Zoo news -

< previous ... next > ... email home >> Friday 10th August '01 - 18.24pm: (Hetty due this evening, I think) I saw Mr Tideswell, my landlord, this morning as I was going to work. He was coming out of the butcher’s holding a large brown paper package, tied up clumsily with string. He gave me a shifty look as we passed. I don’t think he suspects anything about Hetty coming over (although she can’t stay at mine really), and why would he, as I haven’t told anyone except you about it. I phoned up Samantha from work (well, from Channel Z, my old work) this morning and asked her if Hetty could possibly stay with her and her husband Phil for a bit. I made up quite a lot regarding who Hetty was and why she was visiting. I told her she’s an old friend of mine - a student who’s going to be studying an NVQ Level 2 in Classical Literature at S.W.Derbyshire College in September. She seemed to buy it, despite the college not having offered that course since 1998. I didn’t like lying to Sam though, who's always really nice to me. Since it poured with rain all morning we didn’t get many customers. One old man came in and said he “just wanted to get out of the rain”. He was rewarded with a hot cup of tea and one of Petra’s freshly baked chocolate butterfly buns. I was really impressed with how nice and hospitable she was. The old man couldn’t believe his luck, and secretly informed me that he would be making regular visits to the shop in the hope of gaining further sustenance of a similar nature - come rain or shine. I asked him politely to humour us by buying at least a set of bicycle clips the next time he comes in. He looked at me, his watery eyes shining, and swore that he would. I mentioned to Petra that she should have opened up a cafe or even a bed and breakfast place. Her eyes filled with tears when I said this (at which point I panicked a bit rather). She said that when she was a young woman (well, I’m not saying that she’s all that old now, but she’s past her prime - I didn’t say this though!), she studied at catering college and her intention was to get a job as a cook on board the QE2. That was really her ambition. She had actually got her catering certificate and had no intention of going into retail work. She confided in me that she prefers cooking to selling bikes, and is happiest when at work in her kitchen, which is why she's always in and out of there all day (and why it always smells so nice of baking in the shop). I was surprised but I suppose in hindsight not really shocked. She said that Alan knows this, and that their marriage is a bit like “an unbalanced garden”, with a load of wild flowers and hollyhocks, and butterflies, and so on on her side of it, and his is like a neatly mown lawn with proper borders. She also made an analogy about crazy paving - which I just nodded at and pretended to get. I’m going to a zoo on Sunday with Anna and her children! She sent me a text message to ask me about this. Actually I think it’s called a wildlife or safari type place. She said that I should be sure to wear something casual - and not my work trousers and shoes (as I normally would). She said why not wear shorts if it’s hot? I haven’t got any shorts, but maybe I can have a look for some when I pop into town tomorrow. Do you know of any good shops for buying shorts, sir? < previous ... next > ... email home >>

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