Saturday 25 April 2009

Politicking, and this time it’s personal!


There are rumblings at foot in the village (I’m coming out here, Northwood). The local ruling party, the Conservatives (fingers in throat) are posting “Save Our Small Shops”. Well absolutely, well worthy and most commendable in theory, however, just so impractical in nature. That is unless you are one of the number that need the five or six hairdressers/beauty saloons, or are required to buy/sell a house, four, or the equal number of greeting card shops that are available of the 30 or so shops in the village. What makes me so cross (and here comes the rant) is that not one sells useful commodities like: fish, meat, fresh vegetables, local eggs, a halfway decent loaf or on a personal level, art supplies. We have four coffee shops, well, I can brew my own for one tenth of the cost (using fairtrade beans) and although I too like hangin’ with friends, I find home a more congenial space rather than their multi-national and sadly predicable interiors, where nobody knows the variety or lineage of their coffee.
Just a few good shops survive: a watch repairers, a shoe shop (well, I am addicted), a gent’s outfitters (wonderful, but far too expensive for this household), a haberdashers (oh, hallowed one), a book shop (struggling with on-line sales, guilty), a kitchen design shop (quite beautiful, but how often do you need to spend a fortune refiguring your kitchen? I give it a year) and two wonderful charity shops (both supplied and regularly supported in sales by yours truly). The supermarket is now the heart of the village and has done for the local food suppliers, so sad. Here I blame the archfiend and arch-capitalist of past and present Tories, M.T. (I can’t bring myself to name the she-devil), a strange thing for a daughter of a grocer to do.
Blood pressure now subsiding, from your host, frizzy of hair, natural in beauty, clothes always two years out-of-date but yet weirdly funky, growing her own and always elegant at foot, surviver of commuter hell, Fay

11 comments:

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Hiya Fay

I'd worked out you were in Northwood. I sometimes went to Waitrose there (right by the tube).

We lived in Loudwater just outside Rickmansworth. So I'm out!

R

Woodland Fay said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Woodland Fay said...

Posting this again because my mail has suddenly gone wonky, ignore if already seen.
Now Rob you're freaking me out. Too weird!
Nearly made the life choices you made three or fours ago, after all we have an internet company, could operate from anywhere, right? But sadly missed the euro boat. Soft spot for Loudwater, as when we were country-challenged and living in Notting Hill, we would go to what my son called 'our place' the meadow above the Chess and have a play away day.

Woodland Fay said...

No, still not receiving my own (or any?) comments on my email browser. Must be a ghost in the ether.

Acornmoon said...

I am surprised and delighted that you still have a bookshop, we lost ours a few years ago along with a lovely fruit and veg shop. I heard recently that there is now a machine, a sort of espresso vending machine for books which will download, print and bind a book in minutes, I don't think that will help the small shops though.

Woodland Fay said...

acornmoon - thank you for your comment, a book dispenser, how interesting. When I visited Holland regularly in the 60's I came across a chip (french fries) and mayonnaise vending machine in Arnhem-Nijmegen, which I admit at that time seemed pretty dam space-age.
(Were little guys doing the frying, stuffed somewhere behind the machine?) Innocent days.

Q said...

Dear Fay,
It is an honor getting to know you!
I shall return soon for a complete catch up on all of your posts.
I also support independent shop keepers. I try to buy local!
Namaste,
Sherry

Karen Brees said...

We have one indie book shop, doing well in rural Idaho, but the "to let" signs are everywhere in town. Most folks don't shop locally - the buy online, it seems.

Still, the business world evolves. Not much of a market for button hook makers anymore, but new industries will emerge and thrive.

Woodland Fay said...

Q, thank you so much for dropping in and hope to catch up with you again soon. Have admired your blogs from afar for sometime now, and wow, so many overlapping compartments to your on-line, documented life. Most impressed with your interesting output.

Karen, rural Idaho, a place I'ld like to explore! Potatoes come to mind! "To let" signs of the times, I'm afraid. Hoping it's all upward on onward from now on.(I think and hope you have the right guy for the job!) Many regards F

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Fay. I wandered into your blog from Rob's (at least I think that's where I was!) and have really enjoyed reading it. I too think supermarkets (especially Tescos) are the spawn of the devil and out to conquer the universe!

Fortunately I live in Chesterfield and we have lots of small independent shops where I can get the majority of stuff to keep body and soul together when I have used up the home produced goodies!

I'm with you on the identikit coffee shops too - I'd much rather be at home -although there is a very nice independent one with an Italian deli.....!!!

Woodland Fay said...

Hello Nutty Gnome, yes, I've seen you lurking around Rob's blog with good comments and are so pleased you have participated here.
I've been very busy and thanks to Nick's convenient incapacity, losing weight fulfilling his role as well as my own, in madly dashing about the garden and allotment, planting vegetables in every conceivable space! So, sorry for the slow reply and lack of blog writing, so much material so little time! Loved your detailed comment and will be back devotedly blogging soon. Hope to see you there!