.. after dinner comes Mr. Pen to visit me, and staid an houre talking with me. I perceive something of learning he hath got, but a great deale, if not too much, of the vanity of the French garbe and affected manner of speech and gait. I fear all real profit he hath made of his travel will signify little…

My comments to this:  the best friends are those who listen to you. it’s called a dialogue not a monologue.

I just realised today while doing my gardening job that I had been far too generous with my quote and cannot possibly achieve the aims and objectives within it. At the start, I did cover myself by saying that if I cannot achieve the job I may have to discuss an uplift but the customer is away so I’m going to do the hours that I budgeted for, then pause and then have a discussion with him. Fortunately, he has been pleased with our work so far. We really have sweated, fought with thorns, dragged trees down his driveway and put them on an enormous mountain of miscellaneous items to be taken away.

When I see him again I will give him alternatives which I think you should always be done. I shall tell him that I’ve done the best I can with the quote but I cannot continue without discussing an uplift.

this is a real tough type of job to deal with, and makes demands on the musculature which means you need to be fit to do it

I can say that if he is pleased with what we have done so far then we could bring the job to a close and settle. It is always difficult to tell the financial circumstance of a customer. People can be very well-dressed, nice car etc. and yet they are thousands in debt. Other very ordinary looking people have a few hundred thousand pounds or more stashed away because their relatives died etc.  and left them money.

I don’t want to ask him if money is an issue but I could say that if he wants us to continue we could do so at a later date. Frankly I would far rather close the job now and get on with something else so it is going to be hanging in the air for a little bit but never mind I can survive. There are other jobs just waiting to be done.

Anyway, we have five hours to go between us so will go along tomorrow and see if we can make a passable stand at finishing the job. Fortunately, we like both the garden and the customer who has a very good relationship with his daughter. She is going to move into the bungalow so there are quite a few plusses. What is unpleasant is if you don’t like the customer and they refuse to pay for some reason, or make a complaint, but in the last four years of gardening in Somerset I’ve had few problems and these are usually due to ignorance on the customers part.

Off to see the doctor because I seem to have an infected big toe which warms up and is very sore and sensitive. I have been given some antibiotics –  Flucloxacillin, which contains penicillin with strict instructions to take them four times a day, one hour before meals. I’m relieved to see that the instructions on the medicine box are clear. It says “take this medicine when your stomach is empty. This means an hour before food or two hours after food”. How nice to have plain English.

And so I will crawl into bed. I must admit I feel pretty stiff but I know I will be fine in the morning.