Tuesday 1st of July

Well, hospitals are figuring large in my thoughts today - Mother is in one, and a colleague at work is expecting her first grandchild today - great day for a birthday eh? Mum isn't too bad, although it wasn't an anticipated visit. She's had a few stomach pains and is having some tests and so on just to make sure there's nothing wrong. But with someone of Mum's age, and her state of health, no visit to hospital is entirely without risk.
In fact, to add to the general air of poor health, and health related topics, Jo's not in too good shape either - she had a bad fall a week or so back, and has torn all of her shoulder muscles. Poor old Jo eh?
But I should say that yours truly is in very good health. Positively bounding as they say. All set for a trip to the local post office later on - yep, the hills the hills. (It's up a small hill!) And it's a lovely day, nice sunshine, bit of breeze - you couldn't ask for better. So yep, got the sunhat fixed up just in time! What more could be guaranteed to bring on the forecast thunder storms early!!!

So apart from a trip to the post office, what else is on the cards for today? I have a chicken carcass sitting in the fridge, surrounded by a stock made the day before yesterday - I had hoped to use it to make a broad bean soup, but would you believe that Sainsburies aren't selling frozen broad beans at the moment? I couldn't believe it either. They've got them in the fresh veg section, and yep, I'd love to use fresh, but when I went to have a look, they had small bags of them - you'd get maybe a serving and a half out of them, having spent a heck of a time podding. I was cross about it. I spoke to a man in the green grocery section, who was really quite amusing. Oh I've only been here 4 days, he said, I'll look into it for you, I'll get something done. (Our Sainsbury's is a training store.) Good luck I said, which for some reason he seemed to find funny. I didn't find it funny. That store's run for one purpose only and thats to train up the staff that they send to other shops. They don't seem to give a toss about what their customers might want - and the state of the place. Price labels missing, empty spaces - hopeless. I mustn't get started!