I was eating virtuous porridge at 6.30, ready to start work in good time. But first I had to speak to the milkman. He limped, rather more than I usually do. He broke his ankle in November, apparently, but continued working as there was no one to take over his job. Just before Christmas, he turned his foot and damaged some ligaments. Ow.
The Indian chap who runs a little shop near the high school called at 8 o’clock, which I could have done without as I wanted to get on. He asked for five cabbages; when I charged £3.50, he offered 60p apiece. I refused and he asked why. I said that I only worked there and it was up to Al, if he wished, to give a discount. Then he took £1.53-worth of bananas – just as well I said he could have them for £1.50, as that was all he offered me. Fair enough, I dutifully bargain, as expected, when I’m in India, if appropriate.
We were more-or-less set up by 9, when I had to leave. I was, I must say, a little annoyed on my return to find that Eileen had cut the outside leaves off all the cauliflowers when I had said to leave some, as they would keep better for tomorrow. They are locally grown and delivered every other day. Eileen hates to have anything on a shelf that could possibly be displayed, but you can’t sell all your stock every day and it keeps better in a cool dark box. I’d not have minded if I’d said nothing, but I had.
The meeting was fine. We were vastly entertained by D, who had been asked to discuss some concerns regarding the venue of our lectures. The administrator arrives for work at 10 am and is, soon afterwards, found eating her breakfast. When D met her for an 11 o’clock appointment, the lass was eating toast. She explained the conversation – she has a wonderfully tactful, yet forthright turn of phrase. Someone wondered if she had spoken to other members of staff. “I am placing my liaison through her – and her piece of toast” clarified D. I cracked up.
This afternoon, I realised that, at half-past three, I had been too busy to eat lunch. In the next few minutes I started to become slightly incoherent and talk backwards, but was still too busy to eat for a while. This is just as well. I have rigourised my diet as I suspect I have regained a lb or two of those shed before Christmas.
Literally talk backwards, as if a Satan-worshipper, or odd words out of place, like Yoda?
I used to eat breakfast at work, but that was when I was working on site as a civil engineer and starting work at 7am. Toast at nearly 11 means a cush number in my book…
As for eileen and the cauliflowers, what can you do? I supposee you could say ‘did you forget we talked about not cutting off the outer leaves?’ If she said sorry I forgot, then all well and good, but if she shay ‘no, I thought we should do x, y & z’ then I feel a gentle reminder of who’s boss may be called for.
As usual, apologies for the typos in the last comment…..
Having someone not do as you asked, gets my ire up every time.
I may have mentioned Yagnub…I said please when I meant thank-you and I forgot what courgettes are called. Things like that.
Eileen has more than a touch of OCD and finds it hard to leave well alone. She doesn’t work on a Wednesday (she’s retired, but works part-time) and mentioning it two days later would constitute nagging, which is awfully boring – it’s all right, I’ll irritate her and she’ll be too polite to mention it before the end of the week! She was absolutely good-humoured about being left on her own for a whole morning, which is kind.
all’s well really then!
A demonstration of how many leaves should be left on might help. I know that when I select a cauliflower I look for one with fewer leaves attached because it will weigh less, therefore cost less and I am all about saving a penny. Perhaps she hadn’t had breakfast yet!)
They are grown by a local market gardener, and arrive as they are cut, with the leaves still curved around the head. Al trims back the leaves, though doesn’t remove them entirely, to show the head, so you can see its size and quality, but they keep best with the leafy cover. They are all sold for the same price and not weighed.
Mmmm, i love porridge…and its good for you too!
Yes, I like it and it’s very sustaining if you are working all morning.
All our vegies have been more expensive lately because they are trucked here from California. A snow storm closed the Freeway for a while and the prices immediately shot up.
I think it would be fabulous to experience a head of cauliflower as fresh as those you describe.