Susan Tate’s Year – July

Oh confound it, my tooth started to ache again last night.  I’m not waiting to see if it wears off or settles down, I rang Mr McScary at 8.30 only to be greeted with a message ‘This dental practice is open between 10 am and 6 pm, please call back between those hours or leave a message.’ I left a message.  Mid-morning my mobile rang as I was trying to show an elderly gentleman how to use the microfilm machine.  He wanted to know about some fire in a pub 135 years ago.  I’m not proficient with the microfilm machine, I seem to make it whirl past the relevant page and then when I scroll back it whizzes past again in the other direction, I end up going back and forth.  The elderly man was very patient, especially after he overheard my conversation with Mr McScary’s receptionist.

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It’s my birthday this month.  I don’t know who told Derek the date, but last night over a drink in the Bull & Buttercup he asked if I had anything planned.  As it’s not a ‘BIG’ birthday, I was hoping to let it slip by unnoticed.  Beth and Malcolm will expect me to bring in cakes, something chocolatey & gooey.

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Beth thrust out her left hand and waggled it at me the minute I arrived this morning, it took me a moment to spot the ring.  Excitedly she explained Justin had proposed at the weekend, they’ve been going out for 3 years.  I don’t know Justin well, he came to the quiz night and was great in the geography round.  They haven’t set a date.  Beth was very sweet, she hadn’t wanted to upset me.  She wasn’t quite sure how serious Derek and I were.  I assured her I was delighted for her and left the question about Derek unanswered.  To be honest I don’t know how serious we are.  There have been some kissing but he hasn’t made a move to stay the night.  I’m not sure how I feel about it as a prospect.  I can hear the ‘old biddies’ calling me a cradle snatcher.  If she was still around I’d only be 9 years younger than his mother, for heaven’s sake.

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For the last week the Food Bank Box has been empty.  From a promising start with a large and wide variety of contributions, over the last month it has dwindled.  Maybe it is the start of the school holidays.  Beth said she would do some more social media to raise awareness.  I wonder if a piece on local radio might help.  I brought in a packet of cereal, a couple of tins of tuna, a box of tea bags and a jar of instant coffee.  I don’t drink coffee so goodness knows how it found its way into my cupboard at home.  Hoping to encourage others.

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Dad phoned to say Mum had had a fall.  She’d been trying to reach something on a high shelf and had slipped off the chair.  It took all my self-control not to shout down the phone ‘what the hell was she doing using a chair in the first place’.  Luckily nothing broken, she is just bruised and shaken.  Dad has taken control of the cooking, this could be interesting.  Dad’s cooking skills are even worse than mine.  I offered to bring round fish and chips one night.  I heard Mum in the background callout ‘that would be nice’.  I’ll text Hilary to let her know, she’ll probably take round something they can heat up.

***

For my birthday Derek gave me a vintage Hermes scarf in its original box.  The silk fabric is like liquid through my fingers.  He explained it had been in the Vintage Textiles Auction a while back and he had bid on the lot.  I wonder how long ago ‘a while back’ is?  How long has he been interested in me?  Or had he intended to give to someone else?  Derek invited me for supper.  I assumed it would be in a restaurant but NO.  He texted me the address.  His flat is on the top floor, from the window you can see across the rooftops to Bell Harry Tower on the cathedral.  I left Charles Dickens plenty of food in his bowl, I wasn’t sure what time I would be back.  It turns out Derek is an extremely good cook.  There were 3 courses carefully prepared and presented.  We had homemade Crab Pâté to start, then Chicken Véronique with white wine sauce and grapes and rounded it all off with Eton Mess.  A totally relaxing evening. We talked and talked and went for a stroll around the old town.  The moonlight conjuring up shadowy weird shapes of the medieval buildings in the narrow lanes and streets surrounding the cathedral.  Charles Dickens was not amused to have been left alone all night.  I’m glad I didn’t have to go into the library today.  I think my ear-to-ear grin might be too revealing to the ever-perceptive Beth.

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To celebrate their engagement Beth and Justin had a barbeque at her parents’.  Her dad put up a gazebo and was busily BBQing sausages and burgers.  Beth’s brother had set up some sort of speaker for music, a few people were ‘jigging about’ on the decking but most were just in groups chatting.  I’m not good at these sorts of things, I never know what to say to a group of people I don’t really know.  I was grateful Beth said I could bring Derek, at least I had one friendly person to talk to.

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Tomatoes coming along nicely, I’ve harvested 7 more cucumbers, but the peppers continue to fail to flourish.