secure, waste, sale

Secure.

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As I tackle yet again the surplus of runner beans, I realize that I am doing something that would please the supermarkets, whose lust for uniformity in the shape and size of fruit and vegetables is generally so tedious. I select only the long, straight and tender pods discarding or leaving on the vine, those which curl or look as though they have become coarse or stringy. I console myself, at the thought of this apparent waste, with the knowledge that I can cook the individual beans , when they have reached maturity, or that the pods will, in the last resort, make a nitrogen strong addition to the compost bin.

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Scarcely a shop window does not announce a sale of astounding magnitude and generosity. It is natural that the notices should compete in their promises of price cuts. None more energetically than this one in a clothes shop called Fat Face in Mount Pleasant. I was struck by its sinister undertones:" Killer Sale. Final Reductions. 70% off. You're gonna need a bigger bag."