Print is what is on the outside of boxes, and it the most critical part. I think I did OK, I spotted some problems and got through the week. Booking in goods was more problematic as they have a very unfriendly computer system called Vantage that is very unforgiving.
Anyway, I did that too, and on occasion even did all parts correctly. But soon enough Friday rolled round and we began to count the hours down until it was time to go home.
Only, other things were afoot; for example we had my Mother down. She arrived on Wednesday, and so each evening instead of relaxing we found ourselves entertaining and cooking. Wednesday night I cooked steak, which went well. It was her first visit to our house, and we thought she would be blown away by it. Only for her to not really comment. It is a little frustrating to say the least. But she is what she is, and that I will keep my council.
Thursday, we took her to out favourite local pub, The Smugglers, for dinner, and very well that was too. Although taking her out to such places is a major logistics operation due to her size and lack of mobility.
Her size is something we had hoped was a thing of the pass, only for her to turn up her barely able to walk and expecting everyone to help her with almost everything. That she had been telling me she had lost 80 Kg and was doing so well, it came as a major shock to see her the way she is now, especially as back in April when i visited her at her place she seemed to be so much better.
On Friday evening, we went to the pub quiz, and she is something of a secret weapon as she has been on TV a couple of times, and we did come second and wine a beer voucher each. She did help, yes, but as usual, Jools and I did most of the work, it was the ones we didn't know or where unsure of that Mum came through for us.
News had come through that the factory was to close early on Friday, maybe, and so we waited all week to hear news, and just before 11 word came that a one finish was planned and so lunch was cancelled and we waited around for that time to come round.
On the stroke of one, as usual, a problem arose, and we tried to sort it out, and so it was that 5 minutes behind everyone else that we walked out into the sunshine of a bright and glorious weekend.
I went straight to Tescos for the shopping, and then back home to bake a cheesecake and prepare for the quiz that night. Everything was on track.
Saturday, we decided to go for a drive around some of our favourite places to the north of here, and so I could go to the butchers in Preston; but as ever, it is hard to judge whether Mother really liked what we did. She sat in the front of the car whilst we drove around.
We drove along narrow lanes through fields of apples, hops, pears and other such summer delights. I stopped off to take pictures of old oast houses and churches. Mum just read her Daily Mirror. I could be being hard on her; we did talk, and she did pass the occasional comment on places we went through.
After lunch we had a quiet afternoon with me listening to football on the radio and Mother doing crosswords or other puzzles in The Mirror. In the evening we fired up the bbq and had a fine feast, although as ever we had way too much food and Jools and I will be living off cold meat for several days now.
Sunday we headed to the Romney marsh so mum could see some of our favourite places; but in truth she did not seem that keen. we drove along the coast to Dungeness and the power stations, across fields to remote churches, and the only time she perked up was when we stopped for lunch in a nice country pub we knew that would be quiet and out of the way. Sadly, they were only doing roast, and so we made do with starters and drinks, which was fine, as we had been invited to Jools Dad's place for dinner that evening.
We drove back; Mum snoozed. I wondered why we bothered.
And today we took Mum along with Jools' Nan to Sandwich and then on to Ramsgate, Boradstairs and Margate before heading inland to a nice place for lunch, before driving over the marshes of Thanet to get back home.
As Mum does not walk much, Jools and I got out in Ramsgate to stretch our legs and for me to do some investigating over a lost railway station. It was nice to walk in amongst the crowds and snap away. Broadstairs was as crazy as ever with traffic struggling to get through its narrow streets. It was good to get back into the countryside again and onto the broad streets of Margate and look at the crowds in kiss-me-quick hats and the such.
There were no parking spaces, and it was I that suggested going to the Crown in Sarre; we got a table in the beer garden, for me it was a stilton ploughman's; always nice, all washed down with a pint or two of masterbrew.
And that is the weekend, all gone. Mum goes home tomorrow and we will be left alone again. I am back on nights and so another all night session on the computer and back coffee is ahead. And I am left with the memories of the weekend and the thoughts and knowledge that my Mother is a horrible self-centred woman with little thought for anyone else.
Life goes on.
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