Imported Night Worker.

As usual on a Saturday morning, I pulled into the Exmouth Shell station forecourt to buy petrol and a newspaper.

The regular cashier was not on duty and the replacement Asian caretaker said that she was off sick. Luckily she had informed him in sufficient time for him to take over.

I asked him if he was living locally and he told me that he had driven down from London and would return there after his night shift ended at 8 am.

Apparently, the outlet were unable to find a willing replacement near at hand; and as closing was not an option, this chap had made the three hour, 250 mile trip, to fill in; and would make the same journey in reverse, afterwards.

Just another example of why immigrants are often an employer's first preference, and deservedly so.

Milk Miles.

Our milk is still delivered the old fashioned way - on a milk float, in pint bottles, right to our doorstep. This service has not changed much since they did away with the horse drawn trap carrying milk churns.

As we were going away for a day, I had occasion to call the dairy to cancel a bottle of milk.

Imagine my surprise to find myself talking to a lady in a call centre in Manila. My request was handled efficiently, but rather slowly due accentual differences between the language as spoken in England and the Philippines.

A long range transaction for a simple task.

A pint of milk was still delivered on the day we were absent.

It is the way we are now.