I’ve started spending my first 20 minutes at work typing up my post for the evening. It’s far quicker sitting at a desk with a full-size keyboard than it is sitting at home trying to use something the size of a book. And a slow, steam-powered book at that.
That’s one of the reasons it’s always a day behind.
It’s surprising that I can do as much in 20 minutes at a desk as I can if I spend two hours tapping away whilst chatting, watching TV, playing Candy Crush and shouting at politicians on TV.
We took a trip to Springfields yesterday, had lunch at Frankie and Benny’s and looked for shoes for Julia.
F&B aren’t doing the same lunch deals anymore, though I’m not sure the price is any higher. It’s just that you feel happier after a meal when you think you’ve also saved a couple of quid. Of course, that could just be me.
To be fair, the burgers were juicy, the chips were plentiful but the special sauce wasn’t special. They keep changing the sauce and it’s never been an improvement yet. This latest monstrosity is pink, and has bits in it, a bit like the old-fashioned “sandwich spread” you used to get in jars. Or, to be less subtle, a bit like vomit.
Lunch
I liked the old, red, sticky, chilli sauce.
In case I’ve been a bit too subtle – I wasn’t keen on the sauce. But the burger and chips were good. I thought I might make this Scone Chronicles XXI, but then I thought about it and decided burgers aren’t really scones. I’ve already sneaked prawn sandwiches and fish and chips in this week so more non-scones could be, I think, a bit too much.
We then discovered that all the decent shops have moved out and there’s a rather dull selection left. It was a struggle to find the right shoes at the right price. We go to shopping outlets for shopping and recreation (we’re very dull these days) but it’s just like going shopping in town, apart from the air being fresher and the trip taking longer.
We didn’t even find anything particularly exciting in the bookshop – I bought a new set of The Chronicles of Narnia, but I could have bought that in any branch of “The Works”. I didn’t need to drive across Lincolnshire.
This morning I’ve already written to an auction house – part of a seven week saga of lost and badly described goods, plus poor service and lack of urgency. It looks like I might have my money back within days.
I’ve also written to the skip company. That’s only taken two weeks so far…
Why can’t everyone just be efficient and deliver what they are paid for?
A very good question!
🙂
Why were you buying a set of the Chronicles of Narnia? My mum bought one for my daughter but she hasn’t read the books and now wants to sell the set. Maybe I should investigate how much they cost at The Works before doing anything.
Because I haven’t read them for about 10 years, and a re-reading is long overdue! They were £10 in a slip case.
That’s interesting to know. Probably not worth us trying to sell them then.
That sauce does look nasty. My least favourite sauce anywhere is BBQ. I don’t like burgers that you can’t eat like a burger.
I like quite a variety of sauces but pink sauce with bits in it is beyond the pale. I have to confess I quite like BBQ sauce, though all sauce is bad, I’m told. 🙂
Shops are still struggling to survive, on the high street, in out-of-town retail parks and inner city malls.
People don’t use the word precinct any more, do they! The word makes me think of rather bleak concrete constructions with puddles and litter in corners and the breath being knocked out of me by the wind-tunnel effect that most shopping centres used to have in the 70’s and 80’s.
On a lighter note, I appreciated your description of your meal, especially the pink sauce! Yum!
I bought myself a new set of Narnia books a couple of years ago and afterwards read Rowan Williams’ book ‘The Lion’s World: a Journey into the Heart of Narnia’ which I thought was quite a good read.
I didn’t realise there was so much commentary on Narnia, or that Rowan Williams had written so many books – it’s a whole new world.
😀
You question doesn’t have an answer unfortunately but it is still a good question.
🙂