Seriously lazy day

I had a load of plans for today, but I'm afraid most of them just didn't happen. Hey ho, tomorrow is another day, I guess, even if a special one.

We didn't get going until nearly the end of the Today programme and hadn't finished breakfast until half nine. I dealt with a couple of emails then we had a walk round the marina, dropping off some recycling on the way and buying firelighters at the shop.

We decided to have coffee in the Farm Shop for the first time; as usual, Sheila opted for the hot chocolate and I decided on her behalf to go for their luxury version. This turned out to be more in the nature of a small dessert dish, consisting as it did of marshmallows on top of the liquid, then a heap of whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles and a young Cadbury's Flake stuck in the mound.

It took Sheila around five minutes industrious spooning before she even found the surface of the drink itself. All this and a decaff coffee for less than a fiver even before the 10% moorer's discount.

The shop hadn't got either of the canal mags, so we looked in at Midland Chandlers to pick them up then headed back to the boat, glad to get back indoors out of the damp autumnal air.

Since then we've pottered, read and dozed quite a bit, finally stirring ourselves for another walk round the marina this afternoon, taking the last of the recycling, the collapsed boxes and stuff, with us.

Tonight, chicken stir fry and tomorrow I officially become an old person. Like they say, inside every old person there's a young one asking "What happened?" and that's certainly case for me. Must have been a mistake somewhere.

Finally, a word about shoelaces. Since buying my nice M&S deck shoes, I've been plagued by the square section leather laces coming undone, a not unusual phenomenon, I gather. Courtesy of Canal World, I've found a website dedicated to shoelaces, how to lace them (42 different ways) and tie them (17 choices). There are some strange folk out there, but the internet means we can take advantage of other folk's odd obsessions.

I'm now tying my laces with this extra secure technique, and it works. It does well for boot laces too, I'm pleased to say, so thanks to Ian whose site it is!