The Landlady inherits her daughter’s pier job

I am not very good with time on my hands. When I have time on my hands, rather than doing something useful, creative, or active, I am more likely to be found lying on the sofa with a cream horn watching Deal Or No Deal, until wine o’clock, when a large glass of white can be added to the mix. None of these activities are good for either the brain or the health, so it’s better that I’m usefully employed elsewhere.

Lucky then, that along with my hours at The Supermarket, I have also inherited the Big Daughter’s job in an establishment on the Pier, while she’s away travelling. It is an enjoyable job, with a clientele about as far removed from The Supermarket clientele as it’s possible to be without working on a different planet. I think I prefer the pier clientele, who are mainly smiley tourists
– and quite a lot of seemingly mad people
– all enjoying their day out in Brighton.

My new 10-hour day work rota has put paid to excessive cream horn eating and wine-drinking, and the shop, which cannot be left unattended, is far enough away from the bar and the fish and chip shop to provide too much temptation.

“I am more likely to be found lying on the sofa with a cream horn, watching Deal Or No Deal”

My friend Katy and I, who have owned a flat in Hastings together for 12 years now, have decided to bite the bullet and do it up properly. This means replacing the kitchen with swanky new units and being generous enough to provide a fridge freezer, cooker and washing machine. In the past, we left our tenants to their own devices as far as white goods were concerned, which is probably why we have been in receipt of such a low rent for the past 10 years, both from a financial and tenant point of view.

Before I realised how many hours at the pier I would be doing, I agreed to take on the painting and decorating of our flat, along with the tiling of the kitchen and bathroom. It is quite a large two-bedroom flat, so will take a few days to decorate, leaving me little time to myself for the next few weeks. Added to the work melee is the fact that my three winter students have moved in and require a hot meal every night, meaning that the timer function on the cooker is almost worn out. Fortunately, The Small Daughter, who is now almost as tall as me, has taken an almost un-natural interest in cooking, which neither of my older offspring has done. She enjoys making fairly exotic and skilful dishes and although her use of precise minute timers is quite excessive, I am sure I will be putting her new talents to the test over the next few weeks..