Morning, all!

I'm having one of my sleepless nights, so here I go.

We have a wee row of shops just down the road: a hairdresser, a lawyer, and a general shop that does papers, milk, snacks at lunchtime, booze, fags and things you run out of but need when all the other shops are shut. They have an ATM. The owner also gets up at 5am to organise the delivery of papers.

The lawyer is about to give up his lease, after 6 wasted months trying to attract customers. How the hairdresser's hangs on nobody knows, but there are a lot of independent stylists renting a 'chair' in the shop and that may make it easier since they will bring in their own customers. But the manager/owner of the general shop is looking very depressed and talking about shutting down because she can't 'compete with the supermarkets'. Christmas will not help, she says, because people are not spending - or when they do, they're spending in Tesco's, not the local shop.

I wish I had a solution to this problem because I like having a local shop where I buy my papers, order magazines, get stamps, cards, milk and rolls, They are open till 9pm - later than the local Morrison's. If - when - I reach the stage I can't go out to pick up my papers, they will deliver.

Maybe this is going to be like having a local butcher or fishmonger. We won't miss it till it's gone. I hope not.