The Morning rush |
As usual the morning followed its normal pattern of Wake, coffee, text Pauline, coffee, Bathroom, coffee, breakfast, coffee ( not always in that order), anyway that takes up the first hour or so with quick bursts of Facebook in between.
However once that is all done I have a phone call from Pauline to say that her and Gordon will be down about 11.00 and as it is now 9.45 I need to get myself washed, shaved and dressed ready for when they arrive, as today is Shopping day down the city centre with Pauline and while we are doing he shopping , Gordon cleans my flat for me, I enjoy wednesdays and look forward to it, especially when they bring Misty the labrador with them.
Misty at my Flat in the Lounge |
Your doing a good job Gordon |
Once I have got myself ready it is 10.45 and pauline texts to say they are on the Milton Road so time to get the coffee made for when they get here.
Pauline and Gordon duly arrive and the coffee is made so we sit and have a coffee and a chat and give Misty a fuss, before getting the wheelchair ready and everything else I need to take, and then Phone Citywide Taxis for a Taxi to take us down to the city centre.
By this time it is 11.30 so the taxi arrives and loads the wheelchair and off we go , once we have gone Gordon starts to get the Flat cleaning started.
Once we get down to the city centre, we go and start the shopping, we go into Wilkinsons first to get some cleaning products and some food for Pauline,s cat and then make our way out to the Nationwide Building society where I need to get some business done, while I go and get that sorted Pauline goes over to Marks & Spencer where she has a look around the clothes area, once I have finished in Nationwide I go over in the wheelchair and meet her there.
Anyway at this Point I need to use the disabled toilet which is on the first floor by the cafe so we go up in the lift and into the Disabled toilet and this is where the fun starts.
The disabled toilet really is a discrace , I have always used the disabled toilet when we shop in M&S and have never had a problem before, There were no Paper towels, No toilet paper, no soap in the soap dispenser and the hand dry blower did not work, Good job I always carry hand gel, toilet wet wipes and tissues with me. at least the hot water tap worked, needless to say I was not amused, so a strong letter of complaint will be heading there way.
Time to Panic |
I think the problem that is occurring in the stores is that to save money Portsmouth City council has closed most of the Public toilets in Portsmouth and relying on the public using toilets in the shops, utter disgrace but that is another story, but that is not the end of it, We head to the lift and go down to the ground floor , where we head to the food hall, Pauline gets a basket I go to get my shopping list and I have left my shoulder travel bag upstairs in the Toilet, "PANIC" pauline heads up to the toilet and cafe to see if it is there I follow up in the wheelchair, and then all of a sudden I remember where I left it, I had hung it on the handle of the wheelchair when I used the toilet and in my disgust at the state of the toilets I had not put it back over my head and it was hanging on the back of the wheelchair behind the wheelchair bag, that is why we had not seen it. "I felt a right Plonker"
So once that had been sorted we get some food shopping and then head out into the precinct where we sit and have a coffee and I got chatting to a chap about my age, he was a smoker and he asked if I minded if he smoked, I thought that was nice of him as he could see that I was breathing heavy and I said that I did not mind at all, as I used to be a smoker, anyway we had a nice chat and Pauline took a picture of us .
Me and my new found friend |
It was not too busy in the Precinct today, not as busy as I thought it would be anyway. Here is a couple of Photographs of Portsmouth City Centre shopping Precinct.
Looking North from where we are sat |
Looking south from where we are sat |
After we have finished our coffee we make our way into the Tesco supermarket to get the rest of the shopping and then go back outside and phone for a Taxi to take us home, it is now 2.40.
Pauline with the shopping and the wheelchair |
The City wide Taxi arrives and it is one of our regular drivers |
Once we get home we have a coffee and a sandwich for lunch, Gordon has as always got the flat spotless and so we get the shopping put away and then Pauline Gordon and Misty make there way home while I have a lie down as it is 4.00 and I am wacked, and then at 4,40 I get the journal started.
Well another successful day, I have a nice M&S Salmon salad for dinner later on and then a relaxing quiet evening ahead. it is now 6.00 pm and I need to get the journal posted so until tomorrow I will say...........