Recovering from the knee op has meant I have spent a lot of time at home over the last three weeks. We live in a small village in middle England in a dead-end street. From the lounge window, I can see every vehicle that drives up and down our street. It’s not a long road, mainly two up two downs built late 1800s for workers of the shoe factories that filled the area way back then. There are approximately 35 houses beyond mine until you reach the end of the road. Where am I going with this? You’ll see.
Sitting, staring at the TV for days with my leg in the air, I started to notice the number of vans coming and going. By week three, I decided to amuse myself by counting (in the hours of daylight only and not religiously, so some will have been missed). In an eight-hour day (9am – 5pm), I counted 62 vans, be they unmarked, DPD, Amazon or some other delivery company. 62 fucking vans on a road with 35 Houses!! WTAF!
If this is being repeated across the country, we are massively in the shit, I would suggest. Amazon has changed our world, but I hadn’t ever stopped and considered exactly how much. This cannot be sustainable… can it? No wonder retail is dead on its arse and town centres look like wastelands.
I was flabbergasted. What did I do? Turned the TV up louder and shut the curtains. Until I’m fit and able, I’m not going to think about it, and when I am, I’ll probably conclude that it’s far too late to be wringing my hands and crying to the heavens. In fact, we probably reap what we sow. We want stuff, and we want it now. This is the result. Damn.
When not counting or watching nonsense, I have enjoyed the new Joe Pernice cover and Aussie band Way Dynamic. The radio show was a blast, although there may be an issue with levels, as my voice sounds a bit too quiet ( a blessing for many, I feel). As ever…
