A day (or two) in the life...

On Friday Partner-who-loves-tea and I went to Carr Farm garden centre on the Wirral and got some artificial flowers to make a little corsage for her dress for Helen and Ian’s wedding next month. I’m really looking forward to the family’s Big Event of the Year (probably of the Decade!).

Then we had a stroll around the charity shops in Hoylake. This is a town on the Wirral which has been going downhill for years and whilst we like the charity shops we bemoaned the absence of anywhere to have a coffee (other than the place that gave Jo food poisoning last year). We drooled outside a Thai restaurant for a while and resolved to have a meal there one day. Then we paid a trip to West Kirby and as we settled down to a coffee we were joined unexpectedly by a former colleague of Jo’s and had a pleasant chat until the volume and heat in the café became unbearable.

A brief visit to the health food stores in Heswall and the local supermarket in Pensby rounded off the day out and after reviewing our purchases we settled down to a cup of tea (or two – or three) and a word puzzle. Our traditional crossword has been joined by a Times Polygon or Daily Mail Word Wheel. These are composed of a set of nine letters from which one has to make a nine letter word and as many four or more letter words as possible, all containing one key letter.

I got my novel’s first rejection letter for which I am suitably grateful. Why, you may ask, am I grateful? The answer lies in statistics. If even the best of authors get a dozen or so rejection letters before someone accepts them then you have to get a load of rejections out of the way before you get any interest. So each rejection letter will take me nearer the possibility of an acceptance. Similarly, the more times I lose on the lottery the more I increase my chances of winning on it. (Please don’t disillusion me, Mark, by pointing out I’m not being mathematically logical. I have my little dream world and I’m quite happy in it.)

A quick look around the garden in the drippy rain was followed by some dinner which included a Co-op Truly Irresistible Limited Edition Homity Pie. Jo bought this for me because it ‘Sounded like you’. I’m not sure whether she was referring to the old-fashioned name, the idea that I am irresistible, or the thought that it was a limited edition!

And then it was off to bed with a book. Such was my Friday.

Saturday – I’ve forgotten already. I remember a bit of gardening between the showers. I can recall the 18th June 1971 really well but I’ve forgotten yesterday – how sad is that?

Today is Father’s Day. Why is the apostrophe always put between the ‘r’ and the ‘s’ instead of after the s. Is it only for one father? I Googled Father’s Day and those sites that didn’t have it between the ‘r’ and ‘s’ simply omitted it altogether.

I’m currently watching ‘Something for the Weeekend’. I really like the combination of Simon Rimmer, Tim Lovejoy and the truly beautiful Louise Redknapp.

Simon Rimmer

Tim Lovejoy and Louise Redknapp

Simon’s recipes, the celebrity chat, the gadgets, even the cocktail bit are great fun. It’s somewhat ironic that the programme is a gentle Sunday morning stroll through life, suitable for all the family with nothing offensive or blue and yet in my youth ‘Something for the Weekend’ was a euphemism for a condom.

I’ve done an hour’s gardening this morning and the sun is still out so I may get some more done later. There are some presents sitting invitingly near me but I can’t open them until Jo gets back from work. (Imagine sound of me tapping fingers on table impatiently…) Hope you are having a good day….