20 December 2023 (Wednesday) - Before the Late Shift

Having been up at five o’clock for the last three days I was making the most of the opportunity of a lie-in. I was having a particularly vivid dream in which “er indoors TM was learning morse code when I finally woke to find she had all the lights off but was taking flash photographs of Bailey. It’s not like we’re short of photos of the dogs, is it?
I got up, opened today’s window of the Advent Calendar then made some toast. I saw a colleague’s grandmother had died overnight. She’d been ill for months and the death wasn’t unexpected, but what a rotten time of year to have your gran die.
My cousin was having a break in London.
I saw a friend was jetting off to Belgium for Christmas
And there was the usual mix of nonsense too.
 
Ideally I would take the dogs to the woods for a walk in the morning before work, but Orlestone is far too wet in the winter even without the constant downpour of yesterday, and a round trip to Kings Wood would have taken too long, so we just walked round the block. A totally uneventful walk round the block. Uneventful is good.
With walk walked I did “Dog Breakfast” in which Morgan and Bailey scoff theirs as fast as they can whilst Treacle waits. And once they’ve finished she eats hers whilst the pups watch. For her the most important part of brekkie is having an audience.
I had another look at today’s Advent Calender offering, and came up with something to say. I’m not entirely sure that today’s offering wasn’t actually a dog, but it serves the plot for it to be a mouse. Not that I’ve got a plot.
 
I set off to work. Via “er indoors TM 's car. I had orders from “er indoors TM to take the old baby car seat from her car to the charity shop. I hoiked the thing form her car to mine, and was about to set off when “Daddy’s Little Angel TM” messaged telling me not to take the seat to the charity shop but to bin it .
A dilemma. 
Which orders should I follow?
Daddy’s Little Angel TM” is certainly more scary that “er indoors TM, but I contend with “er indoors TM on a far more regular basis. And she cooks my dinner too. Cooking dinner was the clincher so I went to unload the thing onto the YMCA charity shop in Brookfield Road. The nice lady in the YMCA charity shop in Brookfield Road said they couldn't take second hand car seats because of "elven safety". I thought better of saying it was for babies and not for elves, but took it to the Sue Ryder charity shop in Singleton instead. The nice lady there didn't actually tell me to stick it up my arse, but they made it quite clear that not only did they not want it, no charity shop in the country would want it either. She seemed quite affronted that I should dare to try to foist such an unwanted article onto her lovely charity shop.
I apologized for my discourtesy and told her not to worry, and that I would throw it over a hedge somewhere between Ashford and Tunbridge Wells. Judging by her expression I think she believed me.
 
I headed off west-wards, enjoying driving in daylight for a change. I drove to Brenchley where there was a virtual geocache that would keep me occupied for a few minutes, and where there wer recycling skips where I might unload the car-seat. I found the virtual geocache easily enough, but where I distinctly remembered there being recycling skips, there was only a car park. I thought better of abandoning the car seat; I'll take it to the tip tomorrow.
 
As it wasn't that far out of my way I popped into the aquatic shop in Matfield. I've been after a new fish tank for some time; they had something that might be the right size for what I need. Not too tall. Most fish tanks are far too tall. I made a note of the measurements of the thing and planned to have a measure-up when I got home.
Mind you they weren't giving the fish away. Guppies used to be a quid each. Not a fiver each.
 
I got to work… and the rest of the day was rather dull.

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