On The Busses.

This is my favourite time of the year.

Correction, hot dry Summers is my favourite time of year.

This also is my favourite time of year.

Most people have already broken their new years resolution, I sort of made one, it was not to keep, my Sunday best, only for Sunday, but to wear some of them for work and ‘ordinary’ days.

I usually book of the last two weeks on January, not to go on holiday but to go to as many different TKMaxx store that I can during the famous Yellow Sticker Sale!

So, for example if an item is £20 at the start of the sale, then about every 3 or 4 days it will be reduced, with another yellow sticker added on to it, for a lesser price. The price will go down each time that it is still in the store, until the last day, when it is almost given away! So, on that last day, if it is still unsold that £70 plus item that started in the yellow sticker sale, at £20 can sell for a staggering £1.70!

This year was different, I haven’t got a car, it is poorly in the garage. I do not know its fate. I did blame myself but a lad at work, who knows all about cars said to me, “The garage people should not have sold you the car, without checking the water and oil first!” He has a good point. So, because I have no car, I had put the whole idea of going to all the TKMaxx stores as I may need money for the repairs to the car. It did fail the MOT, as I knew it would but the engineer did tell me, “We will investigate what is wrong as to why you broke down, and why all the smoke.”

We were all given £25 from the Company we work for, for Christ mas, for the store of our choice, I chose, TKMaxx. But we still were not given it yet! I texted my manager, and remined him about the voucher, he sent it direct to my mobile. It was 11am, and now that I had it, I decide to go on the bus to two TKMaxx stores, one is to the left and the other is to the right, in opposite directions. I walked to the bus station and asked the inspector, “How long will it take to get there?” He said, “One hour,” I was shocked and said, “One hour?!” He said, “Yes,” I said, “Oh, I haven’t got time today then, I will go tomorrow as I am going to work soon.” I was disappointed, but tomorrow is another day, and things might have been reduced tomorrow that isn’t reduced today, so, that was a positive.

I decided to get up early yesterday and go to the one TKMaxx, and then get on the bus and go far in the opposite direction and go to the other one.

I had work in the afternoon, so it had to be done early! I was SO excited, that I woke up 05.45am before my 06.00am alarm, the 6 cats still needed to be fed, they didn’t know this was a Special day, and that I had to do a lot of things before I left the house and tried to get the early bus, for the cats it was breakfast time and the dogs knew it was treat time. The night before my plan was to be on the 08.00am bus, so that I would arrive at the first TKMaxx at 09.00am, but that didn’t go quite to plan. Time goes quickly, “It waits for no man.” And I got on the bus at 09.00. I paid for my all-day ticket it cost £5 with it I can go on the busses all day, all over in a large mile radius. I had made myself a cheese sandwich, and brought a bag of Hula Hoops BBQ crisp and a flask with cold water for emergencies only in case I got thirsty. I didn’t plan to drink the water, for I had had at home a large hot chocolate drink, that I have each morning made with evaporated milk, so that it is nice and creamy. I also brought a book, that I had been meaning to reread, again, as it was that good! The book, “Faith That Goes Further,” By Claire Ravey Erwin, had me in floods of tears it was SO good. I had bought this book many years ago, long before I had got married, it was at a low time in my life, and a visiting speaker had come to our Church from Ireland, at the end of the service she had brought a small selection of books for sale, I didn’t feel like reading anything, as I was feeling too low. I just looked at them half-heartedly, I wore my heart on my sleeve that day, she could see it in my face. She said, to me, “I recommend this book, you won’t be disappointed,” It had the most boring cover I had ever seen on a book, it looked like an open gate to a park with some trees. The back of the book and the reading didn’t give anything away. I paid for the book and went home. Its one of those strange books that starts at the end, and then tells the story of the person’s life! WOW! You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

I sat at the back of the bus, my favourite place to sit, if I am travelling far, and ate a quarter of my sandwich then I opened up my book and started on page one. I knew this journey well, and have driven this way many times, it’s like a 15-minute journey but on the bus, it doesn’t go where I want it to go, but it caters for everyone and drives all around the wreaking, and that’s why it takes an hour. That was enough for me to get into the book.

I was excited to get into the store, I had a good rummage and picked some goodies to put into my trolley. It came to £3 I was pleased with my purchase. I then popped into the KFC for the loo and got on a different bus, this was a short 10 minutes to the large bus station. At this bus station I had to ask for the bus for the opposite direction, this journey would take on the bus about 45 minutes. I got on the bus, and settled down to my book again, I then ate another quarter of my sandwich. I had to change at a tiny town, and over the road, I asked the driver on the bus, “Can you tell me which bus I need to get to this TKMaxx at the shopping Centre?” He said, “This is the bus you need, but after you come off, you will need to walk quite a way.” I said, “OK, thank you.” That unnerved me a little, for time was of the essence! When it was time for me to get off, the driver stopped the bus and said, “This is your stop,” I walked from the back of the bus and at the front he said to me, “Go round there, then in a straight line you will get to it.” I said, “Thank you,” And got off the bus. I had my sat nav on in bus and walk mode, so now I could see ahead, that I needed to walk and walk. It took 30 minutes! I was certainly getting my 10,000 quotas of steps in today! Parts of the walk, I felt afraid, as there wasn’t any houses around, just one or two work men in their vans. One was eating his lunch and the other was loading a broken-down car onto his van. Then in the distance I saw it, TKMaxx, I had come from the other side of this vast shopping centre, not from the side I knew.

It was good to get inside, and put my bag in a shopping trolly. They had a vast section of yellow sticker, much bigger than the first shop, I wished I had gone there first. I had written down a small list of things that I wanted to get, plates, they don’t have to match, napkins, for when cats are sick, soap and items for the cats bedding or toys. I had a lovely time, and spent £15 in the sale there and caught the bus from the section I know very well and arrived at work in good time.

This morning as planned the ladies at our Church met up together and a lovely cooked breakfast at a lovely restaurant, it cost £5 each for the Chruch paid the rest, I wasn’t going, but someone at Chruch, paid for mine, so I went. It was very nice it set me up for the day. It was only 10 minutes from my home in the car and 35 minutes on the bus! MERCY! So, as we had to be there for 09.00am I had to be sure I was not late. I got up at 05.45am before my 06.00 alarm and fed the cats and gave the dogs their treats and walked the 15 minutes to the bus station, I got on the bus and followed on my silent sat nav where I should get off and then I walked the 25 minutes to the restaurant, there were houses on either side, so although it was quiet, I didn’t feel afraid. I was the third person there. I chatted before it started and really enjoyed my cooked full English.

After, I walked the 25 minutes to the bus stop and at the bus station I got the bus to the big TKMaxx that I was at yesterday before I went to work, now I knew where to get the bus and where to get off. For drivers do not know where to catch busses. I was off today, so there would be no need to rush off to work.

Would there be anything left? Heck Yes! I got my shopping trolley and it slowly filled up. I had a lovely time, I was there for about 2 hours, I was in my 7th heaven.

At the till, I looked at each item, as I handed it over for the Staff to scan, it was there three items that I now didn’t want, even though I love them, so, I told the Cashier, “I don’t want this item anymore,” She put it behind her, to go back into the sale.

After she had totalled it all up, I told her, “I have a voucher from work,” She said, “Your bill is £25, I couldn’t believe it, what are the odds? I said, “That’s amazing!” I was chuffed to bits all my goodies had cost me nothing! Thank you Work. I relayed the story to my family when I got home.

I had a lovely day, on the busses, reading my book the lovely breakfast, and at my favourite shop, I couldn’t ask for anything else.