Yesterday Lee came to fit our carpets.

Lee was ...
An Ing-er-land fan (said so on his van)

Lee drove ...
A white Transit (naturally)

Lee was ...
3 hours late

Lee was ...
Gingwah

Lee invited me to ...
Pop out to a DIY store & leave him unattended in MY house whilst he carried on fitting carpets.
Yeah, right.

Lee has ...
Done a fantastic job on the carpets & said my measurements were 'spot on'
which was 'surprising for a punter, cos they usually geddit wrong'.

Approximately an hour after Lee started work & I had warned him how 'interested'
my neighbours were in my goings-on, the door bell rang.
I opened it to find John my 'neighbour from downstairs' who has been in residence
for 41 years & will be leaving in a box. His words, not mine.

'You're not making major internal, structural changes are you? ' enquired John.

As he asked this he was watching Lee who was trimming the hallway carpet to fit.

I resisted the urge to reply 'Yes, just a few internal walls, won't matter will it ?' as I find
the elderly don't respond well to sarcasm & cheerily explained (with Lee as a visual aid)
that I was in fact, having carpets fitted.

This placated him to such an extent that he felt relaxed enough to invite himself in for a nosey.

He then informed me that the last lot were 'a rum bunch' which is a phrase people don't
use nearly enough these days.

When I asked in what way ? he said that 'them in the main bedroom kept their curtains shut
all the time DAY & night & goodness knows what they got up to.' Considering they were a
young male/female couple, I wanted to reply that it seemed fairly apparent, but once again,
resisted the urge. Well done me.

Lee asked me afterwards why I hadn't told John to 'go away' or words to that effect.
I told him that the last people in the flat, indeed one half of the athletic young couple had
had the foresight to explain to me that John lost his wife last year & was finding life alone a bit of a bind.

Anyway, John & I are now 'friends' & have agreed to do stuff for each other.

He started by bringing in my almost dry curtains when it poured down. I want to make a real
effort to know the people I live near (apart from you-know-who) it's one of the things that makes life good.

Speaking of which, I cycled here today (here being the internet cafe at Tolworth)
Not a huge distance for those of you that know the area but the point being (2 points actually)
I rode PAST the car to continue cycling & I got ALL the way up Surbiton Hill without stopping (Stan)

I am now looking at my bike outside the cafe window, wishing someone would steal it.

2 more early turns to go, then Yorkshire beckons. I head up there straight after work on Friday &
(I'll be v.late Mummeh) return Monday morning. Sunday will be a faaarmily day & we will visit
my brother, his wife & my lovely nephew Luke. This means I won't be able to make the Bard invitation
but thanks for thinking of me PoD. I hope to visit Boundary Mills & purchase some
'things I didn't know I needed til I saw them'

Any other business
******************

I am still fantastically nesty & cannot walk through any soft furnishings dept without holding
faux fur to my cheek & wondering ' ... if Sharon would like ...? '

Happiness continues apace, which seems odd. I usually do the up & down thing at least once a month
(nothing to do with hormones you understand). But for the time being I remain calm, optimistic
& just generally happy.

There is just the one small cloud, concerning a text msg that went astray.
I await a phone call from a certain someone & I know it won't be easy.
Pick up the phone & make the call please, you know I'm not brave enough to call you.

Cx