Wintry.

The cold grey day seemed appropriate for the meteorological start of winter.

I've spent what feels like the whole day in Aber. Some of my visits were successful and others weren't. First stop was at the local Post Office where the majority of my Christmas cards were sent off. Next stop was Screwfix. Not having been there before I set the Satnav which got me to an industrial estate on the far side of town. It's quite a run down estate but I spotted Screwfix and found the correct place to park. My aim was to look at some items but I was out of luck. To start with it is a 'counter service only' set up and then although the girl serving tried to be helpful all the things I wanted to look at (sinks, glass splash back and wood upstand) were 'order only'. Also the minimum amount to order the upstand from the manufacturer is £200. They're just £50 each but I guess they want to sell them with the wooden counter tops. The problem is that this is the only place I've found that makes 4cms upstands which is the size I need to fit under the window. Not to mention that the 7cms upstands everywhere else are double the price.

Next stop was Morrisons and that was FUN. (A sign of the times that I get excited by wandering around a supermarket.) It's simply that they have a good range of food and some other items. I was quite happy to wander up and down the aisles imagining delicious meals. One item they didn't have was pearl barley, umpteen different kinds of rice including wild rice infused with jasmine, lentils, quinoa, and other grains but no pearl barley. I've yet to find any even in the health food shops. Maybe Tescos though I'm reluctant to go there after reports that one of their staff tested positive for covid.  Treats for us included falafel and cherry tomatoes both reduced plus olives, onion bahjis and vegetable samosas. After Morrisons I went in the big B&M (mainly cheap home goods) where I found some more white storage boxes. They were the same range that I already have in the larder but much larger which was exactly what I needed to go on the shelf above the rail in the hall coat cupboard. This was an extra lucky find as they didn't have any other sizes in white, just some in pink. Then I had a bit of a hunt around Charlie's but only came out with a packet of small cup hooks. The things I failed to find were a key rack and a window cleaning squeegee/blade thingy with a long handle.

Parking at Lidl I went to the bank to pay a couple of bills. I'd forgotten to wear a watch so I had to guess how long I had to stay in town. A fruitless search for pearl barley and a visit to a few charity shops was all I dared do. In one charity shop I found these two beachy strands for £1.50. Peter wasn't impressed but I like them.

I've sorted out the contents of the crowded hats& gloves drawer into the white boxes and after measuring I can fit one more on the shelf and that will hold the dozen pairs of gloves I appear to own along with a couple for Peter.