Groundhog day marathon training
Well its back on the relentless road for 26.2 miles of pain…having madly submitted Mr Millard and myself for Paris on April 11 its now just a question of holding on until April 12 and then dying gracefully. A fellow runner said ‘You are clearly running away from something, its why we all do this long distance ****.” Fine. But there are SO MANY things to run away from at the moment…a derelict house…my daughter’s detention record…thirty Polish builders and their attendant bills…etc etc.
Why Paris just looks better
I know Le Monde has just described it as ‘Un musee/ville’, which is hardly complimentary, but where else can you run up the main boulevard BEFORE DAWN and find uniformed road men sweeping and washing the pavement, as I did up the Champs Elysees last week? Compared to the rabbit’s hutch that is Oxford Street, the centre of Paris just makes London look hideous, dirty and naff by contrast. Giant Tricoleurs everywhere, looking stylish, not hideously nationalistic, plus style, delicious food, need I go on? Read More…
Day Seven at Last!
What shall I do tomorrow? Go and spend £6 on a coffe and muffin at my favourite cafe? Go to the gym? Read the New Yorker? All of the above? Having been denied all of them for the past seven days, I feel like going on a bender. It’s been very difficult to stick to my weekly budget of £34.17, and I have to admit I have been something of a tart, accepting drinks and a few evenings out with pathetic gratitude. Read More…
Seven days has never seemed so Long
And its not over yet. What can I tell you about today? Only that I needed to buy the children some shoes…get a birthday present for a friend…buy a friends’ book which she had just written…have a cup of coffee…and so on, and so forth. All of which I had to hand over to my husband to fund. Which left me with a nice day travelling gratis around London on public transport and visiting the Imperial War Museum which of course is also free. Not the temporary show, however, so we couldnt do that. Read More…
It all depends whether you are alone
I think if you are a pensioner on your own, its jolly difficult. By the end of the week I have been longing to go out and socialise. And I have a husband here, and as we all know, lovin’ is free, is it not. But if you are solitary, then having £34.17 only is jolly difficult. I mean, you can’t even buy your mate lunch, or take someone out for a drink. I’m going to the cinema tonight for a bit of socialising, knowing that it was my last bit of money I was blowing, but hoping that my loaf of bread, veg soup and bit of stew will last me until Sunday when I hit the high time with roast Sunday lunch at my mother’s. Visiting family on a Sunday has been done since time immemorial by pensioners so this is quite within the rules, is it not?
Why don’t we rethink pensions
Well I now have about a tenner to last me until Sunday. It’s OK because I have lots of veg and a stew, but what if something untoward happens? Not a disaster, because the state will (hopefully) pick up the bill if that is the case, but just a little event. Today I smashed a teapot, for example. So that was £6 to buy a new one from a dirt-cheap shop (although it pours like a dream and I love it already). I forgot my packed lunch today and had to fork out 2 quid for a sandwich at SubWay. It was hideous, tiny and involved ONE rectangle of processed cheese. For Two Quid!! Read More…
Yes! I’ve had some proper food and wine
Hoorah. Just when I was desparing of never having anything to eat but pumpkin soup on my budget, along comes a friendly award ceremony. The Grierson Documentary Award, to be precise. Hosted by Andrew Marr with lots of amazing films, interesting people and yes! delicious supper. Plus bubble. Very good indeed. Read More…
Living on a pension
Yes well I am trying an experiment for a week – I’ve been asked to do this alongside various other people including an MP. Looking forward to see how THEY cope with no expenses allowance he he. After my allowances for water, heating etc however my pension has SHRUNK to precisely £34.17, for seven days. So forget about haircuts, drinks, clothes, books, theatre, cinema or anything fun. Read More…
Back in London
So, we’re back, and now people say things like “We thought you were to be gone for at least 6 months. Why are you back so early?”, and suddenly the giant epic journey begins to shrink before my eyes, as if I had eaten one of Alice’s little cakes. Read More…
Homeward bound much to delight of some
With only three more days to go, no-one can talk of anything else. When are we going to be home, and what we are going to do when we get there? I have already done an online shop at Sainsbury’s, timed perfectly to arrive within about two hours of us touching down at Heathrow. Cheerios, Marmite, Anchor ‘spready’ butter, Cheddar cheese, Darjeeling tea have all been ordered. And – with not a little nostalgia – a box of croissants. Interesting what you miss the most. Read More…
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