Braintree: the town has changed out of all recognition since my mother died 35 years ago, and my sister and I both thought she would be completely lost today. Have there ever been so many changes in such a short space of time?
Not many signs of recession either here or in Saffron Walden. I won't really believe all this talk of economic hardship until TV studios convening experts to pontificate on the "situation" have to be lit by candles and the participants wear a haggard, unshaven look, especially the men.
But of course it's impossible to judge the state of a nation on the strength of a cursory visit to a well-to-do part of the country. Subject to correction, I would put the beautiful county of Shropshire in the same category; so much more prosperous-looking than the down-at-heel area where I live.
In and around Ditton Priors, Shropshire
It certainly is a different sort of recession to the last one - not nearly so many house repossessions for a start. I think where it is mostly being felt is by the young who are trying to get a toe onto the employment ladder and also by their parents who now see they could well be housing their offspring till well into their 30's.
ReplyDeleteThe other group of people being hard hit as I type are the receivers of incapacity benefit or whatever it's now called. They are all being reassessed, not by doctors, to decide whether or not they are "fit for work", and I can't begin to tell you just how frightful this is. I won't go into detail here because of respecting the privacy of some people I know to be caught up in this nightmare, but just consider for yourself if you should happen to have, as just one example, MS .....