Monday Morning… Coffee Decisions & Flying Water

I dropped my son off for an appointment, and while we waited, my daughter and I headed to Ole & Steen.

Obviously, coffee was required.

I ordered a cappuccino with soya milk.

They didn't have soya milk.

Only oat.

So I thought, okay, I'll give it a go.

Then it arrived.

It was basically a cup of hot oat milk with what looked like one lonely shot of coffee hiding somewhere at the top.

Far too milky for me.

So I gave up on that idea and opted for a normal cappuccino instead.

Meanwhile, the man standing next to me asked the barista for some ice.

The barista filled the cup with ice and water.

The man immediately said he didn't want water.

And then...

He knocked the whole thing over.

Water went EVERYWHERE.

Over the counter.

Over the floor.

Over everyone standing nearby.

There I was, just trying to get a decent cup of coffee on a Monday morning, and suddenly we were all involved in an unexpected indoor water feature.

Honestly though...

It wasn't even 11am yet.

And Then Came the Eclipse Glasses…

When I finally got home, my solar eclipse glasses had arrived.

Now, I had been waiting for these because on Wednesday we're supposed to get around a 90% eclipse, and I REALLY wanted to see it.

But the minute I opened the parcel, I became suspicious.

They had arrived in a completely plain box, and something about them just didn't feel right.

So, naturally, I took them outside to test them.

I put them on.

BLACK.

That was it.

I couldn't see a thing.

Just complete blackness.

I stood there thinking, This can't be right.

And then, as if the glasses wanted to confirm my suspicions for me, one of the lenses actually FELL OUT OF THE FRAME.

Right.

That's it.

They're going back.

So off I went to the Post Office to return my potentially dodgy eclipse glasses, which now left me with another problem...

I HAD NO ECLIPSE GLASSES FOR WEDNESDAY.

On the way, I started walking into all the local sweet shops.

"Do you sell eclipse glasses?"

Blank stare.

Next shop.

"Do you have eclipse glasses?"

Another blank stare.

I went from shop to shop asking, and everyone was looking at me like I'd completely lost the plot.

You could almost see them thinking:

Why is this woman going around the shops looking for eclipse glasses?

Honestly though...

I only wanted to look at the bloody sun without damaging my eyes.

Why is everything an adventure?

Tuesday Morning… The Eclipse Glasses Hunt Continues

Tuesday morning, and I STILL don't have eclipse glasses.

I've now even called my wholesaler to see if they have any.

Nothing.

At this point, I would happily drive 10 miles just to get a pair. I was determined to see this eclipse!

But before I could continue my great eclipse-glasses hunt, my son and I are off to the tip.

My garage currently looks like a cardboard box and folder storage facility.

There are boxes GALORE.

My son has also decided it's finally time to get rid of all his old A-Level work, which means the garage is currently full of folders.

Folders everywhere.

Why do we keep all this stuff?

You finish your A-Levels and somehow the folders remain in the house like important historical documents that must be preserved for future generations.

So, we loaded up the car and headed to the tip, and because apparently clearing out the garage isn't enough excitement for one week, my daughter and I are planning to do a car boot sale on Sunday, which means we now need to work out what is rubbish, what is going to the tip and what we can actually SELL.

Although, knowing me, I'll probably come home from the car boot sale with more stuff than I left with.

Honestly though...

Then I saw online that a shop in Wembley was actually selling them.

That was it.

I was going.

I headed straight over there and managed to get THREE pairs for £6.99 each, and I'm so glad I went in person because the exact same glasses from the exact same shop were showing online for £12.50 a pair via Deliveroo!

When I arrived, the courier drivers were all lined up and the eclipse glasses were disappearing out of the shop.

Clearly I wasn't the only person who had suddenly realised:

THE ECLIPSE IS TOMORROW AND I NEED GLASSES!

I got my three pairs and left feeling ridiculously pleased with myself.

When I got home, I checked online again and I think they'd sold out.

I cannot tell you how delighted I was.

After yesterday's dodgy pair, the lens falling out, sending them back and walking around local sweet shops asking people if they sold eclipse glasses while they looked at me as though I'd lost my mind...

I FINALLY HAD THEM.

And obviously, I had to test them.

I went outside, put them on and looked towards the Sun.

And there it was!

A tiny, perfectly visible orange Sun through the lenses.

THEY WORK!

Unlike the dud ones I got from eBay.

Honestly though...

I've put more effort into finding three pairs of eclipse glasses than I have into organising Sunday's car boot sale.

But I have them.

£6.99 each.

Wednesday's eclipse... I AM READY FOR YOU!

Thursday was RESULTS DAY.

And what a morning!

My daughter got an A in her Art A-Level and a Distinction in her double UAL Makeup & Hair qualification, which is equivalent to three 'A' A-Levels.

So essentially, the equivalent of four fantastic 'A' A-Level results.

I honestly couldn't be prouder of her.

These results mean so much more when I think about everything she has had to deal with along the way.

The stress, her illness, her multiple health conditions, operations, hospital stays and times when she has been really unwell — all while trying to continue with her education.

There have been days when simply getting through the day has been an achievement, let alone completing coursework, meeting deadlines and studying.

Yet she kept going.

She worked incredibly hard, she didn't give up and she absolutely smashed it.

As her mum, I've watched what it has taken for her to get to this point, which is why seeing those results made me incredibly emotional.

There are plenty of moments as a parent when you're worrying, organising, driving somewhere, sitting in hospitals, sorting something out or generally wondering what on earth is going on.

And then you get days like this.

Days when you can forget all of that for a moment and just stand there bursting with pride thinking...

That's my girl.

Honestly though...

Forget eclipse glasses, trips to the tip and Sunday's car boot sale for a minute.

Thursday belonged to her. And she thoroughly deserved it. 

Friday & Saturday – TOO HOT!

Friday and Saturday can basically be summed up in two words:

TOO HOT.

The heat was unbearable.

It reached around 104°F and honestly, it was ridiculous.

The sort of heat where you don't actually want to do anything. You don't want to move. You don't want to cook. You don't even particularly want anyone to talk to you.

You just want to sit somewhere cool and wait for it to be over.

And, of course, while we're dealing with this ridiculous heat, we're supposed to be getting everything ready for Sunday's car boot sale.

Sunday – What Am I Doing Up at 5am?

My alarm went off and for a moment I genuinely wondered why I had done this to myself.

But my daughter and I were doing the car boot sale, so up we got, loaded everything into the car and off we went.

By 6:30am, we were all set up.

Actually, I was feeling quite pleased with myself.

Garage cleared.

Rubbish taken to the tip.

Car boot stuff sorted.

Up at 5am.

Stall set up by 6:30am.

Look at me being organised!

And then...

I needed the toilet.

THE PORTALOO.

There are certain experiences in life that you simply cannot prepare yourself for.

I went in.

No flush.

Okay...

Then I spotted the soap.

Great!

Except there was NO WATER.

Soap.

But no water.

WHY PROVIDE SOAP IF THERE IS NO WATER?

I had to press a foot pedal several times to get drips of water. I came out absolutely horrified.

YUK.

It's barely 6:30 on a Sunday morning, I've been awake since 5am, I'm standing in a field surrounded by the entire contents of my garage and I've already had a traumatic encounter with a portaloo.

Honestly though...

Whose idea was this car boot sale?

And then there was the music.

On one side of me, there’s a musical van absolutely BLASTING OUT 80s MUSIC.

Now we’re talking.

I LOVE IT.

I’m sitting on one of the chairs I’d cleverly thought to bring with me, next to my boot-sale stall at some ridiculous hour on a Sunday morning, and suddenly I’ve got an 80s soundtrack.

Perfect.

Maybe this car boot sale wasn’t such a bad idea after all

Except...

There’s also a food stall nearby playing 2026 dance music.

At the same time.

So one ear is happily living its best life somewhere in the 1980s, while the other has been dragged, kicking and screaming, back to 2026.

My ears genuinely don’t know what decade they’re in.

Sunday – Was It Worth It?

For the first time since May, it was actually chilly!

There I was at a car boot sale in the middle of August wearing a sweatshirt.

After Friday and Saturday’s unbearable heat, I couldn’t quite believe it.

Then, at around 10:30am, somebody apparently flicked the summer switch back on.

The sun came out, and suddenly it became really humid.

We sold a few bits and pieces, but financially?

Let’s just say I’m not planning my retirement on the proceeds.

Our pitch cost £15 and, after taking that into account, we made the grand total of...

£2.30 PROFIT.

Yes.

Two pounds and thirty pence.

After getting up at 5am.

Loading the car.

Setting everything up.

Six hours sitting around, because I brought us both a chair each.

Surviving the portaloo.

And having my ears simultaneously transported between the 1980s and 2026.

£2.30.

Was it worth it financially?

NO.

But was the day actually a waste?

Not at all.

My daughter and I left our house, which had been reaching a boiling 33°C, and spent approximately six hours outside in the fresh air together.

Family came along to see us, which was lovely, and we actually had a really nice time.

The car boot itself wasn’t particularly busy, so next time we’ll try a different one.

And there WILL be a next time because we still have loads of teenage clothes to get rid of, plus all the random bits and bobs that have somehow accumulated during the six years we’ve lived in our house.

Seriously, where does it all come from?

You move into a house with a reasonable number of belongings, and six years later you apparently own enough stuff to open your own B&M branch.

Unfortunately, since getting home, my fibromyalgia has hit me like a ton of bricks.

My body is aching from head to toe and I think six hours at a car boot sale has finally caught up with me.

So I’m tired, aching and £2.30 richer.

But I spent the morning outside with my daughter, saw family and escaped the boiling house for six hours.

Honestly though...

Was it worth getting up at 5am for £2.30?

Absolutely not.

Would I do another car boot sale?

Apparently, yes.