I checked my fabric stash for suitable test-pant fabric. None. I looked online to see the price of cotton drill and the best places to buy it. I'd have to go out on Tuesday and get some, after I'd Cleared The Table.
Last night, DH was going out, and I was dropping him off. As I was out, I decided to go to Ikea. I had some bits and pieces to get and if I went now it would save me psyching myself up for a trip later. I got there at about 8pm. I managed to park OK, so far so good. I started to walk from the car park to the store, and decided to check the locations of the items on my list on the Ikea Store app, to see if I needed to go round the store of whether I could just nip straight to the Market HallWarehousey bit. Such a great App!
WHALLOP!!
I was splayed on the floor and heard my tablet skittering over the roadway.
I'd not noticed the hunking great kerb around a parking bay.
Full of embarrassement, I jumped up, and retrieved the tablet, stuffing it into my handbag.
A man a few feet away shouted "Are you alright?" I looked up and saw several groups of people had stopped their car stuffing to look. "Yes, thanks", I said. Then I added in a loud voice, aerticulating what I suspect they were thinking "It's my own stupid fault for looking at my tablet instead of watching where I was going".I rolled my eyes and smiled.
I turned round. Ow, ow, ow, ow. Effing OW! My knee hurt. I paused. God, this was so embarrassing. Breathe. Walk, just walk away. Someonw on the side I had turned round to said "Are you OK?" I smiled again, rolled my eyes at my stupidity. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking. I should have watched where I was going". (Ow, ow, ow, I think I'm going to cry. How pathetic am I?)
An Ikea staff member came running up "Are you sure you're OK?" he asked. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you.. I'm just really embarrassed". I walked purposely off, gritting my teeth and trying not to limp.
I was genuinely touched by everyone's concern, but I was really embarrassed. I wasn't embarrassed about tripping, I was embarrassed that I had tripped because I was looking at my tablet instead of where I was going. I was embarrassed because what I was really thinking to myself was "It serves you right!"
I reached the sshop doorway, took a deep brath and walked through. Up the escalator (OW, ow, ow, it hurts when I stand still, OW), I need to see what I've done. At the top, I saw a store map, so I stopped by it and, while pretending to study it, I stood and did some flexes to see what I'd done. "Go to the toilet and take a proper look" said one side of my brain; "If you do that, you'll cry", said the other. I stood there, bent diwn slowly to "pull my sock up" and looked at the blood on the knee of my jeans. "Good job you were wearing jeans" I thought.
I decided I hadn't broken anything, I'd just whallopped and grazed my knee/ My My palm was slightly grazed, but the knee had taken almost all of the impact. I was very lucky really. Good job I hadn't damaged the tablet! Had I?
I got it out and tilted it in the light. A telltale crack. Fudge. Fudge. Fudge. Nothing I could do about it now, I'd see what could be done when I got home. I was here now, I might as well get on with what I came for.
I got round the ship as fast as my limp would let me. The pain will go, I've only fallen over. Think about something else.
I didn't look at anything apart from the bits I had on my list.
Except when I got to the textiles. I went in to buy a Vinter 14 panel. It's a fabric panel with a very realistic Christmas Tree on, that you can decorate. It's really effective. I bought 2. When I was looking for it, I saw that they had some thick fabric - possibly suitable for test trousers - at £4/metre. It would save me a trip out tomorrow and I'd be able to get going on my test-trousers first thing.
There were lots of different options, some of them really colourful. I dithered. I dithered. I dithered. The sensible half of my brain was screaming "For f's sake! Just pick any!!! You're not going to wear the damn things". The other side said "Yes, you're right. Let's take this.......oooh, look at this one. Or that one. No this one. Oooh, look at this, it's so purdy (=pretty)"
The store announced that they were closing shortly. I still had wardrobe lighting to get. My sensible side shouted "just pick ANYTHING!!!!!!!! We'll come back another time to get the pretty stuff!!!!!!!". I grabbed a plain light coloured fabric, measured out 5 metres (I'm expecting to have to make a couple more test pairs), got it bagged and weighed, and I was done.on.
The rest of the store trip was uneventful. I got home at about 9.30pm. I was desperate for a drink of water and some painkillers. I wanted to get some ice packs in t the freezer so I could ice my knee.
I remembered to turn off the alarm. I got inside the door and saw a "we tried to deliver" card. It was too late to pop next door to collect it, but I checked which side they'd given it to. They hadn't. It said my parcel had been left "in front of car"......
