Today I tried out my new OAP free bus pass. I applied for it on my birthday last month but today was the first time I’ve been able to use it. And, I’m happy to say, it worked perfectly. Twice.
The reason I was taking a bus was because I had to meet Len at the cottage. Len is a builder and we’d arranged to meet at 15:30. He’s going to give us a quote for, basically, digging a hole. So, being the public transport junky I am, I worked out how to get there by bus. Or, rather, buses.
And it’s surprisingly easy. First the 18 then the 13, which drops off at the Three Horseshoes.
Then, as we journeyed from Surrey to Hampshire, my phone rang. It was Len. He sounded like he was in a bit of a desperate flap. He explained that the job he was working on was a very high retaining wall. The ground was so sodden, he said, that the wall was starting to collapse. He wouldn’t be able to make the appointment.
No problem, I said, and we rearranged the appointment for Saturday morning. Poor Len, I thought. When a retaining wall stops retaining it all becomes a bit scary.
I heard another scary story today. It was a story that the woman on the check out in Waitrose told me about a bee in her house. She mentioned it because, while we discussed the ridiculously mild conditions at the moment, I happened to say that a big old bee came into my garden office yesterday, buzzed around a bit then buzzed off.
She told me about a massive bee (the size of a pigeon, no doubt) she discovered battering itself against a window in her house earlier in the year. She was concerned that the bee would hurt its wings. She knew she had to rescue it but didn’t know how to given she was concerned the bee would attack her.
I asked if she could have opened the window but she said the window was locked and she has no idea where the key is. No, she said, she had to take direct action.
She decided to go with the tried and tested glass method. She plonked a glass over the bee. She then had to find something to slide under the glass. The thing with the tried and tested glass method is you need to be prepared with a bit of paper before starting. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.
She did manage to find a bit of cardboard within reach and managed to slide it between the bee and the window. She then carried her precious cargo out the back door. She then stood there concerned. If she released the bee would it fly around and attack her, she wondered.
As it turned out, she released the bee and it flew straight towards the back of the garden, completely ignoring her.
I asked her what she thought the bee was going to do to her. She wasn’t sure but was worried about the sting. I smiled and, confidently and incorrectly, told her not to worry, because bumble bees don’t sting.
I have since read this. Bumble bees do sting but it’s different. Ignoring the bad grammar, the website is quite informative with regard to bees.
Speaking of websites…Bob bought me a bottle of Fettercairn for Christmas. Or, rather, he transferred the wherewithal and I ordered a bottle of 16 year old from the Master of Malt website. Of course, I rather fancied the 46 year old but the wherewithal wouldn’t quite cover the cost.
The bottle arrived today along with a lovely little Christmas treat. It was called ‘A dram on us’ and is the cutest little bottle. Well, it was because I drank it before bed. It was very nice.
So, thank you, Master of Malt, I’ll be back.
Which is pretty much what I had to do on the bus.
After my conversation with Len, I left the bus, crossed the road and took the next bus back home. Funnily enough, it was the same driver from my outward journey, returning from the end of the line at Whitehill.
