FRIDAY 29 SEPTEMBER - TALKTALK TALK

Chucking it down with rain today as I get to Sainsbury’s at about 2.30, a bit later than I was hoping. Anyway, today the car park ticket machine is broken so everyone parks for free. I wonder how long it has been out of service? Perhaps it has caught some disease from the barrier just behind it? I’ve noticed that the tarmac on the ramp up to the car parking decks is starting to come off so when cars go round the corner there is the American style squeal of tyres. Also, in the wet, there is no grip in those areas. This will test the car park owner – to repair it means shutting the car park, so I suspect this is a problem that the car park owner hopes will just go away. I’m shopping for one today and it is actually quite difficult – chops, fish, chicken etc all seems to come in packs of 2 and upwards, so I’m going to have to be imaginative with the freezer (or eat 2 portions – how greedy is that?). I was accosted by a TalkTalk rep by the bakery. Not content with phoning me at home at all hours of the day and night they now attack me whilst I’m doing my shopping. The theme music on their adverts is Thunderclap Newman’s ‘Something in the Air’ – ‘Someone in Sainsbury’s’ is more apt, it seems. “Can I ask you a question?” she says. A good line because most people say yes and then they’re hooked. I say “Yes, but I won’t reply”, now how cool is that? I forget to collect some soup so I have to go back, the first time my list in ambulatory order has failed! At the check out I notice that the girl’s badge says her name is Dorota. Now, being a real European, I know that all girl’s names in Poland end in an ‘a’ (I wonder why?) so I ask if she is Polish. “Yes!” she says. I say I speak a little Polish and do a bit of practising (showing off really). I forget to ask where in Poland she comes from. The bill comes to £43 for a week’s shopping for one person. I allow my undergraduate daughter £40 a week in food money, so knocking off the cost of my beer from my bill, it seems that she is getting the right money. By the way, whatever did happen to Thunderclap Newman? Does anyone care? Do widzenia!

Items bought 27

Cost £43.88

Cost per item £1.62

Checkout number 11

Nectar Points balance 1782