Z is annoyed by phones

I phoned and got an answerphone, saying that if I left my number they'd ring back. I did and they didn't.

It's one of those things, isn't it? As soon as you're trying to keep the line free, either you have overwhelming urges to make other phone calls or you receive whole strings of them from friends. Two people did ring, overlapping each other of course, so one had to leave a message, but keeping the Sage off the phone for an hour or two is an impossibility. Before Broadband came to the village and using the internet meant that people couldn't ring you and if you picked up the phone you cut off the internet, to the fury of the one using it, I had an extra phone line put on for Ro. We paid the rental, he paid the calls. It meant no friction between him and his father; one learns things after years of having teenage children. Of course, the Sage and I snapped at each other periodically; usually I at him because I always remembered to ask him if he wanted to use the phone before going online, and he rarely checked if I was before picking up the receiver. Then he'd slam the phone down, say "Sorry", but it was too late. The internet could have destroyed our marriage, but broadband saved it.

Anyway, now of course one can use the phone through the internet, so that's the one I directed the Sage to this morning, although he has lost one of the receivers; the one that plays a jolly tune. I phoned it, but evidently the battery is flat as it didn't ring. The Sage is looking hangdog. Two blunders. He's running errands for me now, to demonstrate his usefulness and indispensability.

So, eventually I rang back and it was answered straight away. "Oh, I don't think calls are returned until after noon." Fine, why doesn't their message say so, then?

I've sent some of my more interesting tomato plants to the shop for Al - that is, the varieties are interesting, with names like Black Russian, Czech's Excellent Yellow and Brandywine. It rained all morning and I thought I'd have an excuse to drive to the school, as I have to arrive tidy this afternoon as I'm helping interview. But it's stopped. I hope I don't get too splashed on the way.