venta

Of course, one of the worst things about being back from holiday is that I'm now going to have to get myself used to the shoddiness of southern bakeries all over again. For the past ten days I've been living in a world where asking for a jap or a cornedbeef pasty or a stotty cake has delivered the goods rather than inspiring blank looks.

I arbitrarily believe northern bakeries to be cheaper too, though on reflection I'm not actually terribly aware of prices in bakeries in general. So, could anyone who's passing a bakery and is willing to join in a research project tell me the price of a small custard pie ? That's an individual one (no buying 4-packs in supermarkets), usually about 2-3 inches across its top. More correct people might call it a custard tart. If possible, please can you also eat one and tell me if it's nice :)

Bothams of Whitby: 35p
This actually strikes me as more expensive than I was expecting. It was a good pie, though.

And, on a completely different note, for those who were concerned about the Spiders' welfare in my absence:

I'm afraid it's not terribly good news. Of the spiders, only Dr. Wesson seems to have survived the depradations of sysadmins and plumbers. He is still sitting perfectly calmly in his web.

Sadly, both Dr. Jones and his web are gone. Sysadmin #1 informed me when I arrived in to work this morning that Dr Jones had been there safe last time he looked - I have yet to quiz him to find out if this is true, or whether he was mistaking Dr. Wesson for Dr. Jones.

Dr. Smith's home behind the u-bend has, as expected, been completely destroyed by the plumbing work. Even before the leaking pipes became an issue Dr. Robinson, the spider who caused all the controversy, had disappeared. Dr. Jackson's tenure of the penthouse web was very short; I presume he was only passing through.

So, the thriving community is reduced to one citizen, and some swept-looking corners. There is, on inspection, a large area of derelict property near the ceiling, though I don't believe it has been inhabited in some time. Perhaps, now the plumbing has stopped, new Spiders will move back in.