I hobbled off at high speed to the bus station for the 11: am bus.
As I approached the digital readout said 'Bus 70: 15 Minutes.'
What?
The changed the times again, however they have not changed the timetable on the shelter I noticed.
So I had to hang about while the driver decided whether to arrive or not.
After a short eternity he arrived.
The questions arise while the time draws near.
"Will he arrive?"
"Has there been an accident?"
"Is my watch right?"
"What is that women saying about 'delay?'"
And so on, but he arrived early.
The drivers changed over, the bus departed, ignoring an old man struggling to catch the bus, and bumped its way inexperiencedly along the busy route. This driver was either new, transferred from London or just inept. We made it into town but at the lights he jiggered us forward almost inch by inch as if this would move the standing traffic in front of him.
Definitely a London reject.
I clumped down the street, passing the occasional policeman, a wide variety of people of all ages rushing to and fro, it was noon, and the aroma of takeaway lunches from the snackbars. Passing through the shopping centre I entered 'Primark' to check the price of jeans, my pair were £6 last time I was in, and discovered no matter what that all jeans/chinos/trousers were made for those with waists no greater than 38. I was going to enquire where the fat man's stuff was but the assistant looked uninterested and indeed washed out by his labours.
I moved on.
At last, climbing the stairs to the non fiction books, after stopping to check the many tables with 'Buy on get one Half Price' where I did just that, I then browsed carefully. This did not take long, I wondered about the cash in my pocket and how hot the plastic bit was before I bought too many. Then raced downstairs to proffer my Gift Token and my green card to accumulate points which will be beneficial in the future. I like this shop in spite of those critics who claim they are limiting the scope of the choice of books. Possibly this is true, I cannot tell, however they have sufficient for me at the moment.
Sauntering around the many tented stalls that now fill the paved High Street I considered their cheese, their pies, bread, veg and other delights then spent £3 on a hand made Malted Loaf just so I do not require attendance at Tesco when I got home. £3! That was not the cheapest, one type of bread cost £12.... I mean really!
So, the books obtained, with bread in the bag I headed to my next regular stops, G.C.Smith, butcher at the Chelmsford Market. This supplies me with sausages and chicken for the freezer at a mere £20, while along the rows we find a small cheese stall with a couple of shelves packed with huge chunks of cheese at reasonable prices. 'Mark's Cheese and Eggs' stall has a great variety on offer, however as I proffered my £20 note, apologising for having nothing else (I only spent £4:50) the cheery lady said that did not matter as "We don't give change on Friday's." We then discussed the lack of a notice to this effect once they had brought me round and lifted me off the ground. They don't like people lying around in case folks blame the cheese. Anyway I like these two stalls and have been there regularly, allowing for long periods in between and will be back when the freezer demands this. I might however raise my cholesterol level from 4:3 to much higher if I am not careful. Then I hobbled back to the bus, waited for ages, then in an almost empty bus made it home, knees aching, wallet empty, but sufficient foodstuffs obtained, books to add to the 'To Read' pile, and a happy sense of getting out of town for a change.
