An alarming day…

This morning I nipped off into town when JR came back from the gym. I had spotted an item I wanted in M&S, and there was only one left. I was down town and back in record time. That’s my kind of shopping.

When I came back, I heard Archie barking from the corner of our street. Why? I shouted at him from afar to keep quiet, and he was so puzzled, he was stunned into silence. Poor wee fella, he’d been evicted because the chap had come to fix our new lawful inter-connected fire alarms, and he kept testing them (and we all know they emit an awful noise) which drives wee Archie bananas.

Yes, the Scottish Government has decreed that every home in Scotland MUST have these expensive linked alarms by February next year. So three alarms, and two to detect gas leaks - that’ll be £290 (£50 installation) please… So how on earth are many many many people supposed to afford this? The sealed batteries last for 10 years, then you chuck them out and do it all again. None of those cheap alarms with replaceable batteries, OH NO! Somebody must have bought shares in the flash alarms company, but they weren’t selling too well, so they had an idea…

Archie went out with Elizabeth, so we set off to find somewhere nice for lunch. Wagamama was chosen - haven’t been there for ages, but it never disappoints. Always reminds us of the first time we went to one in Sydney, sitting outside right on the waterfront, in the early 90s, after going to a show in the Sydney Opera House. Fantastic!

We then walked through the Gardens to have a coffee (oops, and a pastry) at Prêt, then I got a bus home, but JR was on a mission. A successful one, as it turned out.

Elizabeth and Archie went to visit Auntie Helen. She’s 94 and still does all her own gardening. Archie LOVES going there - he gets lots of treats (though NONE of the ones in the photo, I hope…)

Photo by Elizabeth