The road to nostalgia

No sign of Peter tortoise today- he stayed in his bed of hay- and who can blame him as it was a rainy morning and dull chilly afternoon.  I didn't venture far either, other than to get a puncture in one of the tyres on my car fixed, and a brief supermarket trip. 
I spent a few hours reading this novel by Penelope Lively. I've wanted to read it for some time, and recently found a copy in a local bookshop. It felt a bit dated*, being set in 1976, but still.a good read, as the writing is so good. 
*Perhaps I mean it shocked me to realise just how much aspects of everyday life have changed, insidiously, for  better or worse, in provincial England over the past 48 years
eg no cordless let alone mobile phones, neighbours addressing each other as Mr or Mrs rather than by first names, high streets full of butchers shops and greengrocers, and Macfisheries, road journeys going through rather than bypassing towns, local planning offices giving approval for the demolition of medieval buildings, etc.