Fish, chips, and veg

Well, hello there everyone. Sorry I didn’t post yesterday but, as you might have guessed, I was too tired to post after going out for a few hours.

I’m still pretty tired today, so I thought I’d post now in case I don’t have the energy to do so later. And Moaning Minnie in full flight, I need to distract myself with something before I say something I regret.

(I know that sounds unsympathetic, but mum woke me three times this morning to complain that her stomach hurt and couldn’t I do something? A short while ago, the new tablets I persuaded the doctor to prescribe¹ to help with her stomach pains arrived, and she complained about having to take an extra tablet. Also, it’s so hot, and her back hurts, and there’s nothing to do (except watch tennis, or play games on her kindle, or do some puzzles from the book I bought her, or read, or any of the other things I suggested), and it’s so hot, and her back hurts, and so on, and on, and on, and even I have limits to my patience!)

So, yesterday. At one stage I really didn’t think it was going to happen, as the taxi I had booked didn’t turn up until 25 minutes after it was meant to be here, leaving just 30 minutes to do a journey that should take 45 on a good day. Somehow the taxi driver worked miracles in getting me to my destination just 5 minutes after I should have been there (I tipped him generously, don’t worry!), and I headed in to the focus group.

I won’t go into too much detail about the group, both because it’s privileged information to Tesco and because animated conversations are less interesting to read about than to take part in, but it was fun and I think we generated some really interesting ideas. (Particularly one participant, who I suggested seriously consider going into product development as she kept coming up with brilliant ideas, several of which I expect to see in supermarkets at some point.)

Afterwards I did a quick zoom around the supermarket on one of the ride-on trolleys you can borrow, which would be great fun in any setting other than a crowded supermarket where there’s a constant risk of running someone over. People just don’t see you when you’re at wheelchair height, or they do see you and decide you’re not important, walking across your path or standing between you and the shelf you’re trying to get at with total indifference. A shop which would have taken five minutes on foot took 25 by ride-on, and left me scrambling out to meet the waiting taxi without several of the things I’d hoped to buy.

If you’re able-bodied and willing to take one thing from this post, please keep half an eye out for disabled people while shopping, for the benefit of those people and the potential safety of your own legs!

I came home just as mum’s friend arrived, so I left her and mum chatting while I retreated to my bedroom to drink copious amounts of water and eat packaged sushi from Yo! Sushi (which taught me that a) branded is so much better than own-brand, b) proper wasabi has a serious kick to it, and c) pickled ginger is delicious, but wash your hands before rubbing your eyes 😬).

For dinner I did fish and chips from the freezer, with peas and some sweetcorn because mum, having told me repeatedly how much she hates peas, ate most of the ones I’d done for myself, leaving the sweetcorn I had cooked for her.

So there you go, all up to date. I may or may not be back later, depending on whether I have any spoons left by the end of the day. And haven’t been arrested for committing some form of entirely justified harm against my mother.

1. Which wasn’t easy as I couldn’t admit that I had given mum one of the tablets prescribed to me so know they work, and had to fall back on vague “well I have similar symptoms so maybe it’s worth a try”. ↩︎