Flat work

Mirinda had Book Group today (Mary Collier and her poetry) so I took the opportunity to go up to the flat and hit it with the cleaning bucket.

(As a bit of a sideways step, Mary Collier was quite an amazing woman. Born in around 1688 into a very poor family, she was taught to read and write. This was very rare. And she used this knowledge to write poetry. At first it was to entertain people but then, an obnoxious man called Duck wrote a poem claiming that working women didn’t work as hard as men.

Mary quickly penned a stinging riposte saying that women worked just as hard as men but when the men went to bed to rest up for the next working day, the women were still toiling away with household management. Her employer, having heard her poetry, convinced her to publish her work, which she did.

As well as writing poetry, presumably in her scant spare time, Mary worked as a laundress, a brewer and in general labour up until she was 63. She died shortly after reaching 70.)

I left early, which was fortunate because when I arrived, Mirinda sent me a very long shopping list for her weekly food. Two shopping trips later and I actually started cleaning up.

That’s not exactly true. Before I started the cleaning I had to fix the Netflix app on the TV. This completed (and sushi lunch devoured) I hit the cleaning.

It was a grim old day with spattery rain most of the day. Not that that concerned me, being safe and dry in the flat.

On the way home, I stopped off at Sainsbury’s to shop for dinner, as it was quite late and Waitrose is further.

Now, I realise we’ve been shopping at Waitrose for a long time and perhaps our mouths have been somewhat spoiled but the difference in quality was amazing. The pork was tough and the thick noodles were pathetic. I thought the veg was fine but Mirinda reckoned even they didn’t taste as good. I guess I won’t be making that mistake again.