Skip to main content.
« Previous entry: Happy New Year | Main page | Next entry: A spring in my step »

January 2nd, 2006

The calendar queues of Thurrock

Today was another day off. We decided that the thing to do would be to go to the traditional Bank Holiday Traffic Jam that is held in the Thurrock / Lakeside area of Essex, around the bit where the M25 meets the River Thames and endless shopping warehouses. The general idea is that you get there about 1.30pm and drive slowly around in endless queues along with everyone else trying to decide which of the hundreds of car parks will have the least spaces and the longest waits to get in. It is a great day out for all the family and certainly worth lingering in the ‘fast’ lane of yet another stretch of dual carriageway for.

The main reason for going to the Great Thurrock Go-Slow is the Borders book megastore sale where they sell their calendars off at reduced rates. At the moment they are half price but if you go to Borders at just the right moment they will have reduced them to quarter price, then a week or so later a pound, then another week later fifty pence, or if they really can’t sell them then eventually I think they even pay you to take them away. If anyone else is in Borders and notices that ‘Quarter price calendar day’ has arrived please do announce it on this blog. By ‘Fifty pence calendar day’ they are usually down to ‘Pot plants we know and love 2006 Calendar‘ and ‘Terriers in fancy dress Calendar 2006‘ so there is little point in bothering.

Talking of calendars, watch this space tomorrow.

Update: Tomorrow is now the next tomorrow – ie tomorrow. This is once again because of delays.

5 Comments »



Share this on Facebook:

If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy these (possibly) related articles:

If you liked this post why not send it to someone else by e-mail? Click here to do so.

This is a single post on the Cartoon Blog by Dave posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2006 at 11:40 pm. Click here to read all of the latest posts. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Other things technologically advanced people may like to do: trackback from another site, follow responses via the comments feed, bookmark on del.icio.us or digg.

5 Responses to “The calendar queues of Thurrock”


  1. Neil says:

    Ohh, is there going to be a calendar prize giving thingy?

    January 3rd, 2006 at 10:50 am
  2. Nefertiki says:

    omigod. I knew I was shopping-deprived but this is too much to be borne. I have never seen, shopped at, or attended a huge sale at a Border’s – anywhere.

    Perhaps I need to come out of the boonies and get back to civilization. Pity me.

    January 3rd, 2006 at 4:18 pm
  3. Nefertiki says:

    P. S. I think I will be able to buy a really nice 2006 calendar cheap in Feb. or March.

    January 3rd, 2006 at 4:20 pm
  4. Johann says:

    But Dave, you must be spending all the money you save on calendars on petrol to just go round and round, and damaging the environment too. Also encouraging all your hundreds of readers to do the same – shame on you!!

    January 3rd, 2006 at 9:27 pm
  5. Dave says:

    I would like to reassure all readers that the trip to Thurrock was not simply to buy calendars (though reading it back it does appear that way) – in fact I did not even buy a calendar. I think we would not have gone to this area had we realised that the traffic would be so bad.

    I’m also thoroughly in favour of travelling to Borders by public transport. Unfortunately public transport is poor here – it would take three times as long on the bus and it would to go to London for instance. I am not encouraging special trips, but Borders being one of the larger bookshop chains it is possible there is the chance that some readers might be visiting one in their own local town anyway.

    Nefertiki – civilisation is not all it is cracked up to be.

    January 3rd, 2006 at 10:08 pm