Spare a thought for Gardener Dave and Hannah. For reasons known only to their boss, rather than come to us in the morning this week, they arrived after midday. “He sent us to Cranleigh,” Dave said. It’s the first time they’ve worked at ours in the afternoon. And, while it didn’t make a lot of difference to us, it did mean we were treated to the sight of them both getting soaked when the clouds rolled in and the rain pelted them.
It was a shame because this morning was glorious. I went shopping in my straw hat, the weather was so good.
Actually, I had an 11 o’clock appointment at the opticians but Suki was not well so my apppointment was changed to next week. Either way, this had the effect of making me shop later than I prefer. Which means crowds at Starbucks and the noise from the post kid drop off crowd.
It was all non-stop for Jaz behind the coffee machine. She was like a relentless automaton, moving cups and drinks without a break. I wished her luck as I left for Waitrose.
Of course, being late, Waitrose was full of the people who don’t know how to shop and I was assailed from all sides, by trolleys and people staring at, or talking to their phones. And they’re all in such a rush. I may have held up a few of them.
Shopping done, I popped into Boots only to discover that they no longer appear to sell tooth tabs, preferring to litter the world with toothpaste tubes instead. I shall have to find a new supplier, clearly. I then headed for the bank in order to change four old, paper based £20 notes. Today was the last day you could exchange them in the bank. Fortunately. Had it been last week, I’d have missed out, given I was in Oz.
I didn’t miss out on getting wet, however, as Dave took me on a tour of what they had both accomplished. As usual, they worked very hard, giving the garden a massive makeover. The grass, in particular, was reduced in height to the extent that we will no longer lose Freya in it.
Dave also told us about his son’s Birmingham wedding and Dave’s unsuccessful attempt to wear a turban for the event. His new daughter-in-law, comes from a Sikh family and Dave volunteered to look the part. Unfortunately, when the turban was being wrapped around his head, it was a bit too tight and only served to squeeze his skull. He lasted about ten minutes.
He also enthused about their stay in Como. He loved it and didn’t want to leave. I said I agreed with him. I loved Como. Not sure about wearing a turban though.
As the rain continued and the gardeners had left, Mirinda worked in the library and I spent time in my office. It was just like old times.
And I made roast salmon and räksallad for dinner.
Tomorrow is Christmas cake making day so there’s no eggs in the salad.
