Local-It Just Isn't The Same.

I don't consider myself old-fashioned but I am certainly not young any more.

As you can tell from the graphic, I am not exactly Miss World.As far as I can remember, I have never been in that category  in the looks stakes and one thing that has not deteriorated over the years is my memory.

Which gets me on to the subject of "local".

When I was a girl, growing up in suburban London,local meant within walking distance.Walking was much more commonplace in those days, but not the powerwalking,lycra-clad variety so popular today.No,we used to stroll down to the local parade of shops,where we would find a grocer (Cullens,as far as I can recall),a baker,a butcher and a fishmonger,plus an assortment of other establishments,including an ancient shoe repair lock-up.

The parade of shops of which I am thinking is still there, though much changed.None of the retailers have survived and there is certainly no baker,butcher or fishmonger anyone local can reach during an easy walk.

So local is different now.I see that even W.H.Smith have a "Local" offering again.I can't get too excited about this brand of "local" though.With Smiths rated by customers as the worst retailer in the UK and given their devotion to horrible self check-outs,I think I would sooner NOT find one of their stores anywhere near my locality!

Saturday, 5th October 2013

Back to top ↑