Mrs Zebex in a hurry

Wednesday 6 May 2015

As the time approaches 15:15, two women are standing and chatting near the boundary between the Efords’ house and the house adjoining. One of the women is wearing an anorak with the hood up; the other is bare-headed. The latter woman is tall and slim; I have seen her on my recent visits.
The conversation is soon brought to an end, when the tall slim woman’s daughter says something to her which makes her grimace wryly — the woman is in front left-hand profile, and bent forward a little towards her daughter. Mother and daughter then run upslope to the white Rubin which is parked nose-in on the driveway of the house next to the Kingdoms’ house. They reach the nrd of the Rubin.
A minute later, the Rubin is heading in the direction of George Street, where it turns left. I recognise the car’s registration-number; the driver must be Mrs Zebex. Why did I not realise that this tall slim woman was her?

Conversation, 1990s

After my parents had returned from a holiday in Florida sometime in the 1990s, the Old Man puzzled me by saying that he and my mother had been to the Mikado. This turned out to be the Mercado.

Mini and Ultra

Sunday 19 April 2015

Shortly before 09:50, a man crosses the street diagonally, towards the boundary between the Old Man’s property and the CJs’. With him are two little dogs on longish leads, one dog to each side of him. The dogs’ fur is white but with a strong yellow-brown tinge. I have seen these dogs before, in the company of a stocky older woman who walks very slowly.

Uninspired, stressed and tired

Saturday 18 April 2015

It has been a hard week.

Motley Maxi

Saturday 4 April 2015

Early this morning, I see via the kitchen window that two daffodils are budding in the daffodil-patch by the side of the garage.
By 09:00, Mr Trimot’s car has gone, and at 09:23 Mr Port’s van has gone.
Not long after 11:15, while I am doing the washing-up, Mr OS ascends past the Thonboroughs’ driveway. This is the first time I have seen him this visit. Dangling from his left hand is a pale-red shopping-bag.
For lunch, I go to Sandbank Shoals for fish and chips. On the way there, near Club Court, an Austin Maxi (a very rare sight nowadays) emerges from a side-street to my left. The car has body-panels of more than one colour, including pale blue.
When I arrive at Sandbank Shoals, a man and a blonde woman are standing outside, slightly to the right of the door. She is laying down the law about something or someone, but it seems clear that it isn’t the man that she is angry with.
There is only one other customer in the shop. Young Girl and Cushioned Girl are serving; it is the latter who serves me. Very Tubby Woman is doing the cooking, accompanied by a young man. Another person, probably a young woman, is in the back room.
The batter on the fish is fairly thin, but the fish itself (a long piece, of a good size) is tasty. The chips are also tasty, but slightly soft. All the food is well drained, but not very warm.
The weather has been cloudy today, but soon after 12:30 the sun breaks through.
At about 13:30 I depart for Suburbia Somnolenta. As I expect, the traffic on the way there is fairly light — the journey takes just over three hours.

Of Ojays and others

Friday 3 April 2015

There is rain this morning, so I stay indoors. It is about 12:00 when Amos starts whining and yowling. Mr CJ eventually shouts at him to be quiet — I hear this from the sun-lounge.
Shortly after 14:00 I seize my chance now that the rain has stopped, and I go for a walk. When I pass the GS family’s house, I notice that no cars are parked there.
On Maldis Street, the Ojays’ car is parked alongside number 29. Mrs Ojay seems to have just come out from the house, and is standing by the closed nrd of the car. She has a blonde ponytail. Inboard of her is Miss Ojay, a blonde who is probably aged seven or eight, and Master Ojay who is approximately four years old. The boy has curly blond hair; he is wearing a red anorak, and he is taking a drink from a red drink-bottle that he is holding in one hand. All three of the Ojays are facing away from me as I pass by.

Doctors and tenants

Thursday 2 April 2015

First thing, the roadway outside the Old Man’s house is drying off.
This turns out to be a sunny morning, but not a warm one.

At about 11:00, I go for coffee at the CJs’, taking some daffodils freshly cut from the border at the side of the Old Man’s driveway.
Mrs CJ tells me that the couple at number 17 have split up, and the man has moved out.
Milton Goldstein’s daughter and boyfriend were going to move in to the Goldsteins’ house, but they also have split up. The house has been renovated, with a new bathroom.
It was some people up Acacia Rise who told Mrs CJ that Vinnie had died.
Mr CJ has been suffering from pain; he has seen all four doctors at the surgery, but the diagnosis of his problem is neither clear nor unanimous. Dr F has returned to the surgery as a locum after her retirement, and was astounded that Dr K had given Mr CJ a prescription for morphine — he had previously been on a combination of paracetamol and tramadol. Mr CJ is now able to take Amos for a walk only once per day, in the middle of the afternoon.
Del and Della have had a bad experience with tenants, whom they have given notice to quit. The tenants blocked the toilet by flushing baby-wipes down it, they broke the door of a cupboard, and they allowed their children to draw on the walls. The woman was so rude to the plumber that he refused to go back to the house.

After a light lunch, I go to visit Naomi. I trim her hedge. Afterwards we talk about Aspects of the Novel by E.M.Forster, and about foreign films.
The weather this afternoon is much the same as it was earlier.

Embarrassing dinosaur

Tuesday 17 March 2015

During the late-morning school-run, Belle and Blanche return from the school. Blanche ascends further than Belle, and passes out of view; Belle must call her back, though I don’t hear her voice; they both cross the road from alongside the Efords’ driveway. Mrs Vest and her son Rufus are approaching the ord of their car. Mrs Vest is carrying a stuffed or inflatable toy: a bipedal dinosaur of the cartoon-Tyrannosaurus type; it is about eigteen inches tall, and is mainly of a greenish colour but the inside of its mouth is yellow IIRC, and its tummy may also be yellow.
Belle passes by, on her way to her silver Escargot. Both women have a laugh about the dinosaur — especially Mrs Vest, who also seems rather embarrassed about having to take the dinosaur home. (Perhaps it is the class mascot? I’ve never seen it before.) Mrs Vest’s face, in front left profile, has reddened a little when she is laughing — and that redness isn’t just her usual makeup.
I think Mrs Vest puts the dinosaur into the car via the ord; no doubt Rufus wants to hold the dinosaur, or at least have it next to him.

After lunch I take some daffodils to the CJs. Mr CJ is in pain after a hernia operation that was performed at midnight[!] — the surgeon was running behind schedule.
At about 13:45 I set off for Suburbia Somnolenta.

Cheerful shopper

Monday 16 March 2015

A couple of minutes before 09:00, Mrs PP, Mrs Vest and a third woman are chatting by the paved front garden and driveway of the Ports’ house. (I have seen the third woman before. She is wearing a big white knitted bonnet with a bobble on top, and an anorak with a camouflage-like pattern of dark and olive blotches.)

Mustard and Wobbly

Friday 13 March 2015

It was forecast to be wet overnight. At 05:06 it is still raining.