Does anything change?

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‘I go to market and I ask about the fish: they say it’s expensive. The lamb, the beef and the pork are all expensive…’.

I would never have guessed how old this quote was, it seems to be so modern. It could be me talking about the fish stall or the butchers. The difference is that the quote goes on to say that the buyer has no money at all, he was probably a slave. Another difference is that it was written around 200 BC. I was at the Roman ruined city of Uriconium in Shropshire. I was learning once more about how different their lives were but also how similar they were to ours.

I wonder if they had scams like us? Certainly not mobile phone scams. I was just setting off for a meeting with my fellow writers last week when my phone pinged. It was supposedly from a delivery firm. I was still in our drive, so I opened the message. There was a delivery due they said (that was not true I had not ordered anything) but just so the driver had got my details correct, could I fill them in again? Well, no I could not, I have had one of these before and it is so hard to spot a scam and easy to lose money. I did not reply. It is sometimes hard to keep safe online.

I felt safe going to the hospital for a physiotherapy check-up this week. The disadvantage was that I had to be there for 9am so it was a very early wake up for me. I usually take my time over a leisurely breakfast. The advantage was that we got a parking space which is always a worry. Afterwards, we spotted a coffee shop from a big chain and gratefully sat down for a drink and a bun. Opposite I noticed a mini supermarket and a sandwich shop. I could not help wondering if the ‘Friends of the hospital’ café was losing out.

I had a meal out with six friends yesterday, so we had quite a good chat. I was talking about cars with my cousin who has just bought an electric one. He loves it but finds it strange that it keeps you in lane and pulls you back if you stray. We talked about driverless cars; they are not far away. Then he said that perhaps we would not need driving tests or licences in a few years’ time. That is a shocking fact that is hard to comprehend.

I saw a clouded yellow butterfly in our garden today. It comes from Africa. It is hard to understand how a little creature can come that far.

 

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