A better night’s sleep than I have had in a while, More continuous sleep and fewer disturbances. Thank goodness.
At O5.30 it was pouring with rain. Tipping it down. H was not remotely interested so we reached an agreement. She came back inside.
T was in one of those moods where he was feeling sorry for himself and a bit sick. Not unusual when he does not want to do something. Eg get up so the cleaners can clean our bedroom when they arrive.
The cleaners got mislaid, or in a muddle. My last texts from Zora indicated they would be here on 17/11 – ie today. Having tried to make out it was my mistake, she ate her words and apologised. I was able to reassure her it was unimportant as the mess could wait!
That removed any necessity to do anything at all. So T carried on feeling sorry for himself, until, exasperated, I was fed up with waiting. So H and I took a walk along the old rail track at Hampstead Norreys ( not muddy) and visited Vicars on the way back.
I stuck a stew in the oven to cook extremely slowly whilst I did take T out. To IKEA.
What a b….y nightmare IKEA is, and going there with T = nightmare x2. Although, to be fair, he was quite calm. I was not remotely calm. I felt as though I was trapped in a continuous and repetitive nightmare. I’m sure I remember thinking, on some distantly past occasion, that I was never ever going there again. I should have stuck to that resolution.
It is a deceitful place, promising ways out, which are dead ends, or which take you past items you have already seen, have no interest in and don’t wish to see ever again, never mind purchase! We were investigating their mattresses. Nothing else. Just mattresses. 2km later… yes a 2 whole km, and after pleading with staff for a speedy escape route, we were eventually allowed our freedom. But only via more things / accessories/ textiles/ lights that I had no interest in.
There was an electronic screen asking for my thoughts on the IKEA experience. Oh that was dangerous territory… I almost let rip, but decided to take a more considered approach than the wild rant that I felt descending over me!
As for the mattresses – yes there were several I liked, firm ones. But the display was incomplete and poorly organised with various labels missing. By now I had had enough and we had not even started on the great escape… Did I mention it was circuitous, contrary to the floor arrows etc etc and I really don’t know how many times we passed the same displays, but it was TOO many!
T wanted a coffee and negotiating restaurant procedures required a degree in Swedish know how! All for 2 cups of coffee and a cake for T.
I managed to acquire the meat balls that Ali had mentioned. And, unlike her, I avoided choosing a pot of strawberry jam as the sauce.
The car was miles away in a remote area of the car park. And 2 hours and 2 km later all we had acquired were 2 small plastic trays for fridge items and some info on mattresses. Although, it was amusing to watch a customer stripping his large object purchases of their protective cardboard as he struggled to fit them in his car.
I dumped T at home, greeted H, and assured her she was not abandoned, checked up on the stew, and set off to collect Fleur and Griselda ( maybe it was Giselle) at school and dropped them off at their various homes. G lives in one of S Oxon’s pretty villages that is not close to anywhere.
Thought for the Day
are not fantastic
c
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