When we first arrived at our new home we were in the middle of the COVID pandemic and under lockdown. Being so remote there were barely any shops within our permitted travel radius so we depended heavily on remote shopping. Just about everything from food to work tools were delivered, left outside our door. Our nearest town is a decent size and quite well served for many things but there’s a lot of stuff we still need to get over the Internet. Any large stores – for DIY, furniture and so on – are an 80km round trip away.
Whilst the actual delivery can be problematic with several of the carriers leaving parcels on the pillars outside on the road we have recently experienced a disturbing trend in the actual items. Shrinkflation, the downsizing of goods for the existing price, is becoming quite common in some areas. This has been limited to food and grocery items up to now but it is creeping in to other goods, especially on the net. We ordered some rather nice decorated dishes last month. I can only assume they were being held by someone with extraordinarily small hands as they looked about the size of a tea plate. When they arrived they were less than half that size. Doh!
We rely heavily on battery operation for many things – lanterns and radios for power cuts, tools and so on. Actually for some items the battery packs are as expensive as the tools themselves. There was a nice offer of a multifunction cutter a while ago, buy it and the battery pack and get a second battery free. Now that’s a bargain – except the second battery was a lower amp. Still useful but a bit of a disappointment.
And then last week we ordered some hot water bottles, mainly to make up the minimum for a free delivery. Once more the tiny hands had held one up in the pictures. They are miniscule. We unwrapped them and both collapsed in fits of laughter. They are still on the table and raise a giggle every time we walk past them. Shrinkflation in the extreme I think. Not sure what we are going to do with them to be honest but they are doing good work raising our mood at the moment.
The polytunnel is a tremendous boost at the moment. Some of the tiny seedlings from a few weeks ago have burst forth with a growth spurt. A couple – the beans and peas – now resemble something from “Little Shop of Horrors”, they are growing so fast. We are crossing our fingers for some better weather so Jacqui can get out and plant them in their tubs. We’ve had a lot of high winds and heavy rain so we just open the window vents to help harden them off a bit.
The wildlife continues to creep into our house and sheds despite our best attempts at keeping it out. The swifts, we think, are actually house martens and they are ready to fly but a new family has now moved in. House Martens are quite sociable birds and often set up small colonies. Now a new nest is been built and we are waiting to see if any more are coming. They are generally happy about us using the lean-to although we try to keep away from the beams where they have nests. Occasionally I have been dive-bombed by an irate parent just outside in the wood. Amazing to think something so small is that fearless.
We also had another bat yesterday, nestling under the mat in the grooming room sink. We put it outside on a pile of grass and covered it with a box for safety. When we went out at twilight to lift the box it had gone. The tiny newts are still around. I think they have found their way into the soakaway in the back garden. I always check the flagstones at night as they sometimes crawl up and are easily trodden on. We even had one nestling in a plant pot Jacqui was about to wash out. He was saved from a scalding death in the drain and put back outside.
I’m still struggling with my throat and neck and finally gave in and went to see the doctor. He’s of the opinion it is a severe infection and prescribed some antibiotics I’d never had before. I wondered about the odd glances I got from one of the assistants in the chemist. Most of them are too professional to show any reaction but I read the leaflet enclosed in the box at home and my heart sank. They are used for a lot of things – cholera, for example – but also the whole range of STIs. Oh goody. Well, I know I don’t have syphilis. Well, not unless it can slide though a closed window…
Still, at least it’s not a vet’s prescription. Whilst in London Jacqui had a dog that needed some similar pills. All innocence, she presented it to her late-night pharmacy and got some very odd looks. It seems there was a vet who would prescribe for the “ladies of the night”, several of whom were sitting around waiting. Her protest – “It’s for my dog”, elicited smiles and nods all round. They have much better manners in Ireland.
So, that’s us for another couple of weeks. We will settle down to planting, tidying and definitely not be snuggling up with our teeny tiny hot water bottles. Thank you for reading, take care and beware of the creeping shrinkflation.
Jennie.