Monday 13 October 2008

Reading newspapers in the bath

Whenever Dilly or the children, all of whom are in contact with school and pre-school children, catch something, Al gets it too, only worse. Since we all caught a nasty infection back in the spring, he's caught anything going and gets it worse than anyone else. Today, he was scheduled to be home with the children anyway until 4 o'clockish and he took a duvet on to the sofa and let Squiffany look after him and her little brother.

"Daddy's got a bug" I said. Pugsley, who has discovered the joy of language and being cheeky with it, said "Daddy's got a spider. Daddy's got a scary spider. Daddy's got a fly, yuck. Daddy's got a big black beetle. Daddy's got a wiggly worm. Daddy's got a creepy crawly".

I blame his father. He always did have a way with words.

I offered to go in and take over the shop from Tim, and Al must have been feeling rotten, as he agreed. I had a meeting in Norwich first, so I did a bit of shopping before I came home (clothes! Little clothes in yet a smaller size!), heated up some minestrone for lunch - yes, there's still a good quart left - and cycled in to the shop. Lovely Tim took in the notice boards and the pumpkins to save me time later.

D'you know - Al is selling 19 different varieties of apples in the shop at present, all of them not only English but grown in Norfolk or Yagnub. He's also selling 3 or 4 varieties of English pears. I think that's pretty damn good.

A friendly customer stayed chatting until nearly half past 5 and it was 6.30 by the time I arrived home, then took the takings and the list for tomorrow through to Al, had my offer to open up tomorrow accepted, came indoors, answered a comment on the other blog, printed off various papers and left for the next meeting. I got home half an hour ago to find that the Sage had cooked dinner for me.

Apart from writing up notes from tonight's meeting, sending a couple of emails and getting ready for tomorrow afternoon's meeting (a third committee, none of them connected with another), I shall relax for the rest of the evening. Unless there is something in the newspaper to annoy me.

Oh, by the way, the reason I find all available background colours too bright has just occurred to me. Macs are bright. It's a deliberate ploy to impress potential customers.

15 comments:

Dandelion said...

Now, I've got to take issue with this. I just can't help it. But it's nothing to do with it being a Mac, it's simply that the available options that blogger gives you, happen to be rather bright. Even for we poor slum-dwelling pc users.

May I suggest you google "hex colours", and pick your own? That's what I do.

Pat said...

I used to have Ribston Pippins, Worcester Pearmains and Bramleys in my old house. They were great and I didn't have to do anything.

Pat said...

Does what Dandelion says mean that there is something in which blogger outshines a Mac? Surely not.

Dandelion said...

Apples and pears, Pi, apples and pears.

The opposite of Mac is PC, but blogger is common to both.

Anonymous said...

19 varieties of apples? I had no idea there were so many and I'm from Washington State-the alleged apple capitol of the U.S. Maybe a nice homemade apple pie would make Al feel better.

Dave said...

You'll be wearing the grandchildren's clothes soon.

Z said...

I'm not saying Macs being brighter is an improvement on PCs, Dandelion, and sometimes I turn the brightness down anyway - Ro suggests it's in part a sales ploy. They are all pretty awful Blogger colours, and maybe one day I'll get around to doing something about it.

There are hundreds of apple varieties, Martina, but we mostly eat the same few which are grown commercially. I'll get around to listing them if I am not too busy in the shop this morning.

Z said...

Dave, I'm looking forward to receiving their cast-offs. Expect me to become a very juvenile granny in ten years or so. I have a pair of Al's old jeans, M&S age 13, from when he was a skinny little boy (he's now a skinny man) and I am using those as my guide to when I'm thin enough. I can get them on, do up the waist but not the zip.

BTW, Dand, nice pick-up of apples and pears.

Dandelion said...

Thank you! I enjoyed it.
I'm not just a pretty face you know :-)

Anonymous said...

Ringo Starr. Bless, eh?

http://www.ringostarr.com/videos.php

Z said...

Bless, indeed. I guess I can't expect a Christmas card from Ringo this year then, can I?

luckyzmom said...

I think your frequent color changes are refreshing.

At our previous home in Washington state we had an Asian pear, a Bartlett and a Red Bartlett. Our apple trees were a Grannie, an Empire, a Gala, a Northern Spy, a Golden Delicious and a Red Delicious. I miss the fruit but not the work associated with them. My favorite tree was our Italian Plum. I had a bench under it where I would sit and watch the progress of the fruit. Then there was the Nectarine that our daughter gave her father on Father's Day one year; the Montmorecy pie, Bing and Van cherries, the Green Gage and the Rosa Plum, but I can't remember the variety of the peach.

I am feeling sad now and missing our previous home.

Z said...

Oh, sorry to remind you, LZM *hug*.

I'm intrigued by Northern Spy, never come across that one.

luckyzmom said...

I understand it was the variety that Johnny Appleseed spred across America? It is a vary old variety and hard to find.

luckyzmom said...

Not to worry about the reminder. The carrots were also a reminder as we lived just a couple of miles from Greenbluff, WA which is a community of pick your own produce and fruits. One of our first trips there we pulled the most perfect carrots out of one of the endless rows. We also picked the choicest Norlund red potatoes and Kennebec russets once a year.

Not so sad now. We had some wonderful times.