mates

Call me a grumpy old man if you like but I would like to mention a little thing that annoys me.  I get really fed up with young lads that serve me in supermarkets and call me "mate".  "Alright mate?  Got a dividend card, mate?  Need a bag mate?  Can I be your mate, mate?"

Pipsqueaks.

Anyway just to pre-empt the forthcoming flood of comments about not shopping in supermarkets - living in a small town means that one has to use them.  For example, Tesco is the only place I can get Orecchiette pasta from.  Just because I can't pronounce it doesn't mean to say I can't enjoy it. Tesco is one of my least favourite supermarkets, too (after Asda and Lidl).  And they employ kids that call me mate, did I mention that?  Oh well.  Here's another Private Eye cartoon from the 70s:

Talking of little things - there are some little things that bring great joy into my life.  One of them is the Rotring Artpen that I finally bought recently.  Probably the best drawing pen I've ever owned.  More of that later.