The internet was rather
dull as I scoffed toast. But not as dull as the morning's radio. As we took the
short drive to the woods the sports news was on. They really might have been
continually repeating "blah blah sport" for all that it
interested me. I have always maintained that sport is to be done, not watched.
And as for listening to some has-beens (or never-were) talking about
sporting events that happened yesterday... I suppose enough people must be
interested in this to have it on the radio...
We
got to the woods and had a good walk. Everyone behaved and came when called (eventually).
No one rolled in anything disgusting. All in all, a good walk.
As
we drove out of the car park I saw there were a lot of "non dog walkers"
in the car park. There are two sorts of people who go to the woods. The dog
walkers park as close to the path into the woods as they can. The non dog
walkers park by the entrance and then just sit in their cars. The same people
sitting in their cars when we arrive will still be sitting in their cars when
we leave an hour later. There were quite a few of these today.
I
realise the woods are a rather pretty place to be, but sitting in the car park?
Narrowly
avoiding a collision with a van from J Knight and Sons we made our way home.
I've often remarked on the fallacy of having your business emblazoned on the
side of your van if you are going to drive like a lunatic.
I
settled the dogs, and set off on another shopping mission. I shall need more
pond hose, rocks and cobbles for the planned pond project so I got that from
Bybrook Barn. Eventually. No one told me that the main road going west out of
Ashford was closed. It took a while to navigate the diversions.
Bybrook
Barn also had a new attraction; a "Compost Drive Thru"; I
decided against that. however they didn't have the bits I need for the upgrade
to the pond's fountain so I went to the pond shop in Notcutts where I found a
rather helpful assistant. A great improvement on the miserable one I
encountered in Aylesford yesterday. I explained what I wanted, and the girl in
Notcutts was quite honest. She didn't know if she had anything, so she rummaged
under the counter and dug out her box of odds and sods and said I could have a
rummage to see if I could find anything useful.
I
did.
As
I walked back to my car a passing elderly couple were telling all and sundry to
avoid the butchers in Notcutts as "it smelled rank". I didn't
small anything as I walked past; I wonder how many people they put off going in
there?
I
then had a stroke of genius and realised that my next project required paving
slabs, so I went to Wickes. How easy to type "I went to Wickes". Have
you ever tried to drive thought Maidstone. usually I go right round the
outside, but Wickes is right in the middle, and Maidstone has a (frankly)
bloody awful one-way system. But I got there, and as I queued to pay there was
a near punch-up. I must admit that the chap in front of me did himself no
favours. He was standing around some five yards from the tills. I asked if he
was in the queue; he glared at me, walked back another five yards and said it
was a socially distanced queue. So socially distanced that another shopper
didn't even realise there was a queue and went straight up to the tills. The
chap advocating social distancing might be scared of COVID-19 but he certainly
wasn't scared of people pushing in. It was rather entertaining, but I managed
not to laugh out loud.
I
then put my back out heaving the larger paving slabs into the car. The first
fruit of my loin says he'll help me move them tomorrow.
With
a little time on my hands I popped to Sainsburys (as I'd forgotten to pick
up lunch). I saw that petrol prices are falling, and that Sainsbury's in
Aylesford are selling the stuff seven pence a litre cheaper than in Ashford.
And
so to work where having cake made for a rather good day. Unlike “er indoors TM”
who messaged me a photo of little Bailey who had smothered herself in fox poo. She
don't do that when I walk her... but I suppose that what with today being
"International Dog Day" she did it as a celebration.
And
just as I was on the final stretch at work my phone rang. Dad had been taken
ill and an ambulance was on the way. I left work immediately. And as I drove I
got the message that the ambulance was taking him to the hospital in
Eastbourne. Maidstone to Eastbourne in the dark wasn’t the best of trips, but I
arrived in the car park at the same time as my brother, and we actually beat
the ambulance with Dad and sister in law by a couple of minutes.
After
a lot of waiting and waiting I eventually got in to see him… He’d had a stroke
and didn’t seem to be in a good way. Eventually the staff moved him to a ward,
and it was clear that he needed a good night’s sleep, and there was nothing more
to be achieved by our hanging round getting in everyone’s way…
I got home at one o’clock…
which was a lot earlier than I had expected.
