Bringing Home The Bacon

Whenever Miss Doozer and Esquire go away Thunderthighs feeds their cats.

We live on a small 1920s estate (did they call them estates then?) where all the streets have the same name followed by Road, Avenue and similar.  

Let’s call it the Castles.

This is what happened a couple of weeks ago

Text 14-02-26

Miss Doozer 07.58 We are off.

Miss Doozer 07.59 We woke to unexpected bacon, eggs, chocolate milk and orange juice on the doorstep.

Miss Doozer 08.00 They are not ours.  Please do take custody before Jessiecat gets it.

Bentonbag  08.02 OK, but not ours either.  Wonder whose they are?

Miss Doozer 08.03 Dunno?

Miss Doozer 08.03 Free bacon?.

Bentonbag  08.05 Possibly for one of the other Castles.

Miss Doozer 08.08 If it is still there when Thunderthighs goes please give it a home.

Bentonbag  08.08 Will do.

Bentonbag  09.01  I’ve brought the haul in & left an answerphone message at Chester Dairies.

Miss Doozer 09.02 I feel this is less “looking after the cats” and more “being a PA for bacon and assorted deliveries.”

14 February 2026 at 09.34 – on local facebook group

Bentonbag  Is anyone on the Castles expecting a Chester dairies delivery of bacon, eggs, butter, strawberry milk and orange juice?

It's been delivered to my neighbour who is away so I've brought it in.

If you can message me which house number and road it should have gone to I can get it to you.

Ms S2  Hi Ben, it's ours. I live on the same street as you at number 7. I messaged them this morning and they have responded with a photo of a blue door it was left at.

That afternoon

Bentonbag  Brilliant. I've just got home so shall pop over with it.

Bentonbag  Been downstairs, Thunderthighs says you've been and got it.  Hope he was polite.

Ms S2  He was.  Thank you for taking it in. I'm not sure how they got the wrong door!

Text to Miss Doozer

Bentonbag 17.47 Ms S2@no7 has been united with her bacon etc.

 

The Stathe

From Facebook Archives

24 February 2025 at 18.13

Sitting watching Pointless and the question is about shark films.

"TheMeg" says I "Jason Statham, the Stathe, was in that."

"What did he do?" asks Fester "Kill the shark?"

"Yeah."

"Did he fight it?"

"Nah" then "I can't honestly remember ... 

... I wasn't watching it for the plot."

He's remarkably understanding really.

 

Getting The (Sewing) Needle

From Facebook Archives

23 February 2025 at 13.36

Thanks to being overambitious patching Thunderthighs' jeans, 

I only have one spare sewing machine needle left.

Is there anywhere other than John Lewis to buy them from?

Erica  Amazon? We’ve had them from there.

Miss Doozer  First for Fabrics on the industrial estate opposite ASDA  https://www.1stforfabrics.co.uk/ 1st For Fabrics | Fabric Emporium | Newcastle upon Tyne.

I should also have (somewhere) some spare Singer Universal Cotton 2020 and Stitch (Stretch) 2045 sizes 80/11 & 90/14 (130/705)

Mrs Bun  Hobbycraft x

Mrs Quilt  Hobbycraft is the nearest to you that's open on a Sunday. Check if you can buy "Denim" or any other word that indicates a heavy weight needle!

Ms RM  Yorkshire Trading I normally find the cheapest

Mrs Lasage  Ben I can send to you if you PM address I will pop in the post tomorrow xxxx

24 February 2025 at 08.39

I have completely caught up with the repair and reuse sewing basket.   

Three pairs of jeans, two pairs of denim shorts, a pair of pyjama bottoms and several t-shirts, all Thunderthighs', patched or seams resewn (including one trousers pocket), one pillowcase reseamed and another created from the remains of two where the other halves were so bad they've gone for tea towels.

Paganess  You put us all to shame!

Fester got a packet of needles from the haberdashery in the Grainger Market, whose helpful staff got exactly what we needed when he explained what was required.

 

The Range

First thing Thursday morning I had a finance meeting with the CEO and Treasurer of LDNE.

Getting dressed I said to Fester 

“I think I might pop into 

The Range on the way home and get some seeds.”

“That'ud be good; which ones?”

“Oh - just ffa and parsnip.”

“What about tomatoes and pumpkins and marrows?”

“It works better when we get them at allotment sales.”

The meeting went well, I parked outside The Range at about half past ten, collected a wheely basket and went into the gardening section.

I ended up with: 4 packets of different types of parsnip seeds; 3 of broad bean (ffa); 3 of radish; 2 spring onion; 4 nasturtium and one dwarf pansy.

As they were in the same section, bags of peanuts and suet for the bird feeder.

Then had a 'little look around, just to see'.

Found toiletries: a pack of cottonwool balls; one of cottonwool pads; a tub of moisturising aqueous cream with aloe-vera; another with cocobutter; a tube each of Argon oil shampoo and conditioner.

Then some gifts (get them when you see them); a cuddly bird hot-water-bottle; three A5 notepads for Easter/Father's Day/Fester's birthday.

In household items, a packet of curtain hooks.

Finally in crafts: a sheet of orange felt and one of orange foam for knitted chick beaks.

One hour and forty odd quid.

I had thought of going into Wyndsor's World of Shoes as I probably need a pair of trainers, but I didn't have the heart.