Today I have been quite efficient. Up bright and early I sorted out a load of washing, which was on the line in the garden by 10.00. I had already breakfasted as I was heading out midmorning, so I made sure Phil was organised and set off the catch a bus to Oldham. It’s just as well I was at the stop in plenty of time as the bus came trundling down The Sound (the pretentiously named sloping road down from the village centre to the crossroads) a good five minutes early.
I was due at the dentist at 11.45. The bus arriving early, and significantly not pausing en route for catch-up as they sometimes do, gave me some extra time and so I popped into the library to hunt, rapidly, for some extra reading matter. As a result I the had to step up the pace to walk down Ashton Road to the clinic. Phew! just in tIme. Almost straight in for my check-up. No problems! Then the minor torture of cleaning and polishing! I swear I will tell any secrets! I would not make a good spy. Ut 15 minutes later I was out of there and getting on with my day.
My walk back into oldham centre was rather more leisurely. I had an agenda. First stop: Holland and Barrett health food shop for broken mixed nuts (Phil likes to add them to his breakfast cereal) and whatever else took my fancy: raisins coated in yoghurt, prunes, dried blueberries to add to cakes and scones! Somehow there is always something extra. Next was the indoor market. On my way in I spotted a poster for a Portuguese restaurant and remembered that a friend had told me that they do very good Portuguese street food.
It took some finding. You need to walk up and down the aisles to find specific stalls in the indoor market. In a mix of English, Spanish and my rather inferior Portuguese, I bought some fishy/shellfishy snacks. That’s this evening’s meal sorted! The stallholder told me my Portuguese was very Brazilian! We had a little chat. One of the ladies there told me that she came from Figueira da Foz, a place we have visited often for chess and tourism purposes. Small world syndrome strikes again!
Then I headed for the fruit and veg stall near the exit. I knew exactly where that was! Laden now with fruit and veg as well as nuts and dried fruit, I reconsidered my plan to walk down to Sainsbury’s. Looking at my watch, I decided I was pretty much in time for the 1.00 350 bus to Delph, assuming that it did not go ahead of schedule too. So, no Sainsbury’s today. The bus arrived a few minutes after I reached to stop.
It’s been a splendid day and the roadside was festooned with daffodils of various varieties, once we were out of the more built-up parts of the town. Indeed, it was positively warm. I have walked round the town centre carrying my jacket instead of wearing it.
About two thirds of the way home, a young girl got breathlessly onto the bus. She explained to the driver that she had had a day saver ticket and now could not find it. She thought she had perhaps lost it as she ran for the bus. Now, I have frequently seen bus-drivers in such circumstances waving youngsters through without demanding any further payment. Ours was clearly of the grumpy school and stared at the girl suspiciously as he told her she needed to buy a new ticket. She had no money. She was on her way home to Delph, she explained. Too bad! At that point I asked how much a ticket to Delph would be: £1.50! So I gave the girl the money. My good deed for the day. She could have been one of my grandchildren. I hope people would help them out in such circumstances.
I guess our bus-driver might be a Tory and would approve of plans to send asylum seekers off the Rwanda. Here is Michael Rosen’s “comment” on that plan:
“Dear Priti
Great plan for refugees and Rwanda! (Remind me, where is Rwanda?). I thought the old 'hulks' idea was good too. I loved that bit in 'Great Expectations' where we get a glimpse of the shackles the prisoners wore but Rwanda is certainly sunnier.
Custodies cruellia
Boris”
I heard a spokesperson for the government on the radio telling us we already take more asylum seekers than other countries! Where do they get these statistics from? I wonder.
And then there is this, which popped up on my social media today:
“HOW DOES BORIS "GET OFF ME" JOHNSON MANAGE TO GET AWAY WITH IT?
"Police have said a student who held a house party has become one of the first people in the country to pay a £10,000 fine under coronavirus legislation.
The 20-year-old student was issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice after the party was spotted in the Lenton area of Nottingham on 20 October.
Mixing of households indoors was banned at the time in Nottingham.
Nottinghamshire Police said the fine should "send out a warning" to others who break coronavirus law......"”
I did wonder about the, rather paltry, amount of fines that appear to have been handed out to our parliamentary law-breakers. Perhaps the further back the offence, the smaller the fine. We’ll see what happens as more parties are investigated. But no resignations appear to be happening. Here’s Michael Rosen again:
“Dear Mogg
Hark how my noble troops stand by their leader! Lo how the mean-spirited media struggle to find the disloyal! Was there ever a praetorian guard so praetorian? We will ignore the treachery of Lord Nobody who has jumped ship like Icarus from the moon.
Vas deferens
Boris”
Hey! Ho!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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