Good week!

Tim is home, car looking sleek and happy, as is he. My ear is freed of its burden and I expect a sound sleep tonight, or at least a comfortable night, able to lie on whichever side I choose.

Yesterday was a very happy day, even though Tim wasn’t here. I drove to my appointment in Norwich to fetch my contact lenses (not that it needed to be a timed appointment, but never mind) and, trotting down past the market, noticed that the splendid chocolate maker from, I think, Sussex, has opened a shop opposite. Montezuma chocolate is very good, I discovered it some years ago at the local wholefood shop and have ordered it direct for presents, too. So, on the way back, I dropped in and, somehow, four bars found their way to the till and thence to my shopping bag.

I paused at the fruit’n’veg stall and bought Norfolk asparagus (including purple asparagus, which I’d read about in the local paper recently), Cornish potatoes, local strawberries and cherries from somewhere. I passed a tea shop – loose tea, not cupsful to drink – and bought Lapsang Souchong, Jasmine and Rose teas. I stopped at a herb and spice stall and stocked up on blue poppy seeds, white poppy seeds (can’t often find those), coriander seeds, sunflower seeds, linseed, sesame seeds and garlic. Then, looking for the deli stall, I was sidetracked by one that cures its own bacon. The butcher, not at the stall. So I bought several things there and then staggered back to the car. On the way home, I called on Ro, who was home with Rufus – Perdita was at nursery and Dora was at work. Rufus had left his new cap at my house and Ronan had left the pot of strawberry jam I’d given him. I also had Wink’s birthday present to Rufus. And then, leaving them, I dropped in on Rose to give her something that had erroneously been posted to her old address. We’re planning a girly lunch next week.

Wink had invited me in for lunch and then we set off to the garden centre. I’m sorry that I’d neglected this lovely nursery. It opened some 30 years ago, run by a young man with the help of his parents and my mother and I often used to visit. And then another couple started an enterprise of their own and we wanted to support them and somehow the slightly more distant one got left out. There’s also the Yagnub garden centre, where the people are lovely. So many good places, only so much purchasing power. I’d only been to the more distant (only 20 minutes drive, at most) a few times in ten years. But it was still lovely and they clearly grow a lot of their own plants – the vegetables and bedding plants, anyway. We were enthused and will certainly return soon.

I’d bought a steak, as well as the vegetables, so I asked Wink in to share it with me. One steak was adequate for the two of us and we filled up with strawberries and cherries afterwards. All three of us have noticed that we tend to eat lighter in the evenings than we used to. I think it’s an old dears’ digestion thing.

Today, my ear has been sorted out – the nice nurse showed me what she’d extracted (I was more interested than revolted) and it was tiny, a quarter of a pea sized. You wouldn’t believe that it would have caused so much discomfort. I asked for tips on not letting it happen again, so fingers crossed. And then Lovely Tim arrived home, as I said. I’d been to the supermarket, as Wink and I drank the last bottle of red wine (except the emergency Good Stuff) last night and remembered we were low on beer. So I stocked up a bit, including a bottle of Doom Bar alcohol free. And, darlings, it was entirely palatable. I won’t say it’s as good as real beer, but it’s more than acceptable. I was so put off by dreadful low-alcohol wines that I doubted the drinkability of the beer, but I’m a convert. At last a dry, non-fruity soft drink. I’ll taste my way through all the decent breweries’ 0º beer and find the best ones.

2 comments on “Good week!

  1. dinahmow

    Oh! Low alcohol wine is…n o, I shant say a rude word on your page.
    But some of the low-carb beers are very good, though I ony drink beer in summer.
    That said, I must get back to the pies in t’oven and the wine t’glass.

    Reply

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