skirt with a gored bottom, similar to but different from the one I wore to the Bridge Club Autumn Hat Night.

However, I next found a Burgundy skirt of a similar shape, but in a colour which is new to me, so the trousers and grey skirt went back on the rails. I then met an assistant and asked if they had any nice tops to go with the skirt as I had already found the limitations of my own wardrobe..

She was excellent. She led me to a lovely blouse which I put in my basket in two sizes, and my eye was then caught by a less “dressy” one which I also put in my trolley in two sizes.

After that I happened to mention that I was most unhappy about not being able to find a black outdoor jacket. She took me to see a ¾ length coat (which is what I would call a jacket) but it was in a size smaller than I wear. However I tried it on and looked at it in the mirror. Now at the time I was wearing a vest, a thermal vest, a black polo neck and a pink wool polo neck sweater. Even with all that, it looked great.

I think this was a wonderful (and unexpected) instance of having a 'personal shopper'.

So off to the changing rooms, in each case choosing the smaller of the two sizes then off to pay.

At that point I made for the shoe department where I was due to meet daughter and sank down into a seat.

And waited.

Then a text message arrived saying “Je suis arrivee”. I texted back to say I was in the shoe department. She said no I wasn’t.

At last it dawned on her that I had gone to the “only” Marks and Spencer that I know and she had gone to her local one. I couldn’t have found it as I have never been there before.

However I said I would very happily go over and meet her at her home. I then went and bought a sandwich and a small bottle of lemon refresher and set off. It was a very easy journey, all on dual carriageway or motorway, so I reached her house and she wasn’t there. I then made a start on a sandwich when up she pulled behind me.

So in the end we did have lunch together, just not at the expected venue. It was great to have a good chat, and I even met up with younger grandson. I also had to show her my purchases of which she approved! When she saw me to the car, I discovered that I had parked impeccably about 1 inch from the kerb and absolutely parallel. Usually I seem to park within walking distance of the kerb.

At the end I drove home with my goodies, got the car beautifully reverse parked, had my supper, read and went to bed.

The tale of mistaken venue will be familiar to TBSITW.

Quite some years ago she and I were to meet daughter at a (named) garden centre. We got there and searched the place for her. Once again on that occasion she had gone to a garden centre of the same name but at a different location.

It just goes to show that assumptions can be dangerous……

Sisters, Sisters...

Today, TBSITW popped over for a cup of tea on her way to the hairdresser (save fuel, you know – too right at the current ridiculous prices)

We had a good chat about our lately departed 3-legged friend, and how much the puppy misses her too.

We also chatted about her recent holiday, with caravan, in Northumberland. They got some good walks. I showed her a cartoon from a recent issue of the magazine "The Oldie" showing a car towing a caravan towing 1,2,3 wheelie bins for recycling waste.

She went into Morpeth for a “shopping opportunity” and brought back a small gift for me. She had read on my blog that I had seen one of these small dishes in the shape of a teapot* to hold a used teabag to save it being dripped all over the floor on the way to the bin.

She had not realised that I had actually bought one, and would you believe it, but she bought the exact same one for me.

“Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters…”

Of course I missed her while she was away!

* in two dimensions, not three.

Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain.

Today I had a hairdressing appointment in the near by big town; so off I set early to take advantge of this shopping opportunity. There have been a lot of roadworks and road changes to this route, but it all seems to be sorting itself out now.

Got some groceries, some bleach and visited Marks and Spencer where I got a pair of slippers, nice cosy ones. I rather prefer the ones that are more discrete and could pass (at a glance) for a pair of shoes, but sadly, I can never find a pair to fit.

I also bought some pot pourri, a few Christmas cards, some tomatoes and a couple of seeded rolls.

Oh what an exciting life I lead ;-)

Still at least the hair do looks good.

And for good measure the rain has stopped.

China - The Great Wall

Continuing on from Tiananmen Square, we saw the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, but I don't have any good pictures to show you of them,

We then went on to see the Great Wall (or at least a small portion of it).

This is a postcard showing quite some length of the Wall. Much of it has been repaired of late.

This photograph is to show how steep certain portions are - taken by S; I went a short distance in the opposite direction to one of the towers (and even then needed to buy some Fanta!)

On the way back to our bus we found a "shopping opportunity" as we called it. On seeing us the glad cries went up "Lookee lookee we have big ones!"

I am sorry that it would appear that I did not take a photograph of the bus park; I certainly reckoned that, if you could see the Great Wall from space*, you could almost certainly see the bus park! (and we went to a less crowded part of the wall.)

* I understand this is a fallacy.