Monday 7th September was quite hectic and stressful for me and it didn’t go as planned. Neither Captain Caveman nor I could remember what caused the argument last night, it was probably because of his pain and me being hangry! I had a face on that he needed food to take ibuprofen but we didn’t eat anything after 1pm so he was in more pain than he needed be. In my world I would have gone to a doctor or A&E today but, of course, Captain Caveman would not consider that as an option. I had a very busy schedule as well as a Boot Camp of training sessions to dial in to today and a train journey back to Sheffield to get ready for my next holiday which started tomorrow. It was cold and wet in Manchester as Captain Caveman and I walked to his van, I walked to Cafe Nero and ordered 2 croissants for our breakfast while Captain Caveman limped to the car park. I couldn’t pay for the croissants as I had forgotten I’d bent my bank card yesterday and had put it between my diary and The Handy Travel Planner to straighten it out, so it was still in the hotel room. This really cheesed me off as I didn’t have time to go back for it and had to just get my clothes and shoes from the van, and give Captain Caveman anything I didn’t need, to drive back with later this afternoon. It also meant he couldn’t take his morning tablets before work because he also hadn’t eaten any breakfast.
We said goodbye and I walked back to The Tribe hotel in the rain. Once in the room I logged on to the first cruise training session and tried to forget how hungry I was. The first session was just the intro then there was a further 5 to attend throughout the day. I wrote a quick to do list of all things I had to make sure I’d done before I went to sleep tonight, plus a few tasks I would like to get done if I could. I rushed off for my train to Sheffield and had to change in Manchester Piccadilly where I paid £3 for a croissant and I took my tablets so I didn’t get a belly ache – result!
Back in Sheffield I had things I needed to get done in the town but I had a heavy bag with all the laundry in so I hadn’t time to go then. I got the tram to Captain Caveman’s flat for £2.50 and put the washing on straight away. I needed to wash and dry it ready to repack it – the joy of travelling light meant I didn’t have many other clothes in England. I’d done another cruise training session before lunch but missed the P&O one, even though I had a customer who had just been on a 2 week P&O cruise.
I was pegging the washing out when Vanessa arrived to see me before her 60th birthday cruise and she was really excited to be setting off on her special trip. We would both be in the same time zone so I’d assured her that I would still be available while on my next holiday, should she need anything. I’d turned my phone on to silent because of all the stuff I needed to concentrate on and, when Captain Caveman came home earlier than planned, he was not impressed that I’d not answered my phone. I was still with Vanessa and he’d needed help carrying the Aldi shop upstairs, which is why he had called. He’d driven back from Manchester after his work meeting and called at Aldi in his lunch hour. Here’s what he had bought, with prices in pounds;
Ibuprofen 0.35
Paracetamol 0.35
Moroccan seasoning 0.55
Spring onions 0.69
Bleach 0.69
Lettuce 0.75
2 Garlic 0.78
Carrots 0.79
Ketchup 0.87
Red cabbage 0.89
Mouthwash 0.89
BBQ sauce 0.89
2 Cannelloni beans 0.90
6 Bananas 0.96
Wholemeal loaf 0.99
1 cucumber 0.99
Brown Sauce 0.99
Lactose free milk 0.99
3 packet mixes 1.05
2 packs muffins 1.30
2 avocado 1.39
4 Baked beans 1.49
120g sliced ham 1.49
Orange Juice 1.59
2 Pesto 1.88
2 packs of wraps 1.98
2 packs of crackers 1.98
Mozzarella cheese 1.99
Toothpaste 2.09
6 Red peppers 2.10
2 packs of zip lock bags 2.30
Tomatoes 2.49
2t0g raspberries 2.65
500g Butter 2.70
Parmesan cheese 2.85
12 eggs 2.89
6 onions 2.98
Frozen berries 2.99
Mini Cheddars 3.19
Pork & leek sausages 3.29
2 packs Fish fingers 3.30
900g chicken thighs 5.39
Duck & pancakes 6.49
750g Lean Beef mince 7.09
1kg Beef Brisket 13.35
Total spent £99.49
We ate bacon muffins and then I got a lift with Vanessa in to town.
I missed the Marella & Celestyal Cruise training as I was busy with important errands. I would catch up on them tomorrow in the airport. I spent a massive £32.23 in Holland & Barrett stocking up on very much needed 3 for 2 Lactase pills for me and Black Cherry extract for Captain Caveman. I also treated myself to 2 cherry Bakewell flapjacks to take with me on the flight, just in case I needed a bit of sustenance. Captain Caveman needed more coffee so he asked me to get some from Marks & Spencer’s which I did for £3.75 and then I picked up some new potatoes for £1.85 and one of my favourite salads for £3, which I could eat at the airport.
I rushed back to finish off my work stuff, check-in for my flight, try but fail to finish off the internal pages of The Handy Travel Diary 2027 and then repack my bags.
This time I was taking Pauline, my petite pink underseat case, as well as my waterproof rucksack as a cabin bag. I didn’t have a suitcase to check in, though, as we didn’t have one in England and I didn’t have enough stuff to fill a case anyway. Captain Caveman was cooking us the crispy duck he’d bought at Aldi when he spotted online that someone nearby was getting rid of some free furniture. I was trying to get all my jobs done but of course, Captain Caveman couldn’t walk quickly, so he sent me. I really could’ve done without that but I met a man in a lockup with a climbing wall, where we acquired 4 pieces of furniture; a small desk, a shoe rack, a cupboard with a drawer and a book shelf. Captain Caveman came with the van and then we had to carry them to the lift and along to his flat. I was a sweaty mess and it was very hard work, he struggled with some of it too. We left it in the spare room and rescued the crispy duck from the oven.
It was already 7.30pm and I’d hoped to have everything finished and be getting some rest. The alarm was set for 2am tomorrow morning and I already knew I was going to be knackered. With hindsight, it would have been so much easier for me to have gone straight from Manchester airport to London, instead of coming back to Sheffield just to do the washing, but it had all been arranged and paid for.
Gratitude List
1. Free cruise training
2. Seeing Vanessa before we both went away
3. Free furniture for Captain Caveman’s (new?) flat.
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