I came home on Friday and was taking off my boots whilst watching with half an eye the 6pm news and also listening to Himself tell me my Dad had left a strange message in the phone. "I'll play it to you" he said at just the same time as my brain registered the news reader saying "blah blah Oxfordshire village,flooding, blah blah blah" and caught my full attention. I realised in shock that the village in question was my parents and the reporter wading thigh deep towards the camera was actually doing so through rushing water at the end of my parent's street!!
It was quite surreal seeing this on the national news I have to say. My parents have lived in their house 25 years and there has never, ever been flooding to this scale before. Yes there is a stream through the village but as their house is on slightly higher ground other than a bit of water up the garden they are usually ok, and yet for the first time ever suddenly they too had water lapping at the back door step and men delivering sandbags!
Thankfully not as much rain feel over night on either Friday or Saturday as forecasted and the pumps that the environmental agency brought in did their job so by this morning Mum was happy to report the water had receded down the garden leaving only a 'delightful' brown sludge in it's wake, lovely.
Fingers crossed they will be alright over the next couple of weeks when yet more rain and storms are forecast.
As it happens I follow Caitlin Moran on Twitter and some time ago she had asked people to tweet her with experiences of outrageous sexism they had encountered so I did.
In Chapter 8 of the book, which is all about sexism, she describes asking the question on Twitter and the deluge of replies she got back and then goes on to say 'these are the ones that actually made me gasp' and there was my tweet!
I sat bolt upright, elbowed Himself and went "Oh my god, I'm in print, I'm actually in someone's book!" and read the relevant passage out. He responded with a satisfyingly outraged swear word at the incident, which I had never told him about before.
So yes, a shocking incident that happened to me is forever immortalized in print on page 130 of 'How to be a Woman'.
In case you are wondering, I'm the lucky person who had a guy leap out of a van and stick his hand up her skirt to see if she was wearing stockings or tights whilst she stood at the bus stop!
I wish I could say I walloped him or gave some manner of withering retort but in all honesty I was so shocked and taken aback that I just stood there like a lemon. Being much older, more experienced and far more jaded, I'm pretty sure if such a thing happened today my fist would be in his face and my knee in his groin faster than you could blink.
Anyway moving swiftly on to happier things, as I mentioned in my last post Friday was wear red day for The British Heart Foundation.
But even better than raising so much and by far the best bit of news from my working week? Nightmare boss has resigned!!!!!!! Oh happy day indeed, the weight that has lifted off our department is extraordinary. It was like working in an office of Cheshire Cats, all wall to wall beaming smiles. Not sure what happens next, but whatever it is and who ever they are it can't be any worse.
On Saturday Soo came over for gossip and charity shop shopping and boy did we shop up a storm. I did manage to have mini two disasters. The lovely crystal sherry glass I bought Himself for 10p got broken in my bag before I even got back in the house (oopps) and the rather lovely, but a bit smelly, red cheongsam dress shrank dramatically when I stuffed it in the wash (arse!)
I also bought a lovely forest green shirt for work,
a scarf, some silver spoons, a beret,
Some random pictures from our day
I also went to pick up a pair of boots that I had put in to be reheeled. Whilst there I noticed the most revoltingly filthy pair of boots on the shelf. I couldn't help but ask the lady if they often get boots in in such a horrible condition. She sighed and said more than you would imagine, though if she is behind the till at the time she refuses to take them until they have been cleaned. Which apparently lead to one lady holding a horse muck encrusted pair to knock them vigorously against the counter 'to remove the excess' and basically cover the counter and floor with horse shit before leaving!?!
On that happy note I shall sign off with the two brooches now they have been cleaned and the shell one given a touch up with purple iridescent nail polish because I don't do pink.
I've had that hand up the skirt thing too, from a passenger when I was a hostie. I refused to serve him for the rest of the flight. You got a great haul but that last top is truly hideous, looks like something People of Walmart wear.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, so many things to comment on from this post! Love the red frock, but ADORE the Hobbs cocktail frock, what a bargain, I love Hobbs stuff but only ever buy it on sale. Rubbish about the shrinkage, what a shame. Can you repurpose it as a top somehow?
ReplyDeleteAnd lastly, but not least - how amazing to be quoted in the book! But how horrendous the incident that led you to be in it. I too have experienced something similar on more than one occasion in the past and being very fragile and young, my tactic was always to ignore it - wish I'd had the courage to smack them all one. Isn't that appalling, and just shows how common this kind of thing is from your experience, mine, and Fiona's. If I ever have a daughter I'm going to send her to martial arts training.
Enjoy your purchases, and have a good week x
WANKO!!!!
ReplyDeleteAhem. O, jaysus, that's dreadful about the hand up the skirt!! OMG! Unbelieveable. I had a young man grab my tit in Egypt, but you'd expect that there.
Love that red frock and the cocktail frock is heavenly!
Hope your poor parents don;t have a soggy house to contend with. Bloody nutty weather.
XXX
That incident quoted in the book? Truly, truly horrendous. I'm not surprised you just stood there, sometimes things are literally stunning in their awfulness.
ReplyDeleteI hope your parents continue to be okay. The town next to ours has been on-and-off flooding for a few months now and it's really bad for them. Just glad we don't live any further west; it's a crying shame how bad things have got for people in the Levels.
I used to get that all the time when I was in catering and like you, I used to suffer in silence. I sincerely hope the yoof of today are a bit less tolerant of such appalling behaviour.
ReplyDeleteFab buys, shame about the cheongsam but I bet it'll make a fantastic top - I wear mine more than the dress I have! xxx
Oh dear, your poor mum and dad, but at least it hasn't got any worse in their village. Worse would be a flooded house AND a random hand up your skirt at a bus stop. What a dreadful tale!
ReplyDeleteLove your red frock, and you certainly had a successful chazzing trip. Love that sparkly beret, I have worn mine to death and it's looking decidedly scruffy now... The Hobbs dress is a beauty, so are the brooches, and I can't believe you left the Friends bag, Evil Pig, weird top, and whatever the Wanko thing is behind for someone else to snap up!
The horse shit woman sounds a bit vile. There are some horrible folk around. Thank goodness for the nice ones, like you! xxxx
So glad yo hear your mum and dad's house was saved, people are not so lucky down here in Somerset its floods everywhere even our local park where i walk the dogs every morning keeps turning into a river its not good here at all. Blimey don't know what to say about the man putting his hand up your skirt except cheeky sod im keeping it clean :-) So good to hear your boss is leaving :-) Good start to the year for you all. I love your red dress its gorgeous, have a good week, dee xx
ReplyDelete