Changes

 No I'm not talking about covid. Just things in general. I drove up to a little village a couple of miles away so I could have a walk and also buy some stamps and envelopes in the little village shop which I thought had a post office. It turns out the post office closed about 10 years ago although the owner told me there was a post office in the village hall at certain times. I got chatting to him and he told me he lives in North London. So that was the second change after finding out about the closed post office. Years ago a local would have run it. I knew the street he lived in as DB lived there as a child. If there was no traffic and no accidents he could probably do it in half an hour but as the roads are the M25 and the North Circular that is very unlikely. 

The other change I thought about was here I was aged 70 walking miles and climbing stiles for fun. People did walk for fun when I was young but I didn't know many and certainly not my mum or any of her friends. We did walk because we didn't have a car and sometimes couldn't afford the bus fare so walking was a necessary evil. I am very grateful that I have the choice and the health and strength to walk when I want to. Generally nowadays other walkers I encounter are older people too who have the time.  

It was a beautiful day and an enjoyable walk. 

Another change I thought about was my diet. There were so many foods I had never tasted as a child which I eat regularly. We did have tinned salmon but never tuna. I had never had an avocado or aubergine. This week I made a lentil loaf. I used to make it often when I was feeding a family but this week was the first time for ages but I do eat lentils on a weekly basis. I'd never even seen a lentil. My experience was probably different from a lot of people as my mum didn't like cooking partly because she had a big family to care for and not much money. My dad would have been horrified if she'd given him dinner with no meat. Rice was for rice pudding and we never had pasta. One meal my mum did cook which I loved was minced meat with onion, carrots, barley and dumplings. I still make that so some things don't change.