This and that, and a bit about coffee!

Rosanne and Frank 

My stepdaughter and new Italian/Australian stepson-in-law

Their wedding took place in the middle of the night on 3rd November ... my night, that is. It didn't stop me from being in Australia in spirit since I was awake most of the time, sending email at what I thought were appropriate moments... before the ceremony, naturally. Rosanne started it by sending pictures of the flowers and having her hair done and how she looked when ready to be escorted to the church. 

Joe was over the disappointment of not attending the wedding since he had a lot to contend with health-wise. Unfortunately, again health-wise, it wasn't a good night for him. The next hospital appointment for us is 7 November when we are due to see the Radiologist. I thought it was for a consultation about the proposed procedure but we've been told to allow two hours for the appointment. Hmm that will be either a long talk or a long wait. 

Waste not, want not. Yes, I’m still at it, much to the surprise of Paola, my 39 year old cleaning lady, when she caught sight of me draining an apparently empty bottle of liquid soap into a new one. I’m sure she thought I was quite mad when I explained that it was something I always do. ‘Don’t know how you've got the patience’, she said, but didn’t stop to hear my reply; well, she did have work to do. Considering the nation and the people in it are hard up I’m surprised at the lack of inventive ideas for saving a few pence. After all, a few coppers here and there really mount up. I suppose I got my training the hard way, i.e.  the aftermath of war years and a period of wage freezes in the 70’s.

A week ago we went out for our usual carvery lunch at a pub in Sutton Park. There was a party alongside our table, a celebration of a lady’s 70^th birthday, complete with children and grandchildren. A young girl, I suspect not yet a teenager, made the birthday cake which was displayed with pride. And quite right too, it was a beautiful piece of work. 

Two enormous birthday balloons in glittery gold were attached to their table, one in the shape of a 7 and the other an 0. As they waved wildly I prayed one wouldn’t burst and land on my roast pork. The young children had their iPads to play with so I don’t think they cared about the balloons. Actually, one little lad was playing a game that fascinated me although I tried really hard not to appear interested. I did keep sneaking a peek though to see how he was getting on. I would have loved to take over.

Hands up, who likes Floater Coffee? Yes, so do I. In fact floater coffee has become a must have when my friend Judy and I go out to lunch. She takes her coffee with sugar and I don’t and thereby hangs the problem. One with and one without, we order. ‘Oh no,’ comes the reply, ‘you can’t have floater coffee without sugar.’ Now according to the so-called experts, it is the sugar that makes the cream float. So why is it that it varies from establishment to establishment? Take our recent visit as an example. One with and without was ordered. Again the ‘Oh no’ response came, complete with explanation about the necessity to have sugar to enable cream to float. I gave up and told the waitress to bring it ‘as it comes’. She did. My coffee arrived with sugarless coffee and a sugar lump in the saucer. Judy and I compared coffees ... both had floating cream! Later I looked it up on the Net and found plenty of ideas, including this one 

What if you don’t take sugar? I have worked in a restaurant and I used to make them without sugar all the time. It’s how you pour the cream.

So now I know!

A recent item in a newspaper read like this:

Are disabled people invisible again? In London in 2012 disabled people were suddenly in the spotlight during the Paralympics. But a year on, have they gone back to being invisible?

Of course they’ve gone back to being invisible. That’s not to say we’ve stopped thinking about them or helping where we can. Obviously competing Paralympians were brought to our attention through television, radio, and the printed press and once over they disappear from view, but there are people out there who care about and for those same people. There is room for growth in the community with regard to facilities for the disabled but we haven’t suddenly pushed our disabled friends into the background never to be thought of again. I resent the implication that we don’t care.

COFFEE IN THE CAR PARK, but not much else

Shops are closing down left right and centre and I worry in case the local shopping area turns into one of those bleak, boarded-up High Streets I keep seeing on television news. Things happen, they creep up on unsuspecting members of the community.

An old picture, the shop was established in 1972

We once had a reputable carpet sales shop, one that we patronised for many years. It was situated in an open shopping precinct, complete with huge car park (very convenient for shoppers) not too many miles from where we live. There are many retailers and businesses in the precinct, supermarkets, hairdressers, off licence, charity shops, opticians, post office, fitted kitchen store, a bank, mobility shop, sports shop, shoe shop, and chemist. The carpet shop faced directly onto the car park, very convenient. Pull up, walk in, drive off, that sort of thing.

Over the years we ordered carpet at the shop for every room in three houses (separately) and were not likely to change supplier. Imagine our horror when a closing down sign appeared. The reason for the actual closure is not known but the guy who owned the carpeting business was moving out to an industrial style trading estate – those areas that are springing up all over the place because they’re off the beaten track and rents are cheaper. It seems safe to assume, therefore, that our man was forced to move because of financial hardship. He still sells and fits carpets but finding him amidst a hundred windowless establishments doesn’t seem very inviting.

To get back to the car park... Hmmm had I actually left? Is it me or has the world gone coffee crazy?  We now have a Costa Coffee Shop instead of a carpet shop, at the busiest point of the car park complete with tables and chairs on the walkway. At times this forces pedestrians to step off the kerb! It seems the big boys had their way. Get rid of the little chap in the carpet shop ‘cause they can get more rent out of coffee sales. 


Because of the volume of stores in situ there is rather a lot of traffic, both parked and moving. Not so long ago I saw a child run between two parked cars and straight in front of a slow moving car. Admittedly this can happen with or without coffee shop furniture but I feel the obstruction adds to the danger. The incident could have been worse, the driver could have put his foot down at that precise moment. Perhaps there should be a sign on the Costa Coffee Shop Beware of Traffic.

I don’t drink coffee but if I did I wouldn’t want to drink it surrounded by petrol fumes, nor am I keen on being totally dominated by supermarkets, charity shops, and hairdressers.

A small section of the car park.
Costa is on the left, out of sight of the camera.

It’s not a big shopping area, the precinct being part of it, but already we have charity shops and eating houses by the score, with a few hairdressers thrown in for good measure. Gone are the high class butchers (only one remains) and greengrocers (the last one closed this week). It’s quite depressing when you think about it. Petitions to prohibit turning the place into a full time eating locale have been on display in a number of shops ... none have worked.

This time my grouse is with the supermarkets. I gave up making what I call proper gravy some time back. It didn’t seem worth the effort when companies like Schwartz did all the work for us harassed housewives. The local supermarket kept me supplied, that is until they suddenly switched to their own brand. The new mixes are designed so that all the user has to do is add boiling water and I don’t find that very satisfactory. For a start there are always lumpy bits that will NOT smooth out. If there’s one thing I hate it is lumpy gravy. Investigation on the Internet brought news that Schwartz was not only still in business but their on-line goods were cheaper than those sold in the supermarket. Free delivery too. Can’t be bad.  Problem solved. But not so with regard to potatoes.

Now that the last greengrocer’s shop has closed, I’m curious as to where I can buy my favourite Cyprus potatoes. Or any other edible tuber, for that matter. Potatoes sold in my supermarket are rubbish by comparison. Occasionally the farmers’ market visits but not often enough to rely on when you’re a spud lover. Isn’t it sad when our favourite shops cease to exist?

Wondering if, like the gravy mix, I could buy them on line I started an investigation. It was surprising to find that Amazon had an arrangement with a Northern company who could supply bags of Cyprus at very reasonable cost, something like £2+ a bag; great .... except .... delivery was in the region of £10. Bang goes another idea.

Oh well, I’ve had my moan. See y’all.