Dinner last night on miserable rainy evening that was v lively and delicious food. Asked in advance by email, “Do you eat shellfish ?”
Replied prawns/crab/lobster ok but ,”No mussels thanks and once had a night of the long knives after scallops”
Embarrassed to find I was served a separate starter – lovely bowl of steaming soup – everyone else tackling clattering heaps of mussels.
The man on my right was nice but hard work. Had to repeat everything I said at least 3 times. Like wading through mud after a bit.
The dispiriting process of saying something clearly and ever so slightly louder than normally would and realising from the faintly bewildered expression that yet again, he had not heard.
The whole evening was a series of, “Sorry say again?”
and
“Could you repeat? you’ve got my bad ear I am afraid”
Exhausting. Beastly of me as may well struggle with impaired hearing myself one day. Was reminded of Victor Meldrew similarly infuriated by hard- of- hearing Guest. VM recorded everything he said on a dictaphone and simply thrust it forward and played it back each time the guest cupped his ear and said “What was that?”
Our hostess on excellent form and looking gorgeous in a pale pink cashmere sweater. There was some talk of Timeshares – how someone had just bailed out of one of the ‘”In perpetuity” type ( £5,000 penalty but worth it the properties were never available for the required dates) and the difficulty of getting a good cleaner in the area. The hostess reported a most heinous crime recently committed by hers. There were gasps of horror from the table as she gave details of the misdemeanour.
No – she had not been discovered trying on clothes or stealing something.
Far more serious.
“She has photographed my Meet Card”
How on earth had this been discovered?
“She inadvertently sent it to me, in a text”
The River Files 