Breakfast Grumbling

Having forgotten to eat properly yesterday I struggled to work out why I was so knackered last night.  In the end I worked it out.  Therefore, this morning I sauntered off to the café, the one I was going to was shut, I hope this is because of a holiday as they fill me up much better, and at the town's most popular eating place I found a seat in the corner, under the chefs cooking area. 

From here I had a good view, ignoring the two people sitting at the next table by the window, a good view of those coming and going and passing by outside.

For me it is unusual to sit people watching.  However, I was intrigued by what I was watching.  The number of fat young women for instance, not counting the ones carrying a child.  The lack of dress sense from almost everyone who passed, not counting those in work wear.  The weather indicated light outfits and for the most part this was what was to be seen, but a possibility of rain meant some protection, like my cheap jacket, was noted.  But the mixture of styles made me wonder where some folks get their ideas from.  Putting aside those faces covered in metal and chains, the fantastic perversion of fashion that appeared was laughable at times.  Have some folks no mirrors?  What TV shows do they copy?  Do they not realise those on TV programmes dress for the show, they do not dress like that at home.  

I was in danger of becoming one of the old maids who sat in Jenners café taking the world apart.  Yet it surprised me how the town has changed in the near 30 years I have been here.  The number of foreign faces has increased vastly.  When I came there were one or two black faces, and the owners of Chinese and Indian takeaways only.  There are a great many more today.  Indian, Arab, Asian of a few varieties, and the Turks who run this excellent café.   Allowing for two attempts to burn down the mosque, one man getting 3 years for his attempt, there appears to be little objection to this from most in the town.  Certainly many complain the place is dangerous at night, forgetting this was the case when they were young and did not notice this then, but rarely it seems to me are the foreign incomers responsible.  Drugs and the usual criminal, drink cause most crime in town.  Youths like drugs, I passed a couple who I thought looked like they indulged too much, and thus a 'county line' of young folks get caught up in this.  Not all parents care enough to stop them.  Late night troubles are usually from pub fights, an not as bad as this was a few years ago.  Now pubs close at different hours and do not all empty at once less trouble results.  

My biggest irk today was the tables outside the café.  Here the diners can smoke, and one woman of many years smoked constantly while yapping with friends and while sitting next to the door.  This allowed the smoke to gather within and thus spoiled the eating for me.  Funny how we never noticed cigarette smoke in days past.  Everyone smoked and nobody noticed we stunk because of it.  There was no indication that the pub, restaurant, café, or whatever was a smoke filled danger zone.  Now, one whiff and reach for the fire extinguisher!  

Anyway, I finished by breakfast, I still feel full now, gathered my rags together, paid my bill, left a tip, and having no guilt re my fashion choice, wandered into a crowded Tesco for milk.  This one bottle of milk cost me £19:35.  Someone stuck other things in my basket...

Cafe

 My exciting life reached new heights this morning when I strolled out, slowly, through town and into the 'Café CM7.'  Brunch was required, and after consultation with my wallet I decided paying for food in a café was equal to what has to be paid for foodstuffs cooked at home, minus the electric charge.  So it was a happy me that discovered this place very quiet at the time I thought would be busy, especially as it is Market Day and people flock into town to complain about the people flocking into town. 

As it was quiet I entered, sat at the back where I could watch everyone else, ordered two sausage, two eggs, two bacon, two tomatoes, beans and mushrooms and tea.  The usual 'Greasy Spoon' type stuff.  The young girl was polite, friendly, helpful and the Brunch was served at a reasonable speed.  While the sausages were not quite my type, the tomatoes two large Plum Toms, and the plate large enough to feed such as me, I was very happy with a cooked meal, cooked that is by someone else!  What a delight!  This meal cost £8.  I left the change from my tenner in the tip plate, and moved off happily with my day. 

Considering most meals I buy will cost about £5 by the time I have bought them, cooked them, and added other bits, I am happy with the price.  My choices of individual items may be different, but the costs run out similar, and the electric is switched off.  It also saves time.  So I am happy.

What excitement!  I really must get out more.

Almost Christmas...

Twice yesterday I shuffled down to St Paul's in the rain.  Being a 'Messy Church' service for Christmas it was crowded.  Kids from everywhere were cutting things, fiddling with oranges, candles and bits and bobs, mums helping, they said, and general confusion everywhere while I sat among friends (I say they are even if they don't know my name) and attempted the quiz that was thrust in my hands. I walked as I had some small gifts for kids and large sweet bags for adults although the amount of foodstuffs suitable for Christmas 'do's' was excessive already.
The service proceeded eventually with carols, a nativity play with a large number of participants and then a wonderful version of 'Bethlehemian Rhapsody' from the 'Big Young Kids.'  I was not possible to take photos which was a shame as I don't think it was filmed but they managed with puppets and a black screen to do an excellent version of this:-

An excellent though slightly dodgy theological morning.  I doubt the strict Presbyterian's in the Isles will have appreciated the joy all around.  I thought it great.  I was less enamoured of noticing the amount of washing up that had to be done and guilt forced me into the sink for while to pretend I cared.  Then I had to trudge home again in the rain...
By six I had traipsed once more, in the rain, back to St P's for the Carol concert.  I had to be there as I was reading the first lesson, Genesis 3:8 - 15 & 17 -19, as you would expect.  Naturally I was running late even allowing for the word 'running' to be somewhat out of place here and arrived just in time.  Shortly afterwards, as I gasped my way into a seat past a gentleman wearing a 'Crystal Palace' jacket in honour of their win over table topping Manchester City and slumped thereupon the first Carol was under way swiftly followed by my reading.  Here I stumbled up to the mike and puffed my way through Genesis attempting to breathe and talk at the same time.  For the rest of the evening I set myself just to enjoy the two year old who cavorted in front of me all night.  She ended the evening happily as the curate finishing the service saw her looking into the manger and the baby Jesus then placed Jesus into her care and made her day.  Then after 'one or two' chocolates that were forced upon me I trekked home once again in the rain, happy, content, badly fed and wet!  But as you know I am not one to complain...

Being clever, up to a point, I sauntered into Sainsburys before nine this morning and joined ten thousand time ten thousand rushing, fighting, desperately searching people each one like me terrified they might starve to death as all the shops are closed for 24 hours tomorrow (not counting Muslim, Hindu or Jewish ones that remain open obviously).  I fought my way past uncontrolled trolleys, wayward baskets and the odd child collected what I needed bar what I forgot and headed home avoiding the man carrying the whole salmon which clearly was his Christmas dinner.   Then I headed out once more to meet Peggy my work friend, we meet in the cafe to gossip about the folks in the museum and share cheap Christmas presents.  As we did so what looked like a football team of men, dressed as shepherds, angels and all passed us as they entered the 'Nags Head.'  It was the one with the donkey strapped across his waist I felt sorry for.  Apparently they chose each costume by lot!   However I am getting suspicious that the bottle of malt whisky that has arrived these past few years might be sent from her online account, the one she uses to keep her man in order.  I wonder...  Anyway the crowds being what they are I avoided popping into Tesco for what I had forgot and may go back later when the hordes have departed.

Having been well informed of the 30 foot queues in Tesco I waited until later and found an empty checkout after having picked up those not really important but needed things.  Ice cream lollies are actually quite important you know.  The woman said the desk was empty for the first time that day!
Why do people leave the shopping till last?  Some things can be left till last, bread, milk, turkey but really most ought to be ready days ahead even if you work and have kids I say.  Nothing is perfect but planning and not fussing makes things easier.  Some folks appear to think they can shop midday Christmas eve and not have to join the myriads already there.  These are the same people that insist on travelling on Bank holidays and grumble about queues.   I bet they voted for Brexit!  
My freezer is full, the chicken roosts in the fridge, the whisky keeps moving in front of me, the soup gurgles away on the back hob, and I wish to lie down.  Outside cars fly by as people rush to accomplish the forgotten things, presents, aunts, foodstuffs, petrol etc and others are shop staff and other workers forced to work until they drop before heading home some to families, some to loneliness, some to the pubs and others to get away from everyone else.  

  
I hope you are ready and looking forward to the day.  I hope your freezer does not break down, the internet stays alive and that the next few days are full of joy and friendship, love even and not the soppy kind. 

    

A Walk in the Park

In the chill of the day ensuring we all knew Autumn had arrived the sun continued to pretend it was summer and tempted me out onto the zimmer bus.  A trundle into the big city (they call it big) and a walk in the park by the river was on the cards.

The skies above were filled with puffy clouds (or UFO's to those who read the 'Daily Mail') standing out from the attractive blue sky.  Here the sky is seen above the cafe which offered me a decent coffee for only £1:90, far cheaper than those expensive shops that fill all the high Streets in this world.  Not only that the service was attractive, friendly and efficient.  I will use it again when there.   

It is no surprise this well cared for park was busy.  Mums with pushchairs, joggers sweating by, workers on lunch enjoying the air and the occasional duck flapping about in the water.  All in all a good way to spend your lunchtimes and make use of the cafe.  There was a happy relaxed 'feel' about the place which is not always the case in cities, maybe the population had not yet gone for their coffee?  Anyhow it was an enjoyable couple of hours in the sunshine.

During 1842 the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) arrived at Chelmsford on its very expensive trek towards Ipswich.  Eventually the line reached the destination but only after many money troubles.  I suspect having to build an 18 arch viaduct across what is now Central Park in the town added to their financial care.  The station now stands high above the town, the old signal box has is five story high on the north side, and this magnificent viaduct still carries the daily traffic, taking some 14,000 a day in the London commute.  I constantly find myself admiring brickwork, especially the brickwork involved in creating thousands of Victorian rail bridges both large and small.  No wonder the economy grew?  The desire for railways ensured a demand for bricks, the railways took bare material to factories which turned this into goods which the railways carried away.  The growing economy led to a move to the city, a demand for new housing, a demand for more bricks.  Those simple red bricks help change the nation.  I realise there is a lot more to this than my simple explanation but certainly the arrival of rail changed the world in a way little has until computers landed on our desks.

    
Here we see the Abellio service rushing towards Ipswich (is it my cynicism that makes me wish I had written 'the late running Abellio service?) possibly stopping at the Chelmsford but sometime charging straight through.  A journey of just under an hour into Liverpool Street station has made this a commuter town a favourite for many.  I find it a bit boring but at least all the shops required can be found here, all other activities are catered for and for many young families it meets their needs.  However while the Essex County Cricket side play most of their games in Chelmsford their football team is so far down the leagues that it will take a year before they can join little Braintree and a further year before they can meet the 'big boys.'  Maybe it will be their year this time...

Whether there are any fish in the River Can I know not but this man is moving at my speed today!  In the background can be seen some canoes with slow moving oarsmen paddling along.  The flow goes this way and I hope they can manage to fight the stream all the way back.  Some distance down there is a canoe club which may be where they are heading, possibly they started from there and went up river.  A nice pleasant way to pass a day like today.

I was somewhat surprised to see outside the shopping centre table tennis tables, 'Wiff Waff' to some of us of course, and is that a chess set laid out for use?  It all looks to energetic for me, a quick trip to the butcher for '3 for £10 chicken' then off to catch the zimmer bus, admire old folks bus passes with another zimmer bus user and rest my knees.