After writing the last blog we went out shopping. The first task was to find our way to a branch of Edinburgh Woollen Mill as an outlet in Rugby Garden Centre. We looked it up on Google and then on the Maps so we thought we knew in which direction we should be headed. We took the post code from the website, set the sat nav and set off.
Everything seemed to be going as expected until we arrived at a junction with 1 minute to go to the calculated ETA. We followed the instruction from the sat nav lady and turned right at a crossroads only to discover about 200 m further on that we were at a potato farm with a serious security gate blocking the way.
No choice but to turn around and at the cross roads the lady told us to go right and dutifully we did, retracing our steps for well over a mile. After a while we began to be even more suspicious and pulled in to the side of the road. But yes, the kindly sat nav lady still wanted us to carry on. Eventually we came to a mini roundabout where we instructed to go right around, back where we had just come.
We again stopped and checked Google Maps - yes the destination was where we expected it to be but not at the potato farm. This time we input the name of the garden centre which, it turns out, is in the same post code as the farm, but separated by several fields! This time we made it, after about 20 minutes wasted diversions.
Chatting to the shop staff it seems that we are not the first to have made an unplanned visit to the potatoes. After earlier being harangued that he had not bought any new shirts for over two years, Mike was then looked at very critically when he picked out four that he liked! Clothes shopping is just not something that Mike can ever get right, it seems . . .
Christine went into another outlet or two but failed miserably (your writes says unadvisedly) to find anything to fit or to please. It was by now well after noon and we opted to go back to the boat (by a different route!) After a short distance we discovered why we were not brought this way at first - the country road joins the A45 dual carriageway with only a left turn and there is no access from the other side.
After a lengthy lunch (aka recovery) we set off or our other shopping destination - Tesco. This time we were on much more familiar territory, arriving with no extra diversions.
This morning we began by going into Brinklow for the morning service at the parish church. This was the third time since we arrived at the marina and we were by now recognised by the small but very friendly and welcoming congregation.
By the time we had spent as long in chatting after the service as the service itself took, it was all but time for lunch back at the boat. We then received an email from the third electrician we had contacted, but who had not yet given us a time to visit. he will be with us tomorrow morning (all being well) This is very convenient as we should then be well placed to come to some sort of decision about how to move forward. With luck we can get to that point before we have to return home later this week.
Time then to start to prepare our evening meal - the obligatory (almost) roast - luckily using a piece of already roasted pork left over from a large piece a few week ago and kept in the freezer just for such an occasion as this! But the menu writer also proposed a rice pudding and a soft fruit compote (using the good harvest we reaped from our own garden)
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