Shopping!

Not the best of weeks here with issues and yet more issues with the legendary Grump but as things on the more current affairs front (no one's investigating affairs with a current!) are very up in the air we'll get down to more everyday things.

Shopping. Yeah the pain in butt that is the Grump does that Monday's - an old routine that's a bit unneeded as "big shops" are a thing of the past being both carless and since Mom's death three year ago on Saturday rather less on paper at least is needed.

That's before you consider the store he goes to is not well run in a marginally less grotty part of the district.

Day and place could better as in better run stores, less menacing types about and even cheaper prices.

I usually shop Wednesday just outside the district where there everything from "fill to the brim on stop shop" shopping to bespoke butchers and cheese stores all co-existing so you can mix and match rather being stuck with just one stores whole range.

Friday's I join him  but leave him to go around Iceland as I've got what I need from there in pop into smallish Morrisons which isn't the quite last word in shopping but does often have useful stuff in and bargain offers apart from newspapers, a legacy of the store being for former newsagent that went into sell bits and bobs of food before being taken over as most of the group was in mid-Cheshire.

Fresh ingredients are available in a way some places are deserts of with only packaged highly processed food available that just  isn't that healthy.

I'd rather the Grump moved his monday shopping somewhere better!

Changing perceptions

 

Last week saw a Cabinet meeting here in Stoke On Trent at Middleport Pottery, which in recent years has had much investment in new equipment and work on expanding the visitor based heritage aspect.

Security that Thursday was tight, the very location being kept secret with just references to being "in the Midlands" and later on "Stoke On Trent" was mentioned although seeing footage of interviews with the public on the BBC, I could work out what part of this City Region they were in knowing the buildings.

It was unusual as while the Prime Minister has been here before and for that matter is known for visiting Wolverhampton in the Black Country where he worked for a period for the Express & Star, cabinet meetings have never been held here.

In this picture, Boris Johnston is talking with local business leaders - and note the number of women - about opportunities and concerns in much the same way Michael Gove went to talk people on new housing development on the former Royal Doulton's site.

Traditional Oatcakes were on offer for lunch to in the café area

For me the important thing was it showed this area was able to host such high calibre events given our traditional tendency to underplay our abilities, that it offered a platform to raise the profile of some of our most important businesses, and it got people generally talking about us as we tend to be obscured by Big Brum in the south and the twin cities of the North West Manchester and Liverpool being equidistant.

It is obvious from what was said afterwards everyone was delighted with how it went being impressed with what the area has to offer.

Will they consider moving the Lords to here when The Palace of Westminster is being repaired - and it jolly well needs it - who knows but given the Treasury was moved to nearby Trentham Hall during WW2 it might just happen.