Testing times!

Today I went for an eye test and had certain elements of my test administered by a charming young lady whose name badge announced that she was called Sandra. I spent a good deal of time resting my chin and forehead on gadgets intended to check my peripheral vision, puff air into my eyes to measure pressure, take photos of the back of my eyes before being handed on to a more senior optometrist (when did they stop being just opticians?) for the eye test proper.

Returning to Sandra to select glasses, I felt we had got to know each other sufficiently for me to comment on her ever so slight accent and to ask where she came from originally: Macedonia (country of fruits salads to some people - Macédoine de fruits, etc). She has been away from her country for twelve years, studying here and there, working here and there, and now in the UK for the past year.

Considering that she looks about 18, this was hard to believe but she claims to be thirty? So we had a little chat about Brexit, the progress of her application for permanent residency, and our mutual hope that the whole thing could just go away!

As I was between buses on the route that would take me home directly, I decided to catch a bus to our local Tesco, giving me the chance to pick up a couple of food items and get a bit of a walk into the bargain. And so, supermarket purchses comleted, I walked from the Greenfield Tesco to the Uppermill baker’s shop, where I picked up one of their excellent rye loaves.

Leaving the shop I noticed a bus from the brand new service between our villages parked in the square and decided I would try to catch it. After all, if we don’t use the service someone will decide to take it away. As it happened the bus was broken down and was still sitting there when the much-moaned-about 350 bus came along to carry me homewards.

 The new service has been operational only since yesterday morning.

Is this a record for early breakdown?