Thursday 13th May 2021 Day 365
7.30 It’s raining and I have woken up after a night of incredibly vivid dreams which I think I can remember every detail about until I try to run through them in my head and find I can’t, funny things dreams.
Worry has pulled another load of fur out of her coat, underneath the black she has very pale grey fur so she is beginning to look a bit like a feline Dalmation. I have to go to East Hoathly to return a parcel to Amazon which for some reason I have to pay part of even though I have Prime, can’t be bothered to even try to understand that but I looked up my nearest store to take it and that’s where I have to go, East Hoathly to be collected by a courier who apparently will wrap it and take it and I have nothing further to do as long as I have it there by eleven. Suits me Sir!
10.45 I leave home later than I meant to of course, Audrey in the car; we’ll look for a new walk for on the way back. It’ll be quicker to go down Hollow
lane into the country roads to get there…..or so I thought until I encountered Mr and Mrs Mallard in the middle of the road with a brood of two teenagers. They clearly had adopted the road as their own and didn’t look in the least flustered as I approached and stopped. They went into a family conflab for a few minutes and made the decision to turn round and start walking in the opposite direction. If this was going to carry on for a mile or two it would be quicker for me to get out of the car and walk. Thankfully they decided that discretion was the better part of valour and moved very slowly in single file, swearing I think, towards the grass verge where they eventually settled.
11.00 I get to East Hoathly just in time only to be informed that although it stated on line that they were a depot for the courier, in fact they are not and never had been. The lady behind the counter is very nice and says it happens all the time and no they never wrapped returns. Luckily we find a nice place to walk on the way home so it wasn’t all a waste of time.
Once home I phone the vet for some flea spot on for Worry, I am 99% certain she doesn’t have any fleas but I suppose better safe than sorry. Turned out that I had already bought some a month ago and forgotten, whoops! However, the lady on the phone says, “I see your dog needs her prescription and would I like to take four months worth? “Actually no,” says I, knowing what an exhorbitant price they are. “I’ll take two for now.”
“Oh” says the lady, “I am trying to reduce footfall to the surgery.” I immediately feel guilty but stick to my guns.
“You do realise” continues the lady on the phone, “that this one does not kill ticks or lung worm” and she continues with a list of things it won’t kill, including the dog herself I imagine. “We do have these other ones that kill everything” …..not including the dog I hope.
“Well how much are they?” I venture, now sounding as if money were my only consideration and of course they are hugely more expensive, surprise surprise.
“You know, if you walk near deer” (I do) “or sheep” (I do and the guilt is growing but I thank her and say I’ll just take the usual ones if that’s ok?)
“No that’s fine” she says “ I just thought you should know” and as an afterthought “I do understand” (understand what? That I don’t look after my dog properly?)
“So how much is that” I ask, hoping we can just move on.
“We had a dog in last week” she said “Had lung worm, couldn’t save it, such a shame”
My guilt now magnified by a thousand, I pay her over the phone and when I go to collect later, I will try not to make too much footfall!
All I phoned for was flea stuff for Worry, which it turned out I already had.