mike1949 Posted June 1, 2013 Posted June 1, 2013 When I finished work this morning I went for a ride and ended up in a village only five miles from where I live, called in the village shop which I'd never been to in my life. I might be wrong but it looks like a local village shop run by the locals, it's in an old church. Although I have never been there before the lady couldn't have been more helpful, when I asked if she sold sandwiches she said no, but I will make you one, and when I asked if she sold hot coffee she said no, but I will make you one. How nice is that? The amazing thing though is that it is so quiet and serene there, but only half a mile away is the M4 Motorway. 1
Tommy xs Posted June 1, 2013 Posted June 1, 2013 very nice mike you just don't get service like that anymore, more's the pity
neversaydie Posted June 1, 2013 Posted June 1, 2013 Not many left like that. I know it sounds corny, and old fashioned, but I miss places like that. Nearest I've found to 50s/60s England was the Isles of Scilly. No litter, no dog shit, wild birds feeding from your hand.
mike1949 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Posted June 1, 2013 It's these little gems that go unnoticed; you can't tell by the photo but where I was parked was the village shop/village hall car park. I bet you don't get many benches outside shops like that. Do any of our members from abroad get little places like this? Sacha?
Moderator Airhead Posted June 1, 2013 Moderator Posted June 1, 2013 good find mike, bet you'll be back there sometime
mike1949 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Posted June 1, 2013 good find mike, bet you'll be back there sometime Deffo Paul, what amazed me it's only about five miles from where I live and never knew it. It's one of these villages which is off the beaten track. I will definitely be going there when I finish work on a sat morning with an hour to spare.
mailee Posted June 1, 2013 Posted June 1, 2013 It's not the local shop for local people from Roysten Vasey is it? LOL.
mike1949 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Posted June 1, 2013 It's not the local shop for local people from Roysten Vasey is it? LOL. No Mailee, it's not. There's a clue in where I come from (Chippenham) and it's only about five miles from there.
Moderator Airhead Posted June 1, 2013 Moderator Posted June 1, 2013 It's not the local shop for local people from Roysten Vasey is it? LOL. thats where i live
Sacha Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 It's these little gems that go unnoticed; you can't tell by the photo but where I was parked was the village shop/village hall car park. I bet you don't get many benches outside shops like that. Do any of our members from abroad get little places like this? Sacha? Well I'm afraid I haven't really been on many ride-outs to new places so I haven't come across anything quite like this. Only thing I seem to get is the "we don't like your kind" glares. I'm hoping to get more trips in this summer once my DT's done. I'll see what I can find.
Moderator mervin Posted June 2, 2013 Moderator Posted June 2, 2013 We seem to have got a lot of community shops springing up down here,we havew one the wife works at on friday mornings, the village shop/post office was no longer viable , so they setup the community shop in an old farm bulding ,only open in the mornings and run by volunters, mostly possible due to the genrosity of my Dear departed much missed grumpy old git friend Frank that owned the farm , and let them have the building at a peanut rent, they get the post office 2 mornings a week, it is only a short distance off the A39 , and tries to get stuff from local suppliers , also operates a holiday cottage delivery on saturdays where by people coming on holiday can order stuff and collect on saturday when they turn up or get it dropped off to them , but Tesco and sainsburys deliverys seem more popular sadly ,
mike1949 Posted June 2, 2013 Author Posted June 2, 2013 Well I'm afraid I haven't really been on many ride-outs to new places so I haven't come across anything quite like this. Only thing I seem to get is the "we don't like your kind" glares. I'm hoping to get more trips in this summer once my DT's done. I'll see what I can find. I think we're quite lucky out here in the sticks as apposed to the big cities, you can't go five miles without coming across a village/hamlet.Quite often when I'm on a ride out I tend to stop at a local shop to have a sandwich and coffee and just watch the world go by. When I pull up on my own I think I am more of a novelty, but I can understand their concern if about twenty or more bikers pull up. I presume in the States you have long stretches of nowhere which would be great to blow the cobwebs out, but do you also have small villages like us?
iandouglas Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 they must have liked the look of you mike (or as you ex naval types say, ' liked the cut of your jib') - treatment and food quality is variable i find, bakers are always ok
lallasro Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 a big smile when I read this, why? in my country, Romania, before 1989, everywhere you going (in the country) if you ask a local if he can sell you a sandwich or a coffee, the answer sound like this: "will be my pleasure to help you, you don`t need to pay" and you get not just a sandwich, after 1989 the answer sound like that: sure, how much you pay?
iandouglas Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 a big smile when I read this, why? in my country, Romania, before 1989, everywhere you going (in the country) if you ask a local if he can sell you a sandwich or a coffee, the answer sound like this: "will be my pleasure to help you, you don`t need to pay" and you get not just a sandwich, after 1989 the answer sound like that: sure, how much you pay? haha - but was it really better under ceausescu?
lallasro Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 depend what you wish from your life lol under Ceausescu you got money but nothing to buy with those money, now, you have a lot to buy but you have no money.. I don`t know what`s worst )
mike1949 Posted June 2, 2013 Author Posted June 2, 2013 haha - but was it really better under ceausescu? Blimey Ian I think youv'e opened a can of worms here!
iandouglas Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 just musing - related is the way small shops are closing down in the face of internet competition and big retailers taking the lions share, be sorry if our local 'motorists shop' goes, a family business, ok their stuff costs a bit more but then no travel involved and they are helpful, take goods back and have a good level of stock.
Sacha Posted June 3, 2013 Posted June 3, 2013 I think we're quite lucky out here in the sticks as apposed to the big cities, you can't go five miles without coming across a village/hamlet.Quite often when I'm on a ride out I tend to stop at a local shop to have a sandwich and coffee and just watch the world go by. When I pull up on my own I think I am more of a novelty, but I can understand their concern if about twenty or more bikers pull up. I presume in the States you have long stretches of nowhere which would be great to blow the cobwebs out, but do you also have small villages like us? Oh yes, we have some big country with little or nothing around here. The town I live in has almost 55,000 people (which is by no means big city), and there are some friendly shops around here. We also have some narrow-minded folks in some parts of the state that wouldn't give you the time of day because you're not from around there (biker or not)... but I like to think that they are few and far between.
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