10 April 2023 (Monday) - A Birthday

 

I slept well, and woke to the miserable morning that had been forecast. With so much that I could have been doing on Friday I’d had to be in at work. And with so much else I could be doing today, it was pouring hard outside.
As I sulked I made toast and had a look at the Internet. It was still there. And as ever, squabbles abounded. Some local half-wit was replying to absolutely every post on the local Facebook page suggesting that people just ask Google, and was getting exactly the sort of replies he’d set out to get.

There were a few photos from people who were braving the weather. Lydden Hill Race Circuit was going ahead with what they had planned, despite the weather. As were the horse races at Aldington that had been our plan for today.

 

As “er indoors ^TM” sorted dog brekkie I drove round to B&Q. I picked up what I wanted (plant food and a new hose pipe) and walked to the tills. As I came to the till so a po-faced member of their staff pulled a barrier across the one till which had a person working on it, glared at me like I was the shit on her shoe, then she and five other members of staff (I counted!) sniggered with each other as they watched all the customers fighting with the self-service tills. I (rather loudly) announced that if I was going to have to operate the checkout myself, I would do it somewhere cheaper.

I drove round to Wickes. B&Q had been selling twenty metres of hose pipe for forty-eight quid. Wickes were selling thirty metres of the stuff for fifteen quid. And (as a bonus) the girl on the checkout smiled and was civil.

It pays to shop around.

 

I went on down to Folkestone where I collected “Daddy’s Little Angel ^TM”, “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” and  “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM”. As we drove home through thick fog so “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” told me all about what fog is. He’s quite a bright lad.

We came home and “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” put “Best Dubstep Mix 2020 [Brutal Dubstep Drops]”. Have you ever heard that? If not, click here to see and hear what you are missing. It is truly dreadful. After about thirty seconds it was turned off to his dismay. He was instead allowed to watch videos of “Geo Dash”; perhaps best described as a psychedelic version of Super Mario Brothers.

 

We then drove round to the Bybrook Harvester where we met “My Boy ^TM” and Cheryl. With pretty much everything possible for “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM”’s birthday being rained off, we’d booked a family dinner.

The last time I went to the Harvester was in August 2017 for another family dinner when a very small “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” screamed pretty much the entire time. Today both littluns were very good; I’d certainly take them both back again. And bearing in mind how much food “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM” dropped on the floor, I would try to smuggle in a small dog to clear up after her.

 

With dinner scoffed we walked over to the garden centre. When “My Boy ^TM” and “Daddy’s Little Angel ^TM” were small we would go there on a Sunday afternoon armed with some bread to feed the fish in the outside pond. Everyone else wanted to feed the ducks; we would feed the fish.

The fish are still there; they are *huge*!

Whilst we were there we popped in to the shoe shop bit to say hello to Tracey. I got some new shoes too. The ones I got a month or so ago never fitted right and really hurt. Here’s hoping the new ones fit better.

 

We drove “Daddy’s Little Angel ^TM” and littluns back to Folkestone, then slobbed in front of the telly for a bit watching “Dreamland”. According to Wikipedia it is a comedy. Whilst it was entertaining, I didn’t laugh. For me the attraction was that it was filmed in places that I recognize. We watched a couple of episodes; it might improve.

 

And in closing, as well as being “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM”’s first birthday, today marks one year since we got the pups. This time last year I wrote “The little boy seems quite amiable and friendly. The little girl seems rather frightened of everyone and everything and feels she needs her brother to protect her”.

Morgan is still very amiable and friendly, but Bailey has got too brave for her own good.