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October 27 Tales from the Chemist ShopCommenting on Phil Feller's blog http://hurdsfield.spaces.live.com/ earlier, got me to thinking about some of the 'good' times we had at my first job which was in a Chemist shop at The Haymarket in Newcastle. There were some things that a good girl of 15 in 1960 knew nothing about and they were always housed in the 3rd draw down behind the counter. 'Have to say that it didn't take me long to lose the embarassment, as spotty young men stood head down muttering under their breath for something from the aforementioned draw. To be brutally honest, we girls relished their embarassment and sometimes milked it for all it was worth. One of the girls always asked these customers to repeat again and again what it was they wanted, apologising all of the time that she was sorry her hearing was not too good, could he just speak up a little louder. Another would always offer the customer a packet of Gillette razor blades, adding that 'they should do the trick'. It honestly never occured to me that we were being dead mean.
Then of course there were the genuine mistakes. One very young apprentice came in and asked for what I thought was 'Rendles'. This was at the time a well known anti-spermicide cream. 'Have to say I was somewhat surprised at his request, and also have to say he also seemed surprised by the price, but off he went back to his work place with his purchase in a bag. The following day an extremely irrate mother turned up in the shop asking to see the manager. Her son, she declared, had been made the laughing stock of his work place when he had returned with some unmentionable product that certainly was not Rennies! Whoops!
I still cringe at the thought of this story even now but I was only a week or so into my new job. I was in serving a very nice gentleman who was obviously shopping for his wife. This was not uncommon, we were the nearest Chemist to Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary and had a good passing trade because of it.- So, we had assembled on the counter the face cloth, the soap and soap dish, the toothpaste and brush etc, then on consulting his list he asked for 'Limits'. These were a slimming biscuit, and had not very long been on the market and advertising not being what it is today, not that well known, they came in various flavours and I was delighted to be able to tell him that I used them myself and that I felt I could offer really good advice as to which flavour was best. So off I went into a discourse as to the advantages of chocolate over strawberry v babana etc - and which flavour did did he think she would like? While I was drawing breath I felt several hefty kicks from my colleagues who were hissing under their breaths - lilettes yer daft bu***r - lilettes! Whoops again!
There are others! October 24 So where am I?Our dear old Clare who is 95 and in a nursing home is not too well. She has a dreaded chest infection which at her age and with her lack of mobility is not really good news. So, all we can do at the present time is spend as much time with her as we can. Having said that, this is the 3rd chest infection she has had this year and she has valiantly fought her way through the others with the help of antibiotics. She is a truly remarkable woman and one who I think of as my mentor.
I also have my cousin and his wife coming to stay for a week next Monday, so I am desperatly getting the house wheelchair ready, it makes it a bit easier that this is a bungelow. So my dear friends, forgive me if I am a bit absent over the coming weeks, I will be popping in and out tho to make sure you are all behaving yourselves. Just probably not blogging too much.
October 21 The truth is......that I have all my short stories in the loft and the thought of crawling around up there is Ugh! So bear with me until I round up the energy to find them. Meanwhile I will just blog on, bloggin' on is a bit like rockin' on but with less movement required....which I like!
What a swizz, I have seen a friend today who tells me she bought a Dell PC and as part of the package she bought a Dell printer. She had an HP deskjet before which still worked, but thought that as she was having a new PC she should have the new printer too. Well, what she has discovered is, the Dell printer cartridges last only a fraction of the time her HP ones did, and there are no substitutes for them. In other words she is screwed for £17 every time she wants a Dell black and white cartridge. Lord knows what the colour ones are. I have sent her a few links to explore other options because I don't think she had looked further than PC World. I have a brill little Epson which I can get cartridges for very reasonably. Although I have to say my old HP cartridges lasted longer.......................Zzzzzzzzzz
Sorry if that was very boring. I do tend to go on a bit.
I have a new mobile phone courtesy of 'the bairn' who has a newer model, well they do don't they? I now have a camera so look out for random photography. Actually I asked her to put it on ebay and if she didnt sell it I would buy it, she did, and specified that payment had to be through paypal. The guy who bid for it offered a silly amount more than it was worth and won the bid. Then he said he would have his friend (he is from Maldoviaor some such) send her a cheque in $US. Course 'the bairn said get lost, it was pay pal or nothing. since then she has had the most hilarious emails through ebay from him which obviously take her to be a complete nana. He has now kindly given her until Tuesday to get the phone posted to him. Cheeky cub!
Well! Johnny 2 woks is creating in the kitchen, the aromas are excellent and so I had better be ready when dinner is served. Toodle oo. October 18 It has to be said I'm a bit pissed!Not a lot, just a couple of beverages in the pub this afternoon and half a bottle of the old red vino this evening with my meal, but enough to feel as though I can take on the world, council it and put it all back together again.......Mmm I really am a bit sloshed if I think I can really do that.
The walk today was amazing, all the colours of Autumn and clear blue skies, good company and plenty of chat, I really think this is one of the nicest groups I have ever been associated with, they are such a laugh and great company. The walks aren't half bad either. We are such a random group, thrown together initially through all of us having had some health problem or another, some much worse than others, yet we have really gelled and there are 30 of us now who almost never miss a Wednesday walk and the social side at the end of the walk in the pub.
To be honest I have never been much of a 'joiner', there are endless associations attached to our church and I have always avoided them like the plague, I hate cliquey groups, and often these leagues/associations are riddled with them. This walking group is so different, they are a delight to be with and a hoot from beginning to end. I think it's probably because they aren't ardent walkers who see rambling as a status thing, an identity thing, if you get my drift, no-one turns up in best walking boots and woolly hat. Some of us are there very reluctantly because our doctors have told us to be there or die, so we joined pretty half heartedly. It has to be said though that I think eveyone enjoys every minute.
And the bonus is, that I do sleep better on Wednesday nights.
Over the next week I will be serialising a short story, I really hope you enjoy it.
October 16 Home againHello I'm back, nice to cyber see you all again.
We have had a great week away, my drooping spirit has been revived and I am raring to go. Which is very interesting as I have never been raring towards anything in my whole life! So OK, not quite raring but certainly feeling better for the break.
The cottage we go to just seems to get better and better every year, and this year was no exception. Wednesday it came down in torrents, so we battened down the hatches built up the fire and really enjoyed total relaxation.
Thank you my beloveds for the i pod you bought me for my birthday, have to say I did sort of look at it at first and think, er, why? But it has been fab this week to have all the music I love most there at my fingertips and earlobes, and for such a lousy sleeper as me, a real boon.
Finding out that the cottage we rent was once owned by Eric Thompson (Magic Roundabout fame and of course Emma's dad) was exciting too, it is so beautifully positioned that I can understand perfectly how it would be an inspiration to anyone with creativity. Although we will draw a veil over my attemps at sketching the views from the garden.
So it's back to cornflakes for breakfast, no more Loch Fyne kippers for a while, and no more watching the seals in the loch from the sitting room window, instead I get to watch the canny little houseproud body who lives oposite coming out each morning in her dressing gown and fluffy slippers to dust the flowers (I kid you not).
I will put some pics up just as soon as J gets them onto the PC.
Talk soon. October 06 Time for a breakHello space friends. I am just popping in to tell you that I am away for a week. The dad and me are off up to Scotland with the dogs to do nowt.
I have put a new bunch of pictures in the album and I will change the music. The bairn has just told me that apart from the obvious way to get rid of the music you can just press the 'Esc' key if you aren't keen on my taste
She is cat sitting so the PC will be kept warm.
Take care.
Barbara October 04 BirthdayThanks for the good wishes for my birthday, did think a few years ago that as soon as I reached 60 I would start giving them a miss, but on the contrary, I have decided to make the very best of them and celebrate, as Prenin so rightly says, birthdays are good for you.
Absolutly fell around at 'the dad's' card. It took him an afternoon in Newcastle and a few black sheep to find it, but worth the search.
We had a meal out and as usual it wasn't without an incident. My friend Joyce is a vegetarian and to be honest there wasn't a fat lot on the menu for her, so 'the dad' decided to sneak off to a local bakery while we ordered for him and buy her a cheese and broccoli quiche which would go with an order of chips and salad. The waitress looked a bit funny at Joyce at her meagre order, then we spent the whole meal after that on the lookout for passing staff, so we could throw a casual napkin over the the offending quiche. Course it was huge and far more than she could eat, so we boldly asked for a doggy bag to put the remainder in. it was possibly a very odd request consiidering there was little left on the plates!
Talk again soon, off out in a half hour for a walk with the group in Chopwell woods.
October 01 I'm sick of telephonesToday I tripped over and stubbed my toe on a box of telephones awaiting transpotation to the nearest charity shop, and when they go it will not be a moment too soon. Do you know how heavy bakalite telephones are? And the 1970's Onyx affair, well that was a ton. I feel like I have been carrying telephones for the past 4 days, and frankly I'm sick of them.
'The Little Red Telephone Book' was launched on Friday evening, 'the bairn' I have to say looked stunning, in a little red dress and the cocktails flowed until no-one gave a b****r why they were there. It was nice to meet her publisher and some of the other people who were marketing it, and though I say it myself....the telephones looked good.
Today I'm shattered after watching 'The Great North Run' on the TV. There is absolutly no point in trying to get anywhere within a 10 mile radius of Newcastle when the run is on, they happily close roads down willy nilly all over the place. I did however get a great view of the Red Arrows as they flew over when I was walking the dogs this morning. Sadly one person died on the run, a man aged 29, no age.
I will post a few pics from Friday when I have a mo. Until then, tara.
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