Waiting in the rain for Argos presents, Then locked out... not a good week off
THE days are getting muddled.
On waking up I realise I spent all day Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday only to find I have to do Wednesday over again. In any normal week that would be a terrible situation as the weekend is so far away, but today it’s a bonus as I’m technically off work for the week so I’ve sort of found an extra day.
On the minus side that means
I’ve another day to wait until the shops are open and the Santa shopping can properly begin.
Louise has been awake since 6am and I find her downstairs clearing out the food cupboard.
The pre-christmas organising has started.
She’s having a rare day off, having worked all through lockdown and managed her job through the various restrictions imposed. Her body clock is all over the place too.
The only one in the family with a resentful dose of normality is Leo, who is still going to school as all those around him try to manage the growing effects of
Covid fatigue. In desperation, I turn to online shopping to see what Santa can find.
It’s getting harder and harder as the kids grow older. It’s too difficult to surprise them these days, but at least one thing is ticked off the list and a trip to Argos in Cookstown is planned.
In the meantime, the kitchen is in uproar and Louise is horrified to have discovered some of the jars at the back of the food cupboard have been there since 2016.
They’ve somehow managed to survive two house moves.
It’s a click and collect job at Argos, with an added helping of
standing in the rain for 20 minutes outside the store.
Having not left the house for two days I’m rather surprised that the traffic along Cookstown main street is still heavy and I can’t help but wonder where everyone is going.
Most of t he independent stores remain closed. The cafes are shut. Surely everyone can’t be heading for groceries again?
The only other possibility is that people are going to the chemist to get headache tablets after consuming the alcohol they bought in the off licence the day before.
Aside
from
the
big name stores, they’re the only other shops open in what appears to have been an optional lockdown.
Or they were heading to Argos. There’s a sizeable queue and when my turn comes it’s a struggle to work my phone in the rain to get the order number and I can’t see as my glasses have steamed up.
Arriving home, Louise seems to have gone out and taken the keys to the door with her. I’m locked out. I hang around for a bit before going to pick up Leo from school.
In the usual car park I manage to find one of the free spaces but don’t see Leo walk past and he stands for 10 minutes in the rain before we finally hook up. He’s a little wet and grumpy.
I try to tell him Santa’s elves might be watching. He doesn’t buy it.
“Sure Tesco says there’s no naughty list this year, Santa can just go there,” he says. Kids are smarter than they used to be.
Honey the dog has obviously noticed that too. She’s sniffed out a small box of chocolates and dismantled a Christmas hamper in a failed attempt to try to get to them.
In better news, the kitten has so far left the newly restored Christmas tree alone.
‘I’m quite surprised that the traffic is still heavy’