All good things

Since our local 'alternative' shop revealed itself to be more of an alt-outlet store, we have been going further afield to find bulk detergents to re-fill l all our empty reused containers. There is a likeable garden centre between here and Oxford that has a fun self-service system: weigh the container, print a sticky label, hand-pump the detergent into the container, scan the label, weigh the container again, tell the computer what it is, print another label that includes a barcode with an embedded price, take it to the checkout. Great entertainment - far better than doing anything outside in today's weather - and not a conspiracy theory in sight

People talk to MrsM. I returned from taking 13 full containers to the car, to catch the tail-end of a conversation with a wistful cashier, concerned about her future. The entire garden centre has been sold - it will no longer be an independent enterprise, but part of a chain with over 40 others. Corporate rebranding is imminent. Will the new owners be empathetic with the recycled / natural materials / sustainable ethos that the old ones were trying to promote, she wonders, apprehension in her voice. What will large corporate owners think of drippy dispensers and a trust-the-customer process, I wondered myself

Sticking with the anywhere-but-ourside principle, we went to the Oxfordshire museum to see the exhibition of the winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year competition. They are online, of course, but printed, mounted images, well displayed, along with a brief commentary from the photographer or judges, has real impact. It's a truly international competition, so I'm a bit surprised that there are so few locations on its tour (Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Manchester, Lancashire). If you have a chance I recommend it

All the pictures are stunning. I did not always agree with the judges' choice of 'best'. If I had taken the picture of a swift in the black & white class (also a temporary extra), that would be the end of blip, because I would never take another photograph! For some reason, it was only 'highly commended' 

The stone confection is in the grounds of the museum. It marks the official opening of the gallery  where the exhibition is. Usually, compulsory memorials like that are trivial and awful. I liked this one and, unlike me, it liked the weather