172. Busy, busy, busy (again)

No, it’s not often I’m busy but I have to say this week has felt frantic at times. Maybe it’s just that I’m so used now to nothingness that any change in the status quo is i) exciting ii) interesting and iii) exhausting.

We have a freezer now and there is a loaf within, freezing steadily over the next 24 hours. Unfortunately it’s not exactly small. It’s the right colour for our kitchen which is darkish blue and silver, with white paint, but it sticks out and has to stand directly under the window so, to open that, I have to haul myself up on a chair. But it’s a freezer and it’s existence explains my huge Sainsbury’s order (that and the fact that I’m getting groceries for two other households as they can’t get any delivery slots. Was mine a fluke or am I on that honoured Sainsbury list yet? I’ve heard nothing and they said they’d go by the government’s list. Well, I’m on that list. I want to be on Sainsbury’s list too!)

How come I have a loaf to freeze? A book group friend texted me to tell me the Nisa shop in Cookridge is delivering - minimum order £8! I got on the phone, placed a small order from me and my neighbour (no healthy wholemeal for her, two unhealthy white sliced for me - but I did order salad too!). It took up most of the day. First the assistant forgot to take my phone number and getting back to her was hard; then I didn’t hear any more and she’d said she’d ring for my card details. I was on the phone with Judy for maybe 75 minutes so I felt guilty but I could not get through. I guessed they’d closed a bit early and was really pissed off. All I needed was a slice of white bread for my bedtime snack (the only way I can get my 5 different meds down!), maybe another in case I fancied toast for breakfast. I got a phone call about 7.30 from a bloke on a mobile - their phone wasn’t working, no card payments could go through. They’d had to close the post office too. So by 8, I had my TWO loaves of bread as well as some tasty Co-op fruit and veg. Thank you Nisa.

Book group was interesting but not fun doing it on Facebook. I think next time I’ll suggest we do a Messenger chat because there was no exchange of ideas, just writing your answers to the questions - which actually would have generated some lively discussion - are Yorkshire people friendlier than anywhere else (nope)? What did you think of Sophie... (dull, not really a character, more a voice for the writer to run her story around)? Why don’t we have so many political scandals around infidelity now...(BJ???)? I think the Skype group chat was more successful which brings me to...

Shock! Horror! I used Zoom this morning. I participated in a group chat with complete strangers AND did as I was expected to do - went off and wrote for 90 minutes. It was productive. I finished a piece I didn’t want to do really.

I think anonymity is protected here
You’d have to be a bloody good detective
And have a bloody good incentive!

I had no idea how Zoom worked and was obviously the only newcomer to Didcot Writers, who’ve run competitions I‘ve entered. I’ve won one and been runner up a couple of times AND, you may remember, I have a longer story PUBLISHED by them. But these people obviously are in regular contact. Will I do it next Thursday? Not sure. As for using Zoom, the only thing that went wrong was when I went in for the second group chat and the camera had reversed itself so they saw my slippers and my feet resting on last night’s pjs. Yes, I was dressed. I’m embarrassed to say I even put on a bit of makeup!! But it’s very well organised - though maybe that was because Alice was confident managing it.

Tonight I took part in an on-the-spot writing competition. Usually it’s just on Twitter but Retreat West extended it to Facebook so I thought I’d give it a go. They provided the prompt at 8 and all entries had to be submitted by 9.20, short enough to fit a comment box on FB or a Twitter box, which I thought was way shorter. The prompt was ‘Why would someone do that?’ It took me about 3 minutes to jump on a subject (the advantage of having been a teacher is you’ve met so many many interesting people as kids) and I put something together that I think followed the ‘flash rules’ - begin close to the epicentre - hit the ground running - something must change. I practised in the Book Group FB page, confident no-one would be using it. I got a like lol. They must have thought I was potty but I added a brief explanation and got a very useful reply: “I thought it was EastEnders.” I don’t watch that but I know from something I do watch that there’s a key character called Stacey who’s not known for her mild manners... so I did a quick name change. Thank you Susan. I’d show you what I wrote but it’s been taken down - was it that bad?? And my own copy is nowhere near the final tweaked piece of about 100 words. Sorry folks! Heave a sigh of relief.