ITDA

It’s that dog again.

This was the sunny morning after three rainy days. What a joy it was to walk up the hill under blue sky and without a single vehicle on the Sunday road. 

Accidentally it has turned into a second cheese day. I had the unexpected urge to attempt a Double Gloucester, and once I’d checked the recipe I did just that. It is now in the press for the night, while yesterday’s Wensleydale has started to air dry.

I remember Double Gloucester from childhood: buying it at the local grocer (Clarks’) where we could buya variety of cheeses which Mr Clark cut to size and wrapped in paper for us. 

This was in the days before supermarkets, when Mum would read her shopping list to Mr Clark. He collected everything from the shelves and piled it up on the counter for her.

I remember the feeling of daring excitement when I first went into a supermarket and we were allowed to remove items from the shelves ourselves. It felt subversive. 

That must have been around 1970 I think. Well within living memory. But it feels a lifetime ago, when life was led at a steadier pace and expectations were quite different.