“I should be paying, last night he went overdrawn doing a supermarket shop,” I winked at the waiter. “I hate those supermarket bills,” she said. “Buying food in small shops, over a month we spend less than a single supermarket bill.” “Wow, that’s amazing. I never thought of doing that,” the waiter smiled. Supermarkets are monsters. They lure you in with a promise of everything under one roof. You go in with a small list and on your way to the essentials stocked at the far end

The haunting notes of a bagpipe floated down our busy street, bouncing off shoppers in masks, echoing from the bright shop windows and pulled towards this unusual sound, we walked to the church. The piper stood on the steps competing with the peeling church bells. A small crowd stood watching, shoppers queuing outside the vegetable shop, the butchers, the wine shop, all smiled. There was joy in the air. A wedding! After sixteen months of lockdown. And the sun was shining! Las

They’re harping on about Mindfulness, it’s one of the buzz-words and last week there was a Mindfulness Day as part of Mental Health Week. So what is the fuss all about? To be sure, we need something to counter what’s termed Western Civilisation. You don’t need to look far to see what I mean. Peep across the English Channel (or what the French stubbornly call La Manche) and drive south to the Pyrenean slopes where a pre-consumerist way of life lives on. Almost. But thanks to t

They were telling us in great detail of the damage done to their things by others. It was as if a minor war had happened in the cosy rooms of their home; faces red, eyes animated, voices taught, they gave us details of every scratch and defilement. We felt for them, this was a huge issue in their lives, but we couldn't identify with their concern, not because it wasn't our stuff, but because it seemed so minor. OK, these items were newish, had been bought with hard earned mon

There really is only one topic we should each be thinking about and reacting to, yet we wander about like lemmings at the edge of an abrupt drop. The cliff top isn't far away and we are heading towards it and people are telling us to be careful, yet we keep plodding on. With our gaze focused on our nose, life in general doesn't concern us. They have started to yell, warning that the cliff is crumbling, but we move on regardless. To hear of such a scenario probably makes you l