Subject:
Comments
And I thought I had just been unlucky
whenever I have been to 'Toutesjours!"
Well at least they have a fantastic selection
of videos to rent and their prices are reasonable! I can't remember the last
time I went in there and the staff WEREN'T having trouble with one of the
tills, or explaining to another member of staff how the Lottery machine
works. It's amazing how much time needs to be spent shelf stacking for such
a sorry selection of goods... But at ten PM when you have just realised
someone else has used the last sheet of toilet roll, they are an essential
asset to the village!
However at least they are open! The co-op seems to open for twenty minutes
every other day, during hours that are of no use to those of us in full time
employment.
On another note, I think the issue of public transport in the village should
be raised. Writtle is not a happy place for the non-driver...
One Saturday last summer whilst my wife had
taken the car for the weekend, I had to make a trip into London. Mid morning
I set off from home just off the A414 and walked the half-mile or so into
the village, my destination: the bus stop on the village green. However I
was to be disappointed. According to the timetable there, there are only
three buses into Chelmsford a day, one every two hours! To make matters
worse, apparently I had just missed one by ten minutes... However before
setting off home to find the number of a taxi company, I thought I would ask
in the Post Office. I thought it a bit odd for there to be so few buses
going through the village as it seemed every time I drove past the green and
along Ongar road I ended up behind a yellow 'Hoppa' bus!
I made my way past the remarkable collection
of nicknacks to the counter. However it turns out no-one in the Post Office
has ever used the bus service in Writtle. One member of staff did mention
that she thought the buses to Chelmsford stopped outside Barclays. When
asked if they had a timetable, I was helpfully told that I would have to get
one from Chelmsford...
Optimistically, I set off in haste around the
corner and, lo and behold, there on the opposite side of the road from
Barclays was another bus stop. Without a timetable.
Undeterred, I leant against the iron railings
and waited. Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes the familiar yellow
nose of a bus rounded the corner, its happy smiling driver a very welcome
sight! I stepped forward and raised my hand... as it drove straight past and
turned right towards Chelmsford! The humiliation and annoyance of this was
only compounded by the two gurning twelve year olds gesticulating at me from
the back seat.
By now I had become resigned to my fate. As
the sun was out and I was in no particular hurry, I rolled up my newspaper
and set off with a click of the heels on a leisurely stroll down the
highways and byways of surburban and semi-rural Essex to a place that had
started to seem as unreachable as the Emerald City, Chelmsford Railway
Station.
Despite the issues above, we have lived in
Writtle for over a year now and most of our experiences have been happy
ones! Friendly neighbours, welcoming pubs (A great pint in the Wheatsheaf
and a way-above-average selection of reasonably priced food in the Inn on
the Green), excellent curry house, fish and chips where one portion is big
enough for a large family, a lovely little library and a wonderful little
shop open all hours (the last one was typed with my tongue ever so slightly
in my cheek!)
Keep up the good work
Richard Gunn
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