People watching 27th January

This is something I haven’t done for a while as to be honest, we’ve been too intent doing what has to be done and getting back to base as soon as possible.

I used to enjoy people watching as we’d sit on benches sharing a bag of chips or prawn crackers, sit in the car at beauty spots, or simply sitting in the car waiting.
In the A&E car park last week, there were few people walking about, and not much activity around the hospital entrance. The most interesting thing I guess, apart from finishing my book and doing the newspaper puzzles, was counting the number of cars coming down the rank where I was parked only to turn round as there was no exit that way.
Today shopping in town, we went about our business trying to keep socially distant, and noticed how people still gathered in groups, but at least more were wearing masks now.
The town is like a ghost town though, most of the High Street shops and little cafes are still closed, and a large arts studio that had only been there since the summer has been stripped of all fittings and the lease is back up for sale.
When Hubby went in for his slipper socks, again, not many people were walking about that I could see and the guy who got out of the car that pulled in opposite me was back within five minutes with a punnet of grapes. How exciting……….. not.
We went into the other shops together, and other than masks, it was more or less ‘normal’ including a heated argument outside one between a couple with a heavily loaded trolley. Seems he’d bought something for himself but not for her, and she was fuming. I guess she didn’t drink lager then.
One thing I did notice by its absence was children. Despite the schools still being closed, most of the shoppers today were middle aged, single or elderly.

There was more activity outside the Co-op when Hubby went in to get his yogurt though. Not that many cars in the car park, but a few pensioners were donning masks before entry, one woman with a badge round her neck who didn’t, and a couple of people coming out, removing their masks as they did so.
There was one guy though who unnerved me a little, and I was glad I was not outside. I’d put him about 50, 6 feet tall, shoulder length dark hair and heavy set, but not fat. He was not wearing a mask, was dirty in his attire and personal hygiene, and came out of the shop with his mouth permanently open. This could have been for a variety of reasons of course, but his manner made me tense, and the lady he passed physically backed herself up against the wall.

It seems extremely strange that something as simple as people watching isn’t a pastime as it once was, as basically, we don’t make the time and there aren’t that many people to watch just now.
Just a thought.

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