The mission was simple, if a little vague.

"Buy fruit and lunch stuff"

I'd mentally added "and pick 'n' mix white and pink mice" to the list because today has been one of those days where it would have been better for all concerned if I'd stayed in bed. Pick 'n' mix mice being my personal "cure" for Monday-ness.

I venture into town, wondering why the weather appears to have forgotten that it's supposed to be autumn and not summer. I wouldn't mind, but I'm wearing "the autumn collection" now. Which is, admittedly, largely the same as the summer collection, except it involves longer sleeves and fewer flip-flops.

At my first stop, I buy ham, cheese, salad and butter, which generally comes into the broad category of "lunch stuff". It is only when I'm back on the high street, striding purposefully towards the pick 'n' mix mice that I realise I've forgotten to buy fruit. Had there been a greengrocer anywhere nearby, I would have popped in, but instead I content myself with another supermarket, wondering if they'll mind my bringing a bag of merchandise from their competitor in with me. I rehearse my excuses ("Erm, I realised I'd forgotten something...") and venture in, grabbing the fruit and making a hasty exit so as not to waste any more precious mouse-buying time.

Finally, mice safely ensconced within their cardboard cup, I make my way back to the car, my stomach taking care to remind me of its feelings of emptiness and neglect.

Only when I reach my car do I realise that the "lunch stuff" I bought was missing a major component. You can have all the sandwich fillings and accompaniments you like, but without bread, it ain't a sandwich. And there was I, "sans" bread.

Luckily, the town in which I work is endowed with a plethora of supermarkets (to make up for the lack of much else), one of which was adjacent to the car park, so I was finally able to complete my lunchtime errand. The fact that I'd used up most of my lunch hour forgetting to buy the major components of my lunch is neither here nor there...

Of course, had I not been doing this:




on the Sunday, I might have had time to prepare myself for the week ahead.

I made a mental note to make paper, rather than mental, notes in future when on lunchtime errands. Then I forgot... and so it will go on.