Richard

I was pottering about up on Level 7 quite early on Friday morning when a voice boomed: "Aha! Just the woman!".  I looked around.  Not only was I, as far as I could tell, the only woman about, I was also pretty much the only animate thing i could see.  Then, from behind a shelf, emerged Maurice - who is not a small man; it was quite impressive that he had managed to render himself effectively invisible!  It turned out that he did want me.  He wanted me to get a message to Richard to say that the person who Richard was supposed to be meeting later for coffee might not be able to make it. 

So I sent Richard a message to that effect.  And got one back saying: "No worries.  You'll do.  I'll have coffee with you instead. Or as well".

And so an unexpected cup of coffee with Richard I had.  (And Richard's original assignee had also managed to make it so he got two coffee drinkers instead of one :-)  )

On Saturday, The Builder and I were at Bishops' House in the morning.  It was a cold, damp, gloomy day so it came as no surprise to us that we had no visitors at all. There were few people out and about in the park; few people walking their dogs; few people walking their children.  All was quiet and silent until about quarter past twelve when a large, black, enthusiastic labrador came bundling into the shop, hotly pursued by its apologetic owners.  The owners had never actually looked around the house, so they left their friendly labrador in our keeping while they went for a potter about.  Suddenly the door to the shop burst open - and in erupted Richard, who had been passing by and seen The Builder through the window. He had espied the dog - and wondered how we had acquired a large black labrador so quickly. And why we hadn't mentioned it to him.  And Rose the labrador and Richard thus unleashed a positive torrent of visitors. Between 12:15 and 13:00 we had 11 visitors (not including Rose).  I'm quite glad we hadn't had that level of visiting throughout the whole morning.  We'd have been exhausted!

Sunday was another University Open Day, which I had volunteered to work.  Pootling around, in between tours of the Adsetts Centre, I was and who should bound into the building  - but Richard!  He was on his way from church at the cathedral to the station and though he would drop in to say hello - since I had mentioned that I would be working.

I haven't seen him today.  Do you think I've somehow upset him?