Street Life

First time into Chester since the shops reopened on 12th April. And what a dispiriting sight it was. Empty properties, beggars outside shops, people obviously on drugs and a general lack of courtesy from everyone else. Social distancing seems to be an alien concept, as does wearing a mask correctly.
Wouldn’t have minded quite so much if there had actually been anything in the shops. Apart from a few things for tea from M&S, we didn’t even get half the things we’d hoped to find today. It comes to something when there is a better choice in a small provincial town (back home in Kendal) than in a major city/shopping destination.
It was almost a relief to visit mother this afternoon. But only “almost”. She and my sister are very much an analogue couple living in a digital age. Everything is done the old fashioned way, whether it be visiting the bank for a print out or phoning someone to book an appointment. Car tax has to be paid by cheque at a Post Office - she will have no truck with these new fangled Direct Debits. Consequently, each visit involves stepping back in time and dealing with problems I’ve not encountered for twenty odd years!
She is convinced that she is losing her marbles though, in actual fact, she is just tired and stressed out from a year of living in fear of the pandemic. I pointed out that forgetting things if you don’t write them down, is not a sign of advanced senility. Or, if it is, we’re all in trouble judging by the number of post-it notes, random scribblings on the jotter and scattered pieces of paper that litter our desks at home. I told her that if I don’t make a shopping list these days, I forget half the stuff we need from the supermarket, so she is not alone in forgetting things.
One more day to go in Chester and I’m hoping it’s a bit less stressful than today. But mother did say she was sure there was something else she needed me for, so I may yet have to pay her a second visit!