What have you been doing today?

[Mottie]

A dog walk and lunch at the Coast Inn with friends at West Mersea. I had a seafood chowder AND a pan fried skate on account of them forgetting to bring the chowder first and then bringing them both up at the same time!

After Lunch, another quick walk and then off to the Mersea Vinyard for dessert. It was closed! Next best thing - cream teas at the Tiptree tea rooms. It’s where all the Wilkins and sons jams come from. While there, I popped into the museum of jam. Been there before, nothing new to see.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Looks like someone is helping themselves to your Seafood chowder.

Andy

 

[Mottie]

Looks like someone is helping themselves to your Seafood chowder.

Andy

Mrs Mottie decided we'd 'share' it.

 

[Mottie]

Walking my dog in the woods this morning and I saw this Muntjac watching us.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That picture is rather like 'spot the ball'. Spot the muntjac.

 

[crystal ball]

Our local paper used to run a "spot the dog" competition, picture of a flock sheep being rounded up by a missing sheepdog

 

[securespark]

Mrs Mottie decided we'd 'share' it.

Mrs Secure does that too!

 

[Mottie]

I did the weekly shop today and I use the smartshop system at Sainsbury’s where you scan stuff as you load it in your trolley, checkout, pay and go. Very quick, no queuing and nobody else handling the items that have been handling other peoples items. Anyway, on my list was some dishwasher tablets. I picked some up, £8 but then I saw a better deal for £10 so I got those instead. When I got home, Mrs Mottie had just got in from walking the dog so she unpacked everything and put it away. She asked how much I paid for the tablets, I told her a tenner and that I nearly bought a different pack and then she pulled the other pack out of the bag too. "Oh well, looks like we'll be okay for the next four months then" she said. I looked at the receipt…..and I saw that I hadn't been charged so couldn’t have scanned the first pack of tablets! Luckily I didn’t get pulled up for a spot check. I wonder if this is the first time I’ve done this? I have been spot-checked a fair few times in the past and they usually get told to re-scan 14 random items to make sure that they had been scanned. Only once did it not tally so when that happens they have to rescan the whole shopping trolley. They found out that I had missed one item but had scanned something else twice and the bill came to £4 less than when I originally checked out. I wonder whether I’d done that in the past too? Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

 

[Mottie]

Mrs Secure does that too!

Desserts as well? She has a habit of dessert sharing too.

 

[securespark]

Oh yes!

 

[crystal ball]

First bike ride of 23, just a quick 8 miles due to strong winds

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

A phone call from a lady-friend with no hot water and an F1 fault showing on the boiler. I managed over the phone to resolve it and lead her to re-pressurise the system, to get her heating and hot water back on. It's not easy, when you are not familiar with the layout, and trying to explain over the phone, but got there in the end.

 

[Mottie]

First day back at the fun factory for me today. Roll on July when the kids leave. Hopefully they wont have any more for the new term so I can properly retire and either sell up or rent out. This working lark is getting in the way of life!

 

[Ihavenojob]

sell up

Call the Government, they're on the lookout for space to house boat people. Loads of firms taking advantage of the taxpayers generosity.

 

[JonathanM]

so I can properly retire and either sell up or rent out

Do you have a plan for where you'll retire to?