Thursday, December 5, 2024

Not Making Progress

We went to Ashton town centre yesterday afternoon, checking out the The Arcades, a place we've enjoyed going jalan jalan in previous visits. It's still there, but not quite the same somehow. Over the years it's become that little bit more run-down with each visit, that little bit less happening, that tiny bit more drab. And the downwards trajectory seems to have continued. There was no sense at all of seasonal bustle. It felt as if the coffee places and shops were doing their best, but could only just manage to keep ticking over. It didn't make one feel optimistic in any sense.

Possibly it's just me, looking through jaundiced eyes, projecting my own mood about the country onto the place. But I suspect I'm looking at a real change. And not for the better.

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