Should I have said hello?

Wednesday is my day for walking down to the now upmarket Balham badlands to check out the bargains in Waitrose. After loading my booty into my trolley, I was waiting to cross the road and who should come and stand next to me, wearing a hat almost as daft as mine, but Arthur Smith! I have been a big Arthur Smith fan for years now and really enjoy listening to him on the radio. I tried to catch his eye but failed miserably. I just got the feeling he was a bit distracted and had to get somewhere. So he dashed across the road, leaving me behind, and went into one of the more fashionable watering holes.

What would Milena have done? Well, Milena wouldn't have been on Balham High Road with a shopping trolley full of cut price meat from Waitrose for a start. But that's not very helpful. OK, Imagine that Milena WAS there. What would she have done? I think she would have left him alone too. She would have been wearing a hat and sunglasses too - probably more stylish - but she would have respected his privacy and let him get on with his day.

Yes - that's it. Respecting people's privacy. Not much of that goes on these days, so it seems to me. I was lucky enough to go along to the fantastic Green Wing convention in January this year and there was quite a debate on how celebrities seem to be treated as public property. The ladies organising the event were so concerned about anyone from the show being subjected to inappropriate behaviour certain measures were taken to make sure that all went well. In the event, we all behaved ourselves - even the GW people! Living in the age of fecklessness as we do, our convention was an oasis of calm , comfort and chocolate cock eating. Not quite sure what would have happened if JRT or Tamsin Grieg had joined us, but I'm sure that certain people would have hidden in the loo and squealed in there in order to preserve their dignity and avoid being slung out by the organising committee!

No doubt I'll see Arthur again, and get the chance to tell him that I think he's looking very well now he's given up the drinking , and that I enjoy his work very much. So he's got that to look forward to, lucky lucky him!

Where to meet men

I have been thinking about the issue of where to meet men for some time now. I don't need to meet any, actually, as I already have one, much to Milena's surprise, but I do have a number of female friends who like me have arrived at mid forties without being encumbered by A Man. Oh, they manage well enough, etc etc, indeed very well, frankly I think they don't know how lucky they are, but that's for another day. And yet and yet and yet......how does that saying go? something about fish and bicycles. I suppose anyone under the age of 35 will never have heard about that one. I remember buying a postcard with that saying on it - had it on the wall of my room when I was a student many moons ago now.
But I digress. Where can a woman in her mid forties meet a man with whom she might want to have a relationship ?
My meditation teacher is an inspiration - she and her husband split up a year or so ago and she has embraced the single life with a gusto that would put a teenager to shame.
"Where do you find them?" I asked her during a break at the manifestation day she was running recently. "Oh, you know, the usual places - parties and clubs."
I looked at her blankly. "You mean at your children's parties and Brownies?"
"No no no, you know, grown up parties, and out clubbing."
Again I looked at her blankly. "No, sorry. The last grown up party I went to I spent it hoovering up the buffet, and I didn't know anyone over the age of 25 went clubbing. There's no hope for me then, is there?"
"No, not really" she replied and she moved off to put the tofu back into the fridge.

So that really wasn't very helpful then.

I have done some research, though, and have come up with the following:

Quincaillerie dept (that's ironmongery dept to you and me) of the BHV dept store in central Paris. It's full of men with DIY skills fingering the twenty different types of chicken wire. I showed it to a single friend of mine during a visit to Paris last Spring. She was very impressed.

Any small supermarket near a station after 6.30pm - full of single men buying beer and crisps.
Forget the larger ones with car parks - the family men will be there with a long list.

And that's it really. Can't think of anything else. I know loads of places where you can meet women, and they are as follows:

College of Psychic Studies - take your pick, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Check out their website for all their courses and workshops.

Yoga classes - the added bonus is that they're all bendy! Except for the old one in the remedial class - oh that's me then. Sorry, Milena.....

Supermarkets - any time of the day, but as with the men, anyone doing a family shop is not a good bet. Hang around the confectionery section - the more chocolate she's buying, the luckier you'll be.

Any coffee establishment. All on her own, with a book or writing in a fancy notebook with a fluffy pen.
Um, can't think of any more at the moment. Anywhere, basically. Nice women are everywhere.