Tights, Teeth, And Truss

I needed a few groceries, and Bob was going into Norwich to look round the new Hospice site. So I begged a lift, and he dropped me off at the big Sainsburys. How I loathe and detest all these black and orange plastic decorations for Halloween which are festooned about the place. I hurried along with my trolley and found myself in the Christmas aisle.

I wasn't concentrating properly. I actually stopped and went back to look again. I'd thought the sign was advertising falafels

I did not have a lot of stuff to buy, but I did want a pair of tights [in that shade variously called nude, bamboo, or hazelnut]  They only had them in Maternity sizes, all the other tights were black. The assistant said she was sorry, it was supply issues. "It's been like it all summer, and when we have had a few pairs in, they've sold out immediately" Which is exactly what they told me in Tesco last week. 

I took my bags up to the café, and ordered a coffee in my Stojo mug. The girl at the counter said she had never been asked to do the refillable-cup thing before. I forebore to say "Well, it helps save the planet and it saves me five shillings" as I suspected she would not know what a shilling was!

I had taken some small sewing with me and sat down and stitched away happily. I looked around - the store seemed very quiet, and the few café customers were either OAPs, young mums with buggies, or grans with buggies. Three OAPs arrived at the table next to me - one stayed to mind the bags whilst the others queued for coffee. She asked about my sewing, and told me they had come in on the Community Bus. How often does it run? I asked "I don't know, I am 92" she replied. Her friends returned- and one found the chair too heavy to move into place - so I got up to help. The other found the knee-high table too low for her coffee cup and balanced it on her knees. "This young woman is sewing" said 92 year old [I guess in comparison, I am young, at 67] They did not stop long, worried they would miss their bus home.

A couple of months ago, Liz and I nearly had coffee in the café - but Liz declared it to be totally lacking in atmosphere, and we'd strolled up to M&S instead. I knew I'd got an hour to kill, but didn't want to take up a space in that smaller, but much nicer establishment. I sat there and realised the noisy overhead fans [air-con, heating??] made conversation difficult, especially for the hard of hearing. The place was less than 25% full - and once the two Mums with buggies, and the grandparent with her charge, went downstairs in the lift, there were just 26 of us - and I was clearly the youngest!! The decor is soulless and all hard surfaces, it's large with a high ceiling. They could do so much more to make it an inviting place to stop for a coffee.  I was grateful that I could have WhatsApp conversations with Liz and Steph as I stitched.

Then I began to get anxious - we had appointments at 2 and 2.20 at the dentist. It is 45 mins from Cornerstones. I was 25 minutes from home. And I hadn't cleaned and flossed thoroughly. I sent Bob an urgent message. His event had taken longer than planned. But he reached me at 12.35, and we sped home. Just to say, embroidery floss is not as efficient at dental floss, especially when travelling at speed down the A47

We got home, brushed [and flossed] thoroughly. We were in the waiting room by 1.55. Both check-ups went well, but I am getting a replacement for my ancient partial denture which no longer fits properly [left lower jaw] . He fitted one for me at the start of the year [right upper] and I have been saving up for this one ever since. I shall be smiling a lot by December.

We came back via Wymondham Waitrose - having had no food since breakfast - they have a very pleasant café. And they did have tights in store! And Bob found some delicious yellow-stickered fishcakes for our evening meal. But I felt that prices had gone up considerably since I was last in Waitrose. We bought very few other items. Home at 5pm, having left at 9.15. Shopping unpacked and put away. 

We had a cuppa and watched the BBC News Channel. 

As I type this, Grant Shapps is Home Secretary and Liz Truss is still PM. By the time you read this, who knows? 

And this 'young' woman is still sewing!