Stones in my Passway
I was supposed to go on a long country walk today but my friend cancelled, so I decided to go on a longish urban walk instead and, as it was a rare sunny day, my thoughts soon turned to refreshment. I walked to Dundonald, looped around by the Ice Rink and walked back through Tullycarnet, a place where every single shop except the petrol station is boarded up. Eventually I got back to my local Co Op. Now. I find the Co Op tricky since they refocused their customer preference. The Co Op still brands itself as less a shop than a community hub. We own the cooperative, remember. It's all about us. But that's not how it works any more. Now the shop is in the service of delivery drivers. It's a glorified warehouse, the staff solely employed to stuff Rustler burgers and Coors Light into plastic bags for the impatient Middle-Eastern gentlemen who leave their cars running outside. The boring, on-site customer is now an irritant. They installed two self-service tills to accommoda...
