Oh little town

Work was tricky today, with a number of what I'd define as high-need youngsters in nursery. I only worked half a day and then left, pausing to drop some goods off for a sick friend in Slad road. Bought a couple of items, and posted a parcel too.

In the post office I heard an older woman complaining,
'The High Street is Dead! The media calls it a virus. The media IS the virus!'

I felt a surge of rage. If she hadn't been on a walking frame I would have asked her if she personally knew anyone who had been seriously ill with, or died of, CoVid-19, but I did not trust myself to get the words out in the right order. This is the downside of living in Stroud, which has an above average number of CoVid deniers and anti-vaxxers. (As for my not challenging a person on a walking frame, maybe I just didn't want to be seen as a bully. I know that using a walking frame does not in itself affect mental capacity)!

Afterwards I went to a cafe, got a takeaway drink and cake, and stared down the empty high street. C the busker and another woman were at the top, near my bench, discussing mental health issues . I didn't get the gist of their conversation.

I think my own mental health issue du jour is having an even shorter fuse than usual. I had an email tantrum with the credit union, which has £100 of my own savings, after they told me that I needed to keep £5 in credit at all times, just to keep my account open. I replied that if I couldn't withdraw my own money to pay a bill when I needed to, I'd prefer just to close my account and save via my bank instead, since the credit union appears to have turned into a bank anyway (albeit a rather old fashioned one). The bank is certainly more convenient.

What a pity. I've been with them for 23 years and am almost a founder member, no. 20, but it is clear to me that they no longer specifically help the poor. I believe they are now run by a number of volunteers who are former bankers. (I think the 'retainer' used to be £1, which I would have accepted without qualm. I might add that I've been saving with them, on a weekly basis, for decades).

Did any of this make me feel better? No, not really. Maybe meditation would help. That, or spending more time in nature.