England 1 Scotland 0 (again). Its Bank Holiday Monday in England and in Wales. We are in Scotland yet the dead hand of English neo-colonialism stretches out over the border. Hutton Post Office TD151TS is closed. The postee comes from England and England is closed. If Hutton had a bank I suspect it would be closed too as the money for it would likely have come from England as well. If you use Hutton, Berwick upon Tweed TD15 1TS on the envelope for Huttonian he will get it a day quicker than if you address it as Hutton, Berwickshire, TD15 1TS. In that case it will come via Hawick but it will still have to go via Berwick (back in England again) and we still would not receive it on an English Bank Holiday. Scottish Bank Holidays (like the first w/e in August) don't apply here-our Post Office is open and our post arrives. But today is not the first w/e in August so it does not really help. I could take my whopping great and urgent parcel to Duns and post it there-but it will sit in the sorting office until England is open again.
So it is in to Berwick at Sparrow piss tomorrow and join the largest queue since Saturday in Safeways as the only PO in Berwick is really a small corner one with greatness thrust upon it by the prolonged closure of the main one. But the Post Mistress is one of those charming, slow talking but long winded dearies who lingers over every transaction and has a special slow word for every pensioner who are numbers 2 to 14 inclusive in the petrified line in front of me and whose weekly visit to pick up their pension and to buy 2 second class stamps and another stamp towards the TV licence, and enquire about the dog licence for an animal that died nine years ago etc etc is an occasion to be relished and lingered over.
I have a choice :a seizure or as my aunt used to say 'to possess my soul in patience' Not much of a choice but the only one on offer.
