Shout

I was shouted at by a youth in a hoodie on a bike tonight as I walked home with my shopping. He shouted “bitch” at me so I said “piss off” which is a mild swearword here in the UK. He heard me because he shouted the same word again and I responded “piss off” again!

He disappeared but he must have gone round a mini roundabout because then he cycled back past me and up onto the pavement in front of me. I didn’t want a confrontation so I crossed the road and walked into another supermarket. I asked a manager in the shop if I could wait a few minutes because the shock of what might have happened got to me! I finally walked home after talking to a friend on the phone (I’d tried ringing the non emergency Police number but couldn’t get through). Then I checked the lad wasn’t about? What is wrong with lads/men these days?

When I got home I posted on social media and it turned out another woman had been frightened by him. He cycled up behind her and screamed in her ear!

I’m going out earlier in future to avoid him.

Shopping trolley

I just went shopping and they have changed the trolleys. They used to be shallow so that you didn’t reach down too far into them. The new ones are small, but deeper. If you want to get shopping out of it you have to reach down into it. Because I have Parkinsons I feel like I’m tipping forward and in danger of falling into the trolley.

If I use a basket I have to use a walking stick and it’s hard to put things into  the basket without finding somewhere to put the stick down. Sometimes I hang it off shelves. Also the weight of the basket seems more everytime I shop.

I know this is a first world dilemma and I should be grateful to have supermarkets. I just feel frustrated that even when disabled people are catered for the company can change it’s mind and make things worse. I just want people to recognise the problems we can face.

Lemon tree

We have a lemon tree from the supermarket and after six months the lemon has grown and is turning yellow. There are a few more small lemons on the plant so once we pick this one they may start growing. It’s propped on the lip of the pot so it can catch the sun and get warmed by the radiator when it’s on.

The plant had to be potted on because it was root bound and it has grown really well with glossy green leaves. I like the texture of the lemon and leaves in my photo which I took from below to get a better view and catch the blue sky and dream catcher in the background.

Changes

Why do people change things?

You’re just getting used to a place, and then someone decides to change things around. Like our supermarket. It was recently ‘refurbished’, in other words taken apart like a jigsaw and put back together in a different way. They increased the stock but moved everything round. The problem is I can’t find things. The signage doesn’t correspond with what’s on the shelves! A shop used to take 10 minutes, now?

So I go somewhere else now for the majority of my shopping. Leave things alone! If it isn’t broke don’t try and fix it!

Facebook does it all the time, just when you think you know what you are doing they change it. So you get questions asking if you want more or less posts…. When you just want the same as before.

Today, jetpack has added a ‘me’ option. Plus some sort of acceptance request, it’s changed stuff…. Leave it alone so I know what I’m doing. I’m an artist, I paint blue sky, I don’t paint it green for a change and tell you all future skies will be green! Going from WordPress to Jetpack was annoying. I did it. Don’t mess it up!

Going out

I just got out of the house, only to go across the road to the supermarket, but it was definitely ‘out’. I leaned heavily on the shopping trolley to support myself, the cold air had got to my lungs and I felt short of breath again, but at least I didn’t cough. I was out yesterday, but only to walk from the car to the pharmacy and back again, so this was actually more of a test. The snow had all melted except in patches where it had been sheltered by the shadow of some bushes. In those places where the sun hadn’t penetrated there was crispy icy snow, glassy from compression by feet. I avoided those areas because I didn’t want to slip. Now I’m home and keeping warm. I’m wearing a fleece and my dressing gown over my clothes to keep warm!

Shopping

I have just been shopping, for the first time in a week. But really I’ve only been out a few times in a month through ill health. The trouble is the superstore I go to was refurbished in the summer and because I’ve been going to a cheaper, smaller, super market I don’t know where things are. It took me about half an hour to get eight things! I used to be able to go in and get what I wanted in about five to ten minutes. Now I have to search. Plus they have added a lot more self checkouts. I prefer the manned tills, but there were big queues today so I used the self checkout. I had several ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ situations. Partly because I took my own bag and it didn’t like it. Then it kept telling me to put the last item back in the basket? A woman manning the checkouts had to come over and sort out the computer screen. Oh for old fashioned checkout people. I went home and vowed not to go out again tonight.

A supermarket ‘present’

A local supermarket keeps sending me letters to try and get me to come back (I’ve been using the cheaper one down the road). Most weeks I get a letter and vouchers, but because of the post they are generally due to expire on that day or the next. But today I got a package which looked like it was a cloth carrier bag, plus four lots of 500 ‘point’ vouchers and you only had to spend one pound?! Whoopee!

I went to the shop, got a few things I can’t buy at the ‘cheap’ shop and proceeded to the till where I spoke to a nice man. I got the ‘bag’ out and unfolded it…. I didn’t understand, it was plain on one side. It was a TEA TOWEL! No! Not a bag! Botheration…. I bought a thirty pence!?! Carrier bag. At least I could use one of the 500 point vouchers? No. I hadn’t selected one of the supermarkets premium brand products! Botheration again.

Wear a mask

Oh dear! I went round the supermarket today and about a third of the customers were not wearing masks. One woman in particular looked really ill, sneezing and coughing. She was struggling to get what she wanted. When we got to the till she was ahead of me, she looked flushed and hot. I stood well back even though that meant the person behind me was getting close. I tried to keep away from them too.

I won’t go back to that supermarket for a couple of days. I hope the woman is OK. I hope I don’t catch her illness. Meanwhile I’m keeping my mask on!

Self service

Someone asked if there should only be self service tills in supermarkets. I aid no. I went to our local supermarket yesterday evening. I had to get a lot of stuff so we got a trolley. Have you ever tried balancing everything from your trolley on the tiny platform at the self service till? balancing it and then putting it in bags and balancing them on the other tiny platform that weighs your goods? It was crazy. There was one woman helper. She had to let me move stuff so I could carry on.
Plus it puts decent people out of work!