Druggies and snotty toddlers

Good afternoon all, I hope you had good weekends.

It was good to have m.d.w. back with us full time for a couple of days, Leo certainly enjoyed having two parents to run around with / after him, especially as he had picked up a cold and was green and crusty.

On Friday, while at the park, I missed the postie and I received one of their red cards of doom. Apparently he had tried to deliver a 'signed for' package for m.d.w.

I used their (awful and long winded) automated service to arrange redelivery for Saturday.

By 12:30 on Saturday nothing had arrived, so I called the Royal Mail for an update (well, the call centre in Northumbria as it appears customers can no longer call the local sorting office). I was assured the item was scheduled for delivery that day and would be with me before 14:00.

So 14:00 came and went, and I called back, the lines close at 13:00 on a Saturday. You know that sinking feeling you get , when suspicion begins to set in that you are told a time by someone who knows they will have left before that time elapses, so they won't have to deal with you again?.....

Well we didn't leave the house until gone 15:00 as Leo was still sleeping. Still no post.

We went shopping, and when we got back we had had our post, well most of it. No signed for item, and no red card of doom. Gits. Total waste of a morning. Hurry up and get privatised.

While shopping we did come across an Italian market. Many yummy and expensive delicacies on offer, which we resisted and candied fruit (kiwi, melon, papaya and pineapple). This we couldn't resist as it looked like a nice alternative to biscuits and cereal bars for toddler snacks.

We bought a small selection to see what Leo would think of them. An instant hit! So after our rounds in Iceland and B&M etc. we stocked up. That blew a hole in our shopping budget, but hey, they should last a few months, and Leo's worth it.

We took Leo to the park as normal on Sunday, and as we left, something shiny on the floor caught my eye (magpie tendencies to the fore). It was tin foil, lovingly crafted by an experienced hand into a crack or heroin pipe, complete with soot staining around the bottom and a vile brown residue lining the insides. Thanks for that Mr. Junkie! I can just imagine a toddler getting hold of that and giving it a good suck. Needless to say we cleaned it up and threw it away.

Sunday evening was relaxed and we enjoyed a beef casserole which I had started in the morning, so by the time we got round to eating it, it had been simmering away for four hours. Rich, juicy and tender, except for the occasional piece of swede / turnip (depending on whether you are from the north or the south) which was unaccountably woody.

The left overs (i.e. what we didn't eat or pot up for freezing in Leo sized portions) is now simmering in the slow cooker with the addition of mince, chopped tomatoes and puree to become a bolognaise sauce for tonight's dinner.

My tummy is already growling at the prospect!

Leo has nearly shifted the cold already and is snoring his little head off next door.