It started after a crap night’s sleep…
Outside things were looking hopeful weather wise.
Off I went to Didcot, which was quiet and peaceful, apart from the lady in blue who had mixed things up a bit by wearing black. Her effect was still the same – a stately, floating slow moving island.
Then I got to head for Root One where I joined the other lady swimmers for the monthly shared brekkie. Now I am getting to know people better (remembering names would help) I am finding them a pleasant group with whom to chat.
Next it was home to prepare myself for my two days away. I was not happy to find the lorry fully of liquid cement was parked all across my driveway as it delivered its slop to be wheelbarrowed to W and B’s. I forebore from enquiring why it was not parked outside their property … blocking their exit rather than mine.
Preparing my kit for going away did not take very long. I splashed the hose over some of the plants, because, despite overnight rain, it clearly had not penetrated the foliage. Ie they were droopy. I also instructed the grass to stop growing.
I nearly managed to avoid listening to Burt’s drivel, and a few minutes later had a brief unavoidable chat with Wendy. She explained they were building a garden room for winter. I’m surprised they can get away with demanding every free bee possible from Sovereign and then get permission to build on.
I dropped in at Ali’s for a birthday cuppa and set off.
By now it was a beautiful day and I seem to have been dogged with driving with the sun in my eyes wherever I was going.
I used the A303 where the traffic was light, no stops needed, and I caught up 10 minutes on my ETA. It was one of the best trips I have taken.
In the meantime , Pen and Dave, we’re not on a best trip, and were supposedly flying back from the IOM. They were experiencing a 30 minute delay which became a 2 hour delay. Only no one updated the departure information. So I arrived in Aylesbeare as they landed at Bristol.
But all was good because a flummoxed Frankie was at home, desperately trying to hide a birthday cake she was baking in the oven and a happy birthday banner that was decorating the floor. She was very quick to agree that taking H for a walk on Exmouth beach was a good idea.
The idea was good in essence. But it was high tide and the tide was very high indeed. There was little beach left to walk on and the sand was very soft. But H amused herself avoiding the waves. The sea was actually like a mirror so I’m not sure where the waves came from. It was almost sunset when we departed.
As H was curled up in a sandy hollow, and I was sitting on the wall leading up to the road, a passing lady who had found a key fob asked if they were mine. An attached teddy quickly told me they weren’t. Ten minutes later, another passing lady asked me if I had found any keys because she had dropped hers. She was clearly disguising major panic as she cross examined me as to the finder’s appearance, age, sex, direction of travel etc. I hadn’t taken a great deal of notice so was rather ineffectual in my responses. And the loser of the keys disappeared along the line of parked cars querying other passers by.
Now that finder of the keys must have been endowed with super intelligence. Because the loser of the keys was, by now, seated in the car next to mine. She was full of gratitude to the anonymous finder who had zapped each parked car with the key until it opened sesame , along with the loser’s mother in law who was still inside the car. A happy ending.
By the time I was back in Aylesbeare, the Senior Roberts were home from Bristol and Frankie had cooked supper and decorated the most delicious second birthday cake. And I was treated to another collection of lovely gifts.
We sat in their cavernous sitting room as Pen tried to persuade the wood stove that burning was not enough, it needed to give out heat too. It did comply.
I’ve had a great two days – capped with a birthday musical greeting from Janne and Erika. I sent them a picture of H on Exmouth sand and Erika asked if it was Grammeno. Not unless it’s moved to Devon, I replied.
Thought for the Day
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