... with an increasing sense of smell, a reducing Kleenex consumption, and a gradually recovering ability to take an interest in anything beyond the end of my nose.
Two such things as examples:
1. The over 60s nationwide bus pass. What a wonderful initiative. My parents came at the weekend and we got the bus into town with them. My mum got out her bus pass, and it worked! In Oxford! All the way from Lancashire! I couldn't get over it. My dad also has a bus pass, but he hadn't actually been on a bus since 1969 so he hadn't brought it with him.
2. Freecycle. One of the best things the internet has ever made possible. M managed to blow up the food processor. There were flames coming out of it and everything. We got a new one (it was a Kenwood and he'd always secretly wanted a Magimix, what with them being French. They hum more discreetly and chop more stylishly). So we had a million attachments for a lump of melted plastic, but I couldn't bear to throw them out. So I put them on Freecycle, and someone replied within about three minutes, and was round to pick them up within half an hour. I initially figured she must be taking them to sell as spares on eBay -- not that I would have minded, better that than landfill -- but it was a much lovelier story. Turned out her mum had died three years ago, and ever since she'd had her mum's Kenwood food processor in the cupboard *with no attachments*. She just happened to log on as my message came up, in fact her husband had recently said she should get rid of the base as it was taking up space and she was coming round to agreeing with him, but feeling sad about it. So I made her very happy, and she made me very happy. And M is making Thai curry paste like there's no tomorrow, so everyone's a winner.
I hold these small things up as proof that the world gets better in some ways even as it melts down in others. Somewhere in between there's a DRM free music download site that will sell me Enter Sandman.
And so to bed.
joella
4 comments:
I could always "lend" you a CD with Enter Sandman on it, for you to make a backup copy of....
Glad the smell is back.
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Yes please Andy. I can't even buy it on sodding iTunes...
I really like the idea of these nationwide bus passes which, if I understand correctly, mean my mam could in theory get on the first number 47 of the morning at the end of her street in Newcastle, and, via a succession of expertly chosen inter-suburban double-deckers, be in Plymouth by teatime. Well I'd certainly be giving it a go if I didn't have the inconvenience of having to go to work.
It's like that pub-fact/myth about how until the Industrial Revolution you could travel from Nottingham to Cardiff (or wherever) without breaking cover.. except nowadays you get to read various regional versions of the free Metro newspaper as you make your way across country.
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