Diary - Monday, 26 April 2021

[River Tyne Lass]

Just popping in again to catch up .. 

Off today.  Set out early as the library local studies was reopening today and I wanted to be at the front of any queue for my favourite microfilm reader.
Went to my favourite bread shop first then went to the library.  Got there far too early, half an hour before opening.  There was a lady already there waiting.  I think 'oh no!' and hope that she isn't there for microfilms as well.  If she gets on the old reader that I like and I have to go on one of the modern ones that I don't like, I know I will probably only accomplish a third of what I hope to do.
The lady moves slightly away and I think she might be going but no, she stops.  She begins asking questions about the library opening and talks about desperately needing the toilet.  I realise at this point that she seems to be a lady with a learning disability.
I look at the time on my Kindle and see that there is half an hour to go.  I try to be helpful and let her know that there are some public toilets open down the street, opposite the small ASDA.  I can sympathise with feeling desperate.
The lady suddenly looks thunderous and bellows in a very loud, angry tone "I NEED TO USE THE LIBRARY TOILET!"
Crikey, I think.  I wasn't expecting that type of reaction!  I think I had better be careful, I might get clobbered.
 "That's alright" I say "I only mentioned it in case you were desperate."
Well, I can see she is desperate as she starts jiggling about, and then starts angrily putting two fingers up in a rude gesture to the shut library doors and then punches herself twice on the side of the head.  I wonder what I might be able to say without making matters worse.  I think saying anything might make matters worse so I decide to keep quiet.  At this point an elderly woman comes by.  She looks at us both and says "What time does the library open?"
 "Ten o'clock" I say.
 "Hello Margaret," says the disabled lady (she obviously recognises the other one) "Are you desperate for the toilet, as well?"
 " There's one just down the street open now,  opposite the small ASDA" I say.
 "I don't need the toilet, I was just wondering when the library is opening," says Margaret.
 "Well, it's good to know where the toilets are." I say.
"Yes, it is" agrees Margaret. "By the way, I've had my jabs".
I am not sure why she is telling me this but I say "That's good."
As Margaret walks away the disabled lady keeps bombarding me with questions about the opening practically every minute.
At one point, she says "It's going to open any second now".  I glance at the time on my Kindle.
" Eleven minutes" I say.  I don't think it will be helpful for her to be under any false hope.
I am so glad when I hear the Christ Church bells beginning to chime in the distance and know that we are seconds away from opening.
Actually, I am a bit worried as the website is still saying the local studies is shut even though the staff had seemed very confident last week when I had enquired that it would definitely be opening today.
It was quite a relief when I got to the front desk and had it confirmed that it was really open after all.  Oh the joy!  I had half imagined myself regressing to a petulant child if it wasn't open, coming out with things like ..  "You promised, you said ..!"
But the staff tell me that first, Peter is here.
I realise I am meant to stand aside for a man standing behind me.  I think, who is this Peter?  Is he King Peter?  I just hope this 'King Peter' doesn't want the microfilm reader I want.  Anyway, I dutifully stand aside and thankfully he doesn't want the reader I want.  He wants something else.  Then I think I shouldn't be stroppily thinking of him as 'King Peter' as he has probably made an appointment so that is why he is served first, whereas I have just turned up on spec, hoping to make an appointment. 
I know I don't have too long when I do get on my reader of choice and I start to feel flustered about the shortage of time and before I know it I have flung my pen up in the air and have to scrabble about on the floor to find it.  This is an odd quirk I have with somehow always chucking my pen in the air when I feel under time pressure.  The staff were wonderful in  bowling out the microfilms as fast as I wanted them.  I took my full week's time allotment in one go - one  hour and a half but it went like 10 minutes!
It has felt so good to get back to the local studies today - it feels like life is really starting to feel like normal again. 

[Roobarb]

What a strange experience for you RTL with the lady who was waiting outside, it sounds like you dealt with the situation very well. I think you must be a very patient person and kind too of course. Thank goodness after all that that King Peter didn't want the microfilm reader, you got your reward!

My day:

Got up feeling tired, hadn't been able to sleep till very late then had a really restless night. A colder day than yesterday, started bright but got greyer as the day went on.
Out for a walk, no litter left today, the tree branches had been moved too. Had a walk over the bridge, the sea was looking grey.

I'd been thinking of going to the M&S Simply Food that's at a small town up the hill. I knew there had previously been queues outside, I didn't want to do that but I would be able to see what the situation was from the car park so after lunch I decided to go. It's not a long drive but it's through very pretty countryside and it was good to venture that way. The shop isn't in the centre, was pleased to see when I arrived that that there was no queue. Was dithering around the sanitisation station to see what was what, an assistant said to go through. I must look like a frightened rabbit behind my mask. The shop wasn't busy, I bought a number of things and only had to wait behind one person at the checkout. Back home, had to find room in the freezer for some of my purchases. Hummus and coleslaw in the fridge, yum. Another hurdle overcome for me today, way behind most people but I'm getting there.

After a cuppa I cut the back lawn, there's rain forecast overnight and some during the week. Hope it stays dry tomorrow, my usual walk day with my friend.

Started to change my Tesco order on my laptop when the cursor disappeared, couldn't get it to respond properly whatever I did. Googled it on my tablet, tried changing the settings by using the keyboard but to no avail, then it told me that my computer was trying to repair itself! After going round in circles I turned it off in the hope that when I go back tomorrow it'll be sorry for being naughty and will play nicely again. Although I doubt it. Could really do without the hassle.

[Viktoria]

Gosh that was unpleasant RTL !
So I am glad you got what you had wanted.

Worked in the garden again, as rain due tonight and cooler weather expected.
A lovely day .Neighbour home from hospital ,I spoke with her daughter and asked could I fill two ornamental pots in her Mum’s garden now so they should be in full flower when it is her Birthday in June,I never know what to get her so that will be something she will enjoy.

Lovely walks again Roobarb and oooo a trip to M&S ! I am green with envy.

Daughter phoned as usual, now - puppies- born but the owner of the mother just said to my daughter in passing in her car that there were not as many as hoped , she could not stop as traffic behind her ,
So I have a nasty feeling as I was probably last to be told - by my daughter -
there won’t be enough .
Just have to wait and see when they have spoken properly .
That could be tomorrow.
The owner of the mother approached my daughter to see if she knew anyone who would give a puppy a good home ,so they must have thought there would be more .
My daughter mentioned me and added that she would have it should I ever be unable to look after it properly .

Never mind ,some more news today ,Flash Harry is to be a brother.
Quite a long time away yet ,but he is five in May so will not be a toddler.
Mum very ill with morning noon and night sickness !
Hospitalised ,as dehydrated.So on a drip .
Otherwise I don’t think they would have told FH for a good while yet, but he was upset when Mummy had to stay in hospital.
She has lost two babies at ten weeks already.
So hopes that all is well this time.
No use saying I will knit because very few babies wear hand knitteds now,  it was lovely to hear of the pretty garments Annette made for those little wonders.

Hope everyone is well and again ,thanks for your news ,I feel a bit flat re the puppy but there is one thing I must do ,and that is ASAP visit my friend in Shropshire .
Depending when I can do that ,if only after eight weeks well I will be tied with the puppy .
I once was upset  that I  did not get a post I had been  recommended  to apply for , but almost immediately after the starting date I put two discs out in my back and was off work for months .
I could not have done the job I did not get with a temperamental back.
So you see, what we want is not always what is best for us.

Hope every one is well ,sorry your sleep is disturbed again Roobarb ,I hsve strange dreams in the small hours ,a couple of nights ago there were
kittens, with two heads, one each end so no tails ,! 
I am sure it is the last thing at night eye drops!
Cheerio,Viktoria.

[Caw1]

RTL - what an awful experience you had waiting for the library to open... especially when you’ve been looking forward to getting inside to do what you’d normally have been doing...
as roobarb says you must have the patience of a Saint knowing how to handle someone who clearly was very agitated....
pleased to hear that your mission was accomplished though!

Roobarb - pleasing to hear that there’s been no further problems with your locality being trashed... they’ve obviously got the message...
Computers can be a right pain! I’ve recently been using the Tesco website to order groceries... after my little huff with Waitrose over the newspaper thought I’d give T a try... as someone who always swore blind I’d never use them as having seen a programme about their underhand methods when trying to purchase land for stores, then the financial issues they had... plus we had one of their directors living in the village, nasty man he was too.... put me right off... so I’ve swallowed my pride and actually found their website very user friendly... I’ve downloaded the app onto my iPad and that’s even easier to use.... + I’ve now got a club card... apparently I had one years ago according to the Clubcard app! I can hear you saying what a hypocrite... well true but I’m always willing to try again! 😀. Hope your computer play ball tomorrow...

Today was bright and sunny but still that wind was chilly... I got the washing out early as I like it to get a good blow...
After breakfast OH went off to the dentist and I got down to giving the house a thorough clean...
Got a message from my daughter with pictures of the zebra fabric she’s ordered for the boys curtains... it’s made in Mali and the fabric technique is painted on ( in this case with a toothbrush... as the picture shows) using the substance from certain leaves then painted over with mud and then washed in the river where the chemical reaction between leaf and mud turns it black... then dried out on the sand! It’s called Bogolan mud fabric... now going to be posted to uk and once we get it muggins here is making the curtains! She was thrilled with seeing the chap making her fabric and thought the boys would love it too.... she’ll grow up one day bless her... after the excitement I had a cup of coffee to calm my nerves with the thought of all those circles and what it’ll do to my eyes 😂😂...
OH returned and I told him all about it and just got a roll of the eyes!
A late lunch then sat in the conservatory to have a read after all this mornings hard work... he went out to mow the back lawns..
We had a game of scrabble which I lost... hardly surprising as I had at least five vowels every go and he had all the high scorers!
Dinner was just the rest of  yesterday’s leg of lamb in gravy with mash and veg...
Watched some tv... left the curtains open in the lounge as tonight the moon was , apparently, the first super pink moon... quite fascinating to watch as clouds came and went and you could see it tinged pink...
Wonder if others have seen it?

Here are the pics of fabric being made...

Caroline

Added - Viktoria, so sorry to hear FH’s mum is having such a rough time and do hope that all will be well for her this time round... devastating for her...
Will also be keeping my fingers crossed for you re the puppy too.... something to look forward to 🤞. I’m sure your neighbour will be delighted with the flowers ready to bloom for her June birthday... you’re such a kind soul... wish you were my Nextdoor neighbour...

[Ruskie]

RL, what a disturbing experience for you, but I must say you told it well. 

Roobarb, I can understand your caution, but you did very well. Having so few people in the shop must have been a relief. M and S food would probably be the first place I visited after such a long lockdown.  Computers can be the bane of one’s life when they play up.  glad to hear your woods are still litter free. Someone obviously cares for the area which is nice, but a shame that they have to continually clean up after inconsiderate idiots.

Viktoria, I’m disappointed that you might not get a puppy.  Sometimes people pull out at the last moment so you might be lucky. You are very philosophical about it though, but I suppose that is the best approach especially with something that is out of your control. I suspect your two headed cat dreams may have something to do with all the talk of tail docking a few days ago.  I hope all goes well with the pregnancy - it must be quite worrying, though they say ‘morning’ sickness can be a good sign, though I don’t know if there is any truth in that. It’s such a lovely idea to plant up pots for your neighbour, which will give her months of pleasure.

Such an interesting idea for fabric painting Caroline. That must have cost your daughter a pretty penny (daughters and their bright ideas hey?  ) Do you think it will be difficult to sew?

Don’t feel too bad about defecting to Tesco. I’m sure that none of the supermarkets are perfect, though I understand you have your principles especially since the director you knew was not a nice man.

I do a lot of online surveys and have done so for years. Any which are related to companies and what people think of them, always ask about what big companies are putting back into communities, questions about their leaders, matters around sustainability etc etc. so they obviously think these are important to people these days.

Monday - public holiday here, because Anzac Day fell on a Sunday. I don’t understand why though, because Anzac Day was on  Saturday last year and I don’t think there was a public holiday.

Watched a new film “The Courier”, with Benedict Cumberbatch - true story.  Highly recommended.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Courier_(2020_film)

Today’s dog walk was surprising. We met a girl on the walk. We’d seen her before and she’s spoken to my dog. This time, she squatted down and my dog went to her had a good sniff, without any of her usual barking. I was very pleased with her. I think some people must give off a friendly scent or vibe which my dog is in tune with.

[pharmaT]

Work today. Decided to wear a nice summery dress for my commute.  However i got a flat tyre on the way to the childminder, was really annoying as I was definitely not dressed for dealing with it.  Didn't really have the time either.

Rained today, at least being at work I wasn't annoyed that I couldn't hang my washing out.

Didn't really do anything when I got in, too tired.

[Viktoria]

Not surprised that you were tired Pharma,a bad start to a day can hang over you somewhat.
Dull here now and there has been a little rain but the gardens need so much more.There are wild flowers growing in the lane  alongside my garden ,they are looking thirsty ,but always revive.
Heavy rain in the night was forecast but I did not hear any and it usually wakes me.
Much cooler today.

Neighbour is home from hospital, heard her in the night ,to the bathroom.
I will phone her later ,I will know she is up when I can hear her TV.
Her daughter apologises about it being so loud but it really does not bother me ,it is my neighbour’s only entertainment.
We have a laugh.
Smoked salmon and spinach tagliatelle for tea, so only minutes to prepare, I don’t like “ al dente “ pasta,good and soggy for me .
Hope to hear more news about the puppies today, daughter had only the vaguest bit of info ,but I can understand the owner of the mother making sure there were enough good homes waiting for the puppies, so “over asked”
for want of a better term.
Somehow it will be for a reason , the number of times I have been disappointed in the short term to see even years later it was what was best for me in the long term.
I won’t have any puddles to wipe up, no walking in hail rain or snow, no Vet’s bills or dog food bills.No disinfecting the artificial grass.
No insurance, will be free to travel as and when I can etc etc etc.
Can’t think why I was looking forward to it now!
I also tell lies!

Nice to read your posts, I feel a bit nosey,prying ,as I wait to read them ,I mean who would stoop to reading another’s diary?
You should read mine after I met my OH!, 
Well actually no!
Nowadays very tame but back in 1953!
No plans for  today  really, will just let the day roll out as it will .I might polish the aspidistra ( I had a huge one in my Victorian house ,gave it to the Church Fair, in a window display somewhere I believe ,vintage clothing)
I told you I tell lies as I don’t have an aspidistra now.
Cheerio folks ,look after yourselves .
Viktoria

[Mowsehowse]

Great reading today.
Thanks everyone.
Fingers crossed for the puppy.... or not.
All good wishes regarding FH's family.

The fabric tale is fascinating Caroline. A friend mentioned the pink moon, but it was very silver here, though it lit up the sea. 
Well done Roobarb, RTL and Pharma.
Hello Ruskie,and all other readers.

Hope everyone has a reasonable day.

[Roobarb]

Hope you do get the puppy Viktoria, I know you want it despite coming up with all those reasons why not!    Hope FH's mum is okay.

Caroline, will the design on the material last? Mud doesn't sound very robust, maybe gentle handling needed? I shouldn't say that when you have the challenge of sewing it!

I agree Ruskie, some people must smell dog friendly. 

PharmaT, nice to be able to wear a summer dress but very frustrating about the tyre.