Time for a wine down....

One would never believe how long everything takes! Get up. Breakfast. Shower. Dressed. Emails checked. Find something to post on freecycle. Post it.

Phone second hand dealer in furniture. "I am selling the business - but what have you got?" Perks up when I commence list of what I have got. Coming tomorrow.

Sort through all car boot stuff which fills a space 10 feet by 2, repack. Put in car boot. Mike takes to new abode to unload into summerhouse.

Check emails. Send directions. Empty paint pot cupboard. Label pots to leave for touch ups. Box paint to recycle. Find rolls of unopened wallpaper and lots of half used rolls. Back to computer to offer on freecycle. Pack up paint brushes, grouting kits, light bulbs. Back to computer to check emails. Send directions. Lunch time!

As we do try and support our local businesses we decided to take the afternoon off and go and have a look for dining room furniture and kitchen chairs.

At Mintlaw, the next village to where we are now, has everything. The doctors, the chemist, the library, the post office, the academy (secondary school), two primary schools, indoor and outdoor bowling, the vets, fish shop, butcher, hairdresser, florists, fireplace shop, a small police station, undertakers, Spar, Nisa, Costcutter, the biggest garden centre in the North East, and a furniture shop. So thats where we went.

We went in, we walked round, we saw one glass topped table, which was very small, with some quite nice black chairs. We came out again. Five minutes.

Now if we were acting our age there was plenty to choose from. Parker Knoll recliners, oak everything, foot stools, and some very daring wall furniture. How about that then. But we are not acting our age.

So we decided that as Fraserburgh was to be our nearest town we would take our custom there. Have to say here that the weather is fantastic, sunny and hot. In fact, as I said to Mike, after all these years this is the first ever time I have been to Fraserburgh and the sun has shone.

So we hit Maitlands, which prides itself as being a department store. The furniture bit was up a flight of stairs, no escalator, and no lift. So I hauled myself up the stairs, which were really odd, I only have little feet but I hit the riser at every step.

Well it was just like Grace Brothers. Remember "Are you being served?"
Men in suits.
One man walked forward, "Can I help you?" I replied, "Dining furniture."
The finger was crooked and another man walked forth. "How can I help you?" Teeth like grave stones.
"Black, glass topped."
I swear he had to take three big gulps of air.

Now I aim to dress fairly trendily, New Look and Dorothy Perkins are my favourite designer fashion. So there I am in tight fitting denim jeggings, and loose top, blonde bobbed hair. Okay dont look too closely or you will see 62 year old face, but I do not expect to be summed up as the G plan , Parker Knoll recliner, but he obviously had done just that. How dare he.

After swallowing a few times, he said he could show me something on the computer. And then waited for me to say "Whats one of those?" He did show me on the computer and then told me it would be eight weeks delivery. Probably takes that long for them to do a deal with IKEA.

We then went next door to HOMESTYLE. Yet another 'department' store. Which in Fraserburgh just means you have to go upstairs.
This time I sent Mike up to suss it out.
"There is some."
So a few puffs on the inhaler and up I went. To see - not a lot. Back down I espyed a mug in the sale, "Time to panic" it said, so I bought it.

We came home. Back to checking the emails and finish sorting through the paint. Been a long day.

But we bought some wine on the way back from our own lovely village shop where there are no stairs.