Categories: friends, words, food
Date: 09 September 2007 23:05:34
On Friday, I trundled down to the new charity shop to drop off another couple of bags of junk - er - I mean - unwanted treasures and discovered that it was the day of their Grand Opening (I had thought it was going to be on Saturday). I took the opportunity to look round and found a great pair of walking trousers, a set of eight cookery books of recipes from around the world, a book by Bill Bryson, “Troublesome Words”, and a handy little box. Grand total was £6. Bargain. And to emphasise the point, I bought a pair of walking trousers a couple of years ago which are the same brand and those cost £75! It just goes to show that one woman's junk is another woman's treasure.
This was further illustrated on Saturday when I went into town to collect a piece of jewellery which I had had repaired. As the receptionist wrapped it, the stone in it sparkled brilliantly and I commented on that. The receptionist then said
"Oh, yes, they always look lovely when they've been repaired because we clean them as well. The earrings and necklace you're wearing now are rather lovely too."
Me: (checking what I had thrown on that morning) Oh! (I blurted) but these are nothing special. They're from Marks and Spencers!
Huh. So something which cost about £12 from M&S is on a par with REAL jewellery (the repair of which cost pretty much the same as I paid for the whole jolly item)!
Back to Friday evening and my friend who shall be known as Maggie* rose to the task of finding a blackberry patch. Not only that but she found one on a hillside near a beautiful little village. The pheasants were clucking, the rooks were cawing and at about 7.30p.m. (which is halb acht in German) an owl started hooting in the gloaming. We then patronised the local public house and ate a meal (and drank some "Old Rosie" cider) in the garden and saw two shooting stars - the only ones I've seen this year. On arrival chez moi, Maggie tasted my chutney and that was it; today we were out again. My fingers are going to be permanently stained. I was intending to stand over my chutney cauldron this evening but discovered I am out of onions - red or otherwise. Tomorrow I may have to see if I can perfect the art of making chutney whilst translating a document on printed circuit boards. I have a feeling this may be a first in world history. Do you think it's worth contacting the Guinness Book of World Records?
*Maggie is derived from the acronym for Mate Across the Graveyard (MAG). I had thought of calling her Friend Across the Graveyard but the acronym is less than flattering. In British English, it is a slang word for a cigarette, so not a compliment, but not particularly endearing. My North American readers will know that in American slang it means something quite different and is therefore entirely inappropriate. (I should perhaps explain, in case it is not obvious, that we live on opposite sides of a graveyard.)