Round here

The blasted Police helicopter is out again tonight, circling round and round. There's also been a lot of sirens, more than normal. I guess the weekend starts here.
Today I went shopping in the local shopping area. I like to patron the local stores. Though why the heck I bother I don't know. The co-op in Symes Avenue has to be the worst store ever. They don't use the checkouts to serve customers. We all have to line up along the cigarette and booze counter. No matter how much you've bought. This counter is also the place to get your electric and gas keys topped up. Plus the lottery counter. You can spend a decade stood in that line. Some of the assistants are chatty and smiley but there's a couple of right miseries. Today the ONE till ran out of till roll. An assistant went off to get some. The queue was restless. There was a home care lady in the queue, anxious to get on with her work. She enquired just how long it would take. The older long haired peroxide blonde assistant snapped "As long as it takes". And I reflected on how different it would be if we lived in Henleaze or Sneyd Park. The co-op is a respectable chain of food stores, as a rule. I guess they must get a lot of abuse from some of the customers, but still
civility is a general rule for shop assistants.
Both shops in Symes have big burly black bouncers. Most unnervingly they seem to follow me around. If I was vain, I'd think they liked me, but hahahah that's hilarious. Unfortunately I must have the appearance of a serial shoplifter. Problem is when I'm having a paranoid moment this makes me far worse. Only benefit to such a chav shopping centre is there 's no embarrassment if your card is declined. Par for the course. This is the shop that keeps the Jif lemon under lock and key incase there's a pancake raid.... No I jest... Because the druggies use it to cut their crack with.
The post office is a whole story of it's own. Housed in the old dentist place it's dark, smelly and cold. The postmaster sits behind his dirty little windows and serves the great unwashed community their social security money.
I was soooooo pissed off today. I got to the door with this little greasy haired grey haired old lady with a grey Mac.
Being polite I let her go first. I wanted one stamp.
She wanted a few hundred postal orders, she told the guy what each one was for, and paid for each separately. Not being blessed with patience I was on the verge of dying. Then she told him she was sending them to America. He told her that America wouldn't accept postal orders and she told some tale about them sending her a free TV. A scam no doubt.The post guy started to say something, then shut up. We could have been there all week. Trouble is, some of those people only get to speak to the post master all day. He's their sole interactive human. Most people liked the black Asian Welsh guy who was there last time, but he stole most of the takings apparently so he's a gonner now.
Not so nice here today, it rained which was good for my sunflowers. Oh well least we didn't have that annoying ginger kid from down the street hanging over the fence, asking dumb questions... or not even questions. Stating stuff. "Der's a motorbike out there" (so?) "I didn't wet me bed last night" (go away little boy) "My dad's getting me a trampoline bigga than you's" "Yer car's green" or the worse one... Knock at the door, "I found yer cat in the garden" with Bailey hanging out of his hands, yelping and meowing. Yeah... Cats would be found in a garden.. But when it's over and over. Finally Bailey gets the message and pissed off goes to sleep in my bedroom.
BTW if you live round here and think, I'm a snob. I'm not. Don't forget I was a child on this estate. I grew up here, went to the local schools and live here now. But I say it as I see it and sometimes you have to laugh at it. God help us all..... Oh talking about God. The local 'The River of Life Christian Centre' has a HUGE photo board outside with a picture of all their congregation on it. It's a permanent, like a bill board poster. I've threatened the girls. Behave, wash up, or we join the church and have your picture on there too. Amazingly it really works! After me, sing Hosanna sing Hosanna to the king of kings............................................