Since returning to "The Palais"...
Regular delivery of provisions are not resuming until next week...
And in discovering that the house boys...
are taking liberties whist the Empress recovers and canot be relied upon...
and obviously in desperate need of her firm guidance...
Although they do seem quite able to improvise..
Princess decided upon taking a little adventure and drove herself...
to the the local food emporium...
And what an awfully rude experience it was...
Anticipating that there would be a valet parking service...
Imagine my horror when informed that I would need to park my automobile myself. In some thing called a car park!
I drove around and around until I found a space to park...
Having never experienced this phenomenon, I did try my best ...
On entering the establishment I was mortified to find that I would be required to take a "shopping trolley"
and gather the provisions myself!
It would seem that the days when you entered the local store...
To be greeted by eagerly awaiting and cheerful staff...
to personally serve you, "Thankyou Mr Aubergine"
Are gone!
Instead you are met with...
What seems like acres of these...
And look a bit like ....
This....
Whilst locating the required provisions..
Then you approach the cashier expecting...
This..
But instead, find that it is now called a "check out" which I found to be very confusing, as I was not aware that I had checked in...
and then to find a young gentlman...
Behind the counter, doing this....
while placing a "This counter is closed" sign in front of me.
Then...
After removing the surrogate breast from his lips
(are these people not weaned from suckling these days?)
Stated...
"You can go through the self serve checkout if you want, or, wait for another register to open"
And there was I, thinking that I Had...
Already "Served Myself"
I waited patiently for another register to open and then...
Discovered that I was expected to take the provisions I had just purchased.... to my automobile myself!
I was so very, very, overjoyed at this revelation...
And totally ...
And utterly exhausted from my horrendous ordeal...
I drove home crazily in my frustration and bewilderment
after such a harrowing experience...
And thinking to myself...
just how much things have changed...
I was very relieved...
to be returning to the peace and tranquility of the "Palais"
Or So I Thought!
Somebody get me a drink!
