Skip to main content

Is it me?

I had an appointment at the dentist at 9.30am.  I was there at 9.25am.  The 9.45am appointment arrived at 9.40am.  The 10.00am appointment arrived and at 10.05am the 10.15am appointment arrived.  At 10.15 the dentist called me in.  When I made the appointment for my next visit I asked if I could have the first appointment of the day.  '9.30am,' the receptionist said.   'My appointment today was 9.30am but I wasn't seen until 10.15am when 4 other people had arrived,' I ventured to say.  'And your point is Madam?' she asked.  Nonplussed I said, 'Why?'  She sighed and explained as though I was 5 years old.  'He never sees anyone before 10.15.' 'So can I turn up at 10.15 for my 9.30am appointment?'  I asked.  'No, because if you do you will be charged as a no-show.'

I am hopeless with names.  Even though I repeat them as I am being told, they disappear immediately into the atmosphere.  On Sunday I turned up at another club to play four matches in one day, a killer by any standards.  'Bonjour Suzanne,'  was the greeting I received from someone I don't remember ever meeting before.  As I proceeded to kiss everyone on both cheeks, they all knew my name.  I didn't know one although I did remember playing against them at previous tournaments.  The organiser came over and he too knew who I was even though I hadn't opened my mouth or spoken one word.  I asked a player from my own club how everyone knew my name.  'You are the only English woman on the circuit, or man for that matter' she replied.  Is it printed on my forehead?  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D day lasts 3 days

 This morning, with my head full of things I still have to do, I got on the tram and forgot to scan my ticket.  The inspector got on 2 stops later and said I had to pay 45€ for this lapse.  Why can't I scan it now?  a reasonable question in my opinion, was met with scorn, so I  paid up.  On the tram back from the hospital there she was again and checked my ticket with glee.  While she was doing that a young man got on, sat down  and did not show any sign of even having a ticket, let alone scanning one.   The inspector passed him by without a second glance.   Today is the last day for packing and organising.  Tomorrow the removal company will arrive at 6am to take it all away and put it in storage.  Tomorrow night I will sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor and Thursday I go to the hospital to be nuked for the last time.  The sleeping bag is the one that saved me from hypothermia when a friend and I were lost for ...
1 comment
Read more

I'm Free

 After being incarcerated in my son's house waiting for the results of the day 2 test I was finally allowed out today.  I went to Chichester and was saddened by the number of familiar shops that have disappeared from the town centre.  Bognor is the same.  You wouldn't die of thirst in either town though as the number of cafes has increased.  Both town centres were busy making it difficult to keep a safe distance from others but many people were wearing masks in the street. I was pulled over by Customs in Caen.  As I opened the trunk of the car one of the officers asked me if I was carrying goods.  'Yes,' I replied, ' French Champagne and French wine'  They nodded approvingly and waved me away. During my 3 days in the house, I have cleaned, filed all their paperwork, mended the shower, cooked dinner and tried watching television, the latter being totally uninspiring.  The news consists of covid, travel restrictions, forbidden Christmas parties...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Apt

 As the sewage piles up around the apartment I think it is appropriate that we highlight World Toilet Day, which took place yesterday.  I have lived in countries where sewage systems were non-existent and where toilets were a luxury, even outside but I didn't really expect to endure the same in the middle of Saumur.  However, after 4 weeks, tomorrow will see workmen arrive to deal with the problem.  Please don't let there be a strike.  When they have fixed the broken  pipe we have to work out what we do with all that sewage just laying around.  I don't normally wish for torrential rain, or any rain at all, but please can it pour down on Friday?   The mairie phoned yesterday to say that they had spoken to the Prefecture who had given them a telephone number that I can ring to get an appointment to change the address on my identity card.  It is the same number I have been dialling for weeks and which is always busy. I read that Boris Johns...
Post a Comment
Read more