Play days

Play days are over-rated. I tried, I really did, to avoid all things work related. But I failed. You can't switch off your mind.

My day started with an exciting trip to Waitrose. This is the top of the range type of classy supermarket. My mother LOVES Waitrose. I was born to shop there, but unfortunately, my continual failure to win the lotto precludes this. And they have the best coffee shop, but I didn't stop. Ladies who lunch sit and have their coffee. It is the type of supermarket you change clothes to visit. Well, I never do really, but I do feel as though I should dress up. So you can see that this was exciting, of course. I swished around the aisles in peace, tossing things I don't normally buy into my trolley. This is play day so I feel justified. It is truely tragic that it takes so little to excite me. I bought daffodils, to remind me that spring is on the way.

I have not been near any real shops for months, so it was a treat to go to Hobbycraft and look for stuff for school. (I told you I could not escape work.) And then, after buying beads, needles, ribbon and cards for my classes, I breezed around our book shop and DID NOT BUY A BOOK. I looked. I wanted something to read, but nothing leapt off the shelves and shrieked Buy Me. So I went to look for ribbon for school. Didn't find any, but did get pencils for my classes. The kids never have their own and I am tired of trying to find random bits of writing equipment while I am teaching. Do you notice how much of my play day was devoted to school things? Good.

Meanwhile, our village was having a series of powercuts, the electricity was going on and off at home, so David had to phone and tell me all about this. He was irritated by the computer game he was playing. I stopped to have coffee with a friend, talked about school of course, and then came home. Feeling vaguely dissatisfied in a weird way. I have forgotten how to play. I don't know how to switch off. I still spent all the time I was out worrying about the work still to be done, and finding it very hard to spend any money on myself without massive guilt. I didn't make the hair appointment. I should have gone to a movie or for a walk somewhere, but it wasn't something I felt like doing either a) in the rain or b) alone.

I bought chocolate. (Yes, MG, I can share) and a £1 DVD. I have no idea what it is about because I didn't have my glasses with me so couldn't read the blurb, but it stars Nicole Kidman so that is fine. £1 I can cope with. Now if I could just find out how to work the DVD player, I might watch it. (This is the DVD player that has been in this house for 4 years. I have never known how to start the wretched thing and I will NOT go and ask the son who is the fount of all techno-knowledge. It is too humiliating.) So I will sit and sigh dramatically in the rocker and eat that chocolate. I need to remember how to play.

I did find the most hysterical card though and it seems to sum up my life and hair crisis. So here it is so you can share the amusement.