Hubs has a Freedom Pass and when we need something in the nearby town I send him in, it gets him out of the flat for a few hours!
We needed toothpaste and other sundries that could be had at the pound shop, and a First Holy Communion gift for our nephew from the Christian Bookshop in the mall.
Off he went all on his own with his money in his glove and his Freedom Pass in his pocket.
The first sign of something extraordinary happening was crowds of school children neatly turned out in their uniforms. They were all waving British flags and walking away from downtown Bromley.
Then the bus stopped and the driver told his passengers,
“That’s as far as I can go, everybody off!”
Hubs took the long way around to the town centre, he shouldered his way through ladies dressed up to the nines, groups of men and women in costume, food vendors giving away samples, children with their teachers, the pram brigade and police. As he closed in on market square he saw the tail end of a car cavalcade making off into the distance,
“Who did I just miss?” he asked a fresh faced constable.
“You’re joking!” was his reply. Then he relented as the American accent settled itself in his awareness, “the Queen!” he amended.
How did I miss that photo opportunity?
Enjoy the pictures I didn’t take, courtesy of the Daily Mail!
And what of the shopping for sundries? He was successful at the pound store.
However, the Christian Bookshop had closed down and had a sign in the window explaining the cause of its demise. The increased popularity of E-books and the purchasing of gifts on-line.
I went to Amazon to buy my nephew’s First Holy Communion gift and it will be arriving today, a short 24 hours after my order was placed. Although the service is impressive and convenient it doesn’t compare to the personal contact of a shop I can visit and browse through.
Are real books really going to go the way of the newspaper?
I hope not, I attended a book talk given by its author that evening and later she signed my book using my name and a few kind words. How could this personal touch have been achieved on a kindle?
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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