Priorities

Having just watched a recording of the US President’s arrival at Blenheim Palace, one wonders where the money comes from, at a time when we can’t safely drive in a straight line on our potholed roads.  Would I have felt differently had a similar ceremony been laid on for the previous incumbent of the White House?  I’ll keep my own counsel.  (But then, he would probably have politely declined such extravagance anyway.)

Nice ride down to the seaside at Rye yesterday for lunch with Bob and Sue, to whom I’d promised some eschscholzia (Californian poppy) seeds.  Being the driver, I asked in the pub for a glass of sparkling water with a dash of angostura bitters.  Blank incomprehension.  I later learn that one must first ask whether they have the bitters, if necessary describing the bottle.  Anyway, a pleasant lunch in good company, with the added entertainment of Morris dancers outside and pre-war cars visiting - two MGs and a Riley, all clearly cherished.  When we arrived, we were followed in by a 2CV van, and there were plenty of other ‘classic’ cars around.  Some event nearby, I guess.

It’s always a risky enterprise to go to the coast on a fine Saturday, but the Wimbledon final on the telly may have kept some of the traffic off the road, and in any case we went for the back doubles, so the journey was pretty painless.  It’s very handy to have a partner with decades of local knowledge and an excellent memory for places.

For the second time lately, my credit card transaction was declined at the pub.  We therefore came home and got on to the card issuer: it transpires that there had been a doubtful transaction four days earlier - for the Princely sum of £0.90 - but the cards are now blocked and replacements ordered.  Evidently the card issuer had tried to contact me, but had used an out of date mobile number.  Now corrected.