Friday, December 05, 2008

waiting, stamps, too many

Posted by Picasa Pigeons use the ducting and girders under the railway bridge at Tunbridge Wells station, with the same sense of possession as passengers on the platform below them.

A post office services counter, has been incorporated into Martins the newsagent on the corner of Chapel Place. The assistant looks worried as she helps me with parcels and stamps. It is all new to her. "Do you want religious stamps or fun ones? " she asks. "Fun ones," I say. "You're the first person who's asked for them," she says, and smiles for the first time."I'm glad," she says approvingly.

An order arrives from Waitrose. Among the items are six packs of six kitchen towels. They form a mighty tower in the hall of biblical proportions.. The sight is bizarre, and Heidi and I collapse with laughter. I have ordered six packs of six rolls instead of one pack of six. But then we don't usually shop for groceries on line. The delivery man is a diplomat as well as a driver. "I can take them back and not charge you for them," he says. For some strange reason I am tempted to keep them. There is something comforting about the thought of a life's supply of kitchen rolls.

3 comments:

Roderick Robinson said...

Don't forget the ineluctable law of economics: consumption rises to absorb an increase in available resources.

Dave King said...

On first glance the pigeons at the top of the picture did look like people.

Lucas said...

Clicking on the photograph of the pigeons does produce a highly personal account of the individual pigeon expressions. They definitely appear to have some kind of agenda in being up there. Also, the moss is interesting.