Life in the slow lane

Walking to the shops
Aussie Post

I updated my Facebook status yesterday and commented that I was liking life in the slow lane. And it is slow up here - there is no traffic, there are no traffic lights, there is no peak hour. The shops are basic and adequate. There are no malls, no arcades.

The island boasts:
Australia Post
a bank
newsagent/homewares/shoe retailer/babywear/Billabong & Retravision outlet - in the one shop
a hardware
a butcher
a pharmacy
a hairdresser (unisex)
a nail technician (?!?)
jewellery/pearl shop/clothing - in the one shop
clothing/haberdashery/touristy stuff - in the one shop
a 'dollar' shop - only there's nothing there for $1 :)
a travel agent
a library
a bowls club
a hospital
a nursing home
medical centre/dentist
and:
2 supermarkets - they sell everything from chewing gum to TVs
4 pubs
6 churches - all lined up neatly in a row :)

As you can see - all needs are met. Surprisingly the shops all carry a decent and varied selection of stock and once you get your head around the higher prices, shopping is just as much fun as it is anywhere else.

Apart from the hospital, nursing home, the bowls club and 1 of the pubs - everything else is on the one street, the main street - Douglas Street.

But forget urgency, deadlines, punctuality - it happens when it happens, it arrives when it arrives. It's know as T.I. Time. Mostly Rob and I have a laugh about it, but sometimes it can be challenging or downright annoying. But - there's nothing you can do about it, so ...... go with it. Find something else to do, fill in the time, find an alternative - learn to adapt.

Living in the slow lane - life is good.