Pop
Woke up early today, and got up to do a spot of writing for an hour or so before simply going back to bed. Eventually Lorraine and I got up again and attempted to be relentlessly organised and prepared. Not helped by BT Internet, whose widespread malfunction activated unasked for parental controls randomly barring access to sites like the wine society and even a florist - a bizarre problem which apparently affected lots of their customers.
To Brighton this evening, we were going to go by train but Lorraine decided to drive. First to Hove to pay, with some difficulty the money that Lorraine owed Sainsbury's petrol station having filled up her tank last week only to discover that her purse was at home. Took them ages to work out how to take the money -- a process which involved phoning people and looking at stuff in blue clip folders.
Then a minor accident. Parking in Brighton, close to where we used to live, the tyre caught the unusually high kerb and burst. Alarmed people came out of their house to check we'd not totalled their car. A stroke of IT related luck, however, in that Lorraine had downloaded the AA app earlier in the day. She was able to report the problem, and get an estimated time for the repair very quickly on her phone without having to speak to anyone -- till an AA man called her to say he'd arrived a little time later.
Celebration number two for Beth's birthday in the increasingly trendy, with its own DJ, Hare and Hounds on Preston Circus. Beth, John and Anton were already there, a sparkly Betty having booked a booth and John sensibly at the bar getting beers in when we arrived. Sadly a couple of Beth's pals had to pull out at the last moment but we had a good time anyway, strapping on the nosebag and eating some rather nice Mexican street food made with pulled pork. Beth's pals Ainsley and Milly arrived later too. Chatting with Anton too, telling him he had to read the Knausgaard books as he seems to be almost exactly the same age as the autobiographical hero.
Drove home (the AA man phoning Lorraine who slipped out as he fixed on the spare tyre) happy in the knowledge that we won't have to drive home from Brighton from next week. All's well.
To Brighton this evening, we were going to go by train but Lorraine decided to drive. First to Hove to pay, with some difficulty the money that Lorraine owed Sainsbury's petrol station having filled up her tank last week only to discover that her purse was at home. Took them ages to work out how to take the money -- a process which involved phoning people and looking at stuff in blue clip folders.
Then a minor accident. Parking in Brighton, close to where we used to live, the tyre caught the unusually high kerb and burst. Alarmed people came out of their house to check we'd not totalled their car. A stroke of IT related luck, however, in that Lorraine had downloaded the AA app earlier in the day. She was able to report the problem, and get an estimated time for the repair very quickly on her phone without having to speak to anyone -- till an AA man called her to say he'd arrived a little time later.
Celebration number two for Beth's birthday in the increasingly trendy, with its own DJ, Hare and Hounds on Preston Circus. Beth, John and Anton were already there, a sparkly Betty having booked a booth and John sensibly at the bar getting beers in when we arrived. Sadly a couple of Beth's pals had to pull out at the last moment but we had a good time anyway, strapping on the nosebag and eating some rather nice Mexican street food made with pulled pork. Beth's pals Ainsley and Milly arrived later too. Chatting with Anton too, telling him he had to read the Knausgaard books as he seems to be almost exactly the same age as the autobiographical hero.
Drove home (the AA man phoning Lorraine who slipped out as he fixed on the spare tyre) happy in the knowledge that we won't have to drive home from Brighton from next week. All's well.
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