U.K. Duty Visit - Day 3

Major hiccup!!!! None of John’s credit cards can be used in the UK since the UK now ONLY accepts cards with a chip & associated PIN number! This was discovered while trying to buy some extra Vodafone Internet access time & did cause a heart palpitation or two. However, enough UK cash had been brought to cover that, and shortly thereafter it was proven that my new ATM card, with pin, does work, allowing cash to be drawn. Later it was decided that John will use Mum-Mum’s cards & pin for the duration & let Katy sort it all out later, to which she has agreed. However, note should be taken of this insular UK aberration.
Talking of Vodafone, after two tedious phone calls & a little computer time Nick was able to get the “18-year old” restriction lifted & we have now been able to see both Marissa’s and M & D’s new Flickr photos.
We did some assorted shopping in the Arndale Center, and again mutually agreed about how much we would hate to live in Eastbourne ever again! Since much of the day was gray, frequently rainy (until mid-afternoon when it turned to snow) there was no exercise walking. Nick went off to lunch with his old Rotary organization, Pam & John heated up Indian Food from Sainsbury’s, and began the early discussions, mostly around pictures & photos, of who does or doesn’t want what. P & N have installed a printer/scanner in the flat, so all desired pictures will be scanned to ensure we all have everything we want.
Later in the afternoon we popped down to the Meads (in the car) & picked up a couple of things we forgot in the morning before heading on to Mum-Mum. When we got there it was to find Jacqueline, Molly’s daughter, visiting with a friend in tow. We all chatted a while, with me wondering why Jacqueline seemed familiar but unplaceable. Luckily they stopped en route out to talk to Nick, who is avoiding Mum-Mum because he has a cold & doesn’t want her to catch it before the operation, & after a tip from Pam John was able to mend fences with Jacqueline (who looks amazingly like her mother although I don’t think we have met for 50 years).
She and her friend were replaced by Sharon, who used to clean, shop, and do odd-jobs for Mum-Mum, and still visits and after she left John fired up his PC & showed some photos until Mum-Mum showed signs of tiredness. We then left, drove through the snow, which is now settling a little bit & headed home for an evening of R & R. Katy called and we all had a chat with her.