*batteries not included

It took me about 8 minutes of walking around a familiar square in Camden - where I often shop for another beneficiary - before I gave up and called Mrs M. I had no clue where the entrance to her building was. The lady picked up the phone and pointed me towards a tube station I knew and a large cluster of bikes nearby. That's where the gate was.

Mrs M gave me a trolley, an excellent asset for the groceries that had a six-pack of 1.5l bottles of water on the list. It was my first shop for Mrs M, and I must admit that despite her handwriting looking very neat and orderly, I had a hard time deciphering it. I didn't leave the older lady's doorstep until we clarified all the positions on the shopping list. That exercise revealed that there was an extra item not included on paper: the AAA batteries!

After clarifying how many 'A's there are in the requested battery type and how many packs Mrs M wanted, I went to Waitrose - only to call Mrs M at the end and ask how many batteries (not packs) she actually needed. 8 was the answer.

I took advantage of the Waitrose visit and bought myself a habanero version of the Tabasco sauce before heading back to Mrs M. I dropped off the trolley with the heavy water bottles in it, having been assured by Mrs M that her friend who was due to come over soon would unpack the shopping.