Weather, washing, visits and buses!

Apparently we are due for a heatwave this weekend. Temperatures as high as 18 degrees are forecast, a temperature that in some parts of the world is still considered to be quite wintery. But then, everything is relative.

The weather app on my phone, by way of a contrast, forecasts rain for our area for the weekend. So I suppose that as usual the weather forecast for Britain really only means the Southeast. We shall see!

Today has been a good start to a patch of fine weather - blue sky and sunshine from the word go. However, in view of my phone app’s predictions I am not planning any picnics for the next few days.

So what have I done with today’s fine weather? Well, what every north of England housewife does: wash everything that is not neatly folded away in a cupboard. You can’t waste a good washing day after all.

Halfway through my washing and cleaning spree we were interrupted by the arrival of someone we have not seen for a fair few years: a young man who used to play chess for Phil’s teams and incidentally supplemented his pocket money by babysitting for us. I refer to him as a young man but, considering that the babies he used to sit will be 40 and 38 this year, I suppose he cannot be so very young. Mind you, compared to us he is a veritable spring chicken. Everything is relative, once again. 

So we gave him tea and biscuits and caught up on news. He and Phil swapped stories about backache and vitamin deficiencies. All good stuff. And we criticised the education system in depth (despite having primary school teachers as parents and therefore knowing how hard teachers work, he has become a teacher) and proved to our own satisfaction that we could sort it all out in a much better fashion.

I have moaned a good deal over the years about our local bus services. We have spoken to local counsellors about the problem and have even had communication with our MP. Now it seems that we are about to have a new service, specifically for our village and our closest neighbouring villages. The following claim has been made: “The timetable has been scheduled to coincide with rail services at Greenfield station into Manchester, connecting with the last train in from the city centre. Perfect for your daily commute or some evening shopping.”

Ambitious stuff! I wait with bated breath!