October 24th 1981

The last day today surely!  And so it was.  Up at 8, out at 9, back by 10.  And a good part of that hour we weren’t working, just chatting with Eddie or Mr K.  Felt pretty delighted with ourselves after that, believe me.  We drove straight to Mission Market – I’d heard there was a jumble sale on at a church there, + I was right, tho’ it didn’t start till 11.  So, we spent the time doing a little shopping at Overwaitea, + then I trotted out to buy some postcards while Val complained to the manager there about some photos we’d had developed there.  Naturally, it did no good – he passed the buck on to the developing company.  Ah well.  On to the jumble sale. We’d thought it wouldn’t be like an East Ham one, with a queue outside, but really there wasn’t much difference – except they didn’t queue properly (damn foreigners!)  A good jumble sale, tho’, with quite a bit of stuff.  We bought a Pinter play, a piece of material to replace a piece we’d lost from the cabin, + best of all, a really ace T-shirt for Val – like a short-sleeved rugby shirt, with navy blue + yellow stripes, + a white collar, for 25c.  Bought a couple of buns outside, then I rang Myrna.  It seemed as tho’ it would be difficult to visit so that was ruled out.  She didn’t know about Dad tho’, so I had to tell her.  Then home + domesticity.

Fire lit, water on, as much as the stove would hold.  Val washed virtually everything we had, + then we both took ourselves a bath… in the sink!  Oh, before that, I shaved off my beard, one half at a time, + then I left a little clump below my lower lip.  Ate hot lunch for the second time running – scrambled eggs + tomatoes on toast – + then when work was done, I tucked Val up in bed for a little while.  We ate spaghetti Bolognese in the evening, but first I wasn’t hungry + second I didn’t like it, so I didn’t eat much.  Went to North 40 – the band, Tyro, weren’t very special – the lead singer thought he was Mick Jagger (he wasn’t.)  So left 12-ish, + drove to eat a hamburger.  Got confused in Burger King car park, bumped over a kerb – stuck, one wheel spinning.  Called a tow co – very efficient, lifted us out with no fuss.  $15 tho’, + no hamburger!

Overwaitea sounds ominous; I don’t suppose obesity was on their mind when they came up with the name.  Have always enjoyed jumble sales, and Val’s shirt was an obvious bargain.

Myrna was a lady who used to work in Dad’s toy shop in Stevenage, who had emigrated to Alberta.

And as for my incompetent driving…