I am not sure how much more rain we are due but most of my days are spent indoors.
Yesterday I had to venture out to town because my trusted vehicle needed its annual inspection, which it passed. As the garage offered me a courtesy car, I declined because I really wanted to explore whether in town I would be able to do my errands and visits using public transport.
If you have not travelled on public transport, I guarantee you have not seen life as it is. I realised how cushy it is when I travel in my car and how actually a lot goes on when you take a bus.
Timetables are not that familiar so required a bit of searching. My first visit was 3 miles out of the town centre and a direct bus would only go every hour as where a bus in that general direction was available very 30 mins. I waited in the cold and rain, getting wet and....wetter and.....wanted my comfy car deep down. I resisted.....I resisted.....and the bus came. I had to walk quite a bit from A to B but arrived on time and met some other wet people. The bus back was the direct one which was a lot smaller and had a friendly busdriver who insisted on telling me a story although it took time as he had a speech impediment. I felt humbled that he wanted to tell it to me and reflected on how patient I had become. At the end of it he suggested I should go and get a transport card which entitles me to free transport in the county. ( I was unaware that this existed being a mere usual car driver in my own metal box on the highway!). Buspass, me...?
How do you while away a whole day in town without wanting to buy and consume. ( Its hard...very hard....)
I have visited clothes shops ( just to see what the trends are and marvel at the sixties fashion which I am unlikely to follow with my earthy, rotunde figure).
I marvelled at the crazy prices people are prepared to pay.
Thought of having an eye test but that was on my desperation list.
Spent time in the library where you can sit, browse, read, knit etc and surf the internet for free.
Had my treat drink in starbucks and sat in the armchair knitting while life went on around me. well people stared but who cares......
At the garage, I got shocked again at the lovely price tag I was offered ( the danger of downshifting and not buying anything is that when you have to pay regular prices you are usually about to faint from shock). The car still needs work doing to it....but I have postponed it till next month.
Wet, shocked and horrified at prices, I drove back calmly into the countryside, telling myself what a lovely day it had been, people spotting, being different and out of flow with the rest.
The news today speaks of a crash of the Dow Jones and FTSE.....is this a new trend....is deconsuming going to upset the economy?
2 comments:
Cold wet weather and public transport are a bad mix. it certainly makes you reassess whether you actually need/want to go out. I agree about paying for things especially services when you don't normally spend much money, everything seems so expensive.
I have yet to experience public transportation however my husband commutes via bus to and from work sometimes and has had similar experiences.
I was shocked at the price of new clothes especially for children on a recent trip to a "normal" store. I've been spoiled by thrift store shopping for way too long.
Sounds like you had a nice day, short of the cold and rain.
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