Some buffoonery

So, it has been a good weekend so far. I haven’t had the chance to sleep in but I’m hoping that somehow I will cope with less than the required eight hours. Although I do feel a bit like death at the moment because I went to bed really late last night so it is not looking entirely hopeful.

Part of the reason I didn’t sleep in yesterday morning was because I had to run some errands first thing, which included getting a new tax disc for my car. My organisation skills had worked a treat and I turned up at the post office to get the disc only to discover that I had not brought my insurance certificate but a different policy document that couldn’t be used to get a new tax disc. So I wandered off downhearted at my incompetence and am now somehow going to have to find the time to buy it before it runs out on Tuesday. Buffoon!

Anyway, I then met up with a friend and had a wander round an exhibition. I was greatly heartened by being able to whip out my Oyster card which entitled us to a two for the price of one discount. Like music to my ears. I can’t resist a bargain.

I really can talk the hind leg off a donkey though and just rambled on in my usual way over lunch afterwards. Fortunately this didn’t have the same effect as it did on my nephew last week, as she didn’t fall asleep midway through eating her lunch. The caffeine probably helped. Must try that on my nephew. 11 month olds can drink caffeine, right?

I then went shoe shopping. I have to say I find any kind of shopping boring. I go out with a firm idea in my mind of what I want and buy it and go home. That’s it. So visiting every shoe shop on Oxford Street was not my idea of a good time. But I was on a mission and was not going to be defeated. Just as I was losing hope, I finally came across a pair that passed muster and am now the proud owner of a pair of black non-descript shoes. I tell you it takes effort to find something that bland.

Incidentally, I went into a couple of department stores during my trek and you usually have to walk in through the perfume bit (I’m sure there is a more technical term for it). Anyway, they’re often looking for people to tout their wares to - but they never ask me. It’s not that I actually want their products, but I do wonder if they look at me and either think “now she wouldn’t be a good advert for our product” and glance away in case I approach, or just think I look really tight and would be happy to make use of their product for free but would never actually pay for it. They’re probably right on both counts.

Anyway, I finished just in time to meet up with another friend and when we met up she said “what do you want to do?” and I replied “well, we could get something to eat”. I’m surprised she even bothered to ask, as that is what I say every time. We went to My Old Dutch and ate pancakes, which was good and filled me up. We were a bit early for Shrove Tuesday but I like to think of myself as a bit of a rebel, working to my own calendar.

We then wandered down by the Thames for a bit and had a cuppa in the crypt under St Martin’s in the Field church in Trafalgar Square. There is actually a café there rather than us just hanging about amongst some dead bodies. I thought it was really nice there and a good place to have a chat out of the cold. All very civilised and I must go back.

The hopeful news for today is that lunch out might be cancelled as my mum might be ill. Apparently she has been off sick all week and has a really bad cough. I’m thinking I am probably not the most attentive daughter, as I had no idea… I had spoken to my sister yesterday anyway and explained my dilemma and she just said “well, I’ll phone mum and ask her not to suggest going to your house” and I instantly felt better and then I wondered why I hadn’t thought to say it to my sister before. You see, I told you I’m a buffoon.