Just as I said ‘never see any around’

Accompanied Mr B to Boscombe for bread and our favourite ‘Hungarian’ plums (the tart, deep blue variety, with a whiteish bloom - similar taste to damsons). Then bussed back to good old Côte in the centre in time for a rare all girls lunch with M&J. Always entertaining with them.

Bit p*****d off though to find the vegan menu has been discontinued. Had a pleasant squash and garlic soup, followed by bean & tomato cassoulet with aubergine. The ½ aubergine was so raw you couldn’t even cut it. The Manager said I wasn’t the first to complain, but insisted it was meant to be like that. Luckily my companions vocally backed me. And after an inane to and fro, they agreed to exchange the aubergine for a newly correctly prepared one. So much for the customer is always right, but in their part defence they were never rude.

My 2 dishes were on the Prix Fixe menu. Whereas my friends were after the offer of a free Martini cocktail with a ‘main’ dish. The Martini delivery hadn’t arrived so they offered an acceptable Cointreau alternative. But after the aubergine fiasco, at the end of the meal, we were all offered Martini* cocktails on the house (*now delivered).

Anyway all had a good time. At one point we were talking about perceptions of people’s ages, eg how kids see anyone over 50 as old. I said it’s like police look as though they’ve just left school - then I quipped ‘I can’t remember when I last saw a policeman. Within seconds a police car sped by, and the 2 police blipped appeared, clearly searching for some villain