Sunday, June 29, 2008

Memory Lane.

With a bit of provoking from across the pond, Mater has embarked on the new post nap afternoon ritual of a nice gentle walk. To prove her ambulatory wanderings some pici’s have been proffered and I’m almost sorry I asked!** Case in point....

Now I know (evil) Starbucks is just about everywhere on the planet including Peru, China, Qatar & Egypt (to name a few) but for Gods’ sake, it’s sacrilegious that they are a new tenant on “Street Lane”, of all bloody places! In a peculiar way it feels quite personal – don’t they know that’s part of my hallowed memory ground? Don’t they care that when I go back to the old country I like to reminisce with all the visuals nicely preserved and intact just the way I left them 27 years ago?!

My two penneth to Starbucks is that they should wake up and smell their own damn coffee; Stay in the big bloody cities where you bloody well belong and keep your thieving hands off local neighborhoods and groovy locations that are just plain inappropriate. I ‘kin hate the homogenized planet we’re becoming and to have corporate America plonk their big fat arses right in the middle of my youthful memory box backyard, well, well, well...... it’s just not on!

And honestly if you asked me what was there before I couldn’t tell you, but I know what it wasn’t.......

Now check this one out- as if Big Daddy Buckfuck on Street Lane wasn’t enough someone (in their infinite wisdom) has decided it’s time for another memory from my youth to be demolished. “The Chained Bull” was one of my regular pit stops in my early social wanderings and its being bloody demolished, probably so they can put a big giant bollocksy Starbucks in there! Sure it was a bit naff even back in the day….. hmmm and now I think about it with all the spilt beer, stubbed out fag ends and dropped pork scratchings that over the years had become the very core of the pubs soul, it’s probably not a sooooooo bad that it’s gone.

And finally……Limas in Leeds? That’s’ just wrong.


**Mater-despite my mini rant I love the pici's keep 'um coming!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a fascinating rant on Starbuck's - I have never, ever been in one and all the locals can moan about is the problem with parking it is going to present. We already have trouble with car parking on Street Lane so this is really going to add to the difficulty. For your memory bank this Starbuck's is in the ground floor of the very expensive emporium that is Brill's mens' clothiers which has now moved upstairs!

My God woman, if I'd known you were going to use my snaps of my perambulations I would have taken more care - I thought they were for your eyes only. Perhaps I shall become the Daisy Bailey of Roundhay? I did ask your brother why my pictures didn't come out as well as the two of you and his reply was "cos ours are worth ten times more than yours" AND he bought it for me!!!!!!!

Mater x

Anonymous said...

Made enquiries today to add to your info. box and the place where the Chained Bull pub was will be Marks & Spencer store. Now that can't be too bad. Lovely for your Ma - no idea whether it will be an extended food hall or small clothes store. At least it cannot be more than two stories high so as to be in keeping with the surrounding area.

See my mail to you re. the lemurs of Leeds :-)

Sharon said...

Mater:
Thanks once again for being my human spelling corrector! Lemurs it is…..
I believe Street Land is the 14th SB in Leeds and to clarify, my tolerance can handle one on the city centre, but in Roundhay or Headingly etc, there I want a local coffee shop with it’s own creativity and ambiance, not a template of what Americans want.

As for M&S somehow their corporate takeover doesn’t bug me as much – I’m not sure why as being shot by friendly fire still makes you dead.

Anonymous said...

They're "selling England by the pound..." of coffee. Who's selling England? Who?

Sharon said...

Genesis is selling England by the pound onlqb, Genesis.

Altogether now..... "I know what I like, and I like what I know; getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show"

Anonymous said...

Now here's where everyone can have a laugh at your Ma's ignorance. What the hell is onlqb talking about AND what do the words of Genesis' song mean? Is Genesis' lead singer Phil Collins?

Give me Neil Diamond any day - Cracklin' Rose, I am I said, etc. etc. etc.
Mater x

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

AP Headline: " Starbucks to close 600 US stores, rein in growth"

It must have been your rant that brought them down.

Sharon said...

TG: I heard that too on NPR this morning-perhaps I should send them an e-mail & suggest they look at the numbers of Street Lane Leeds store!

Anonymous said...

To what dizzy heights does "Street Lane is the 14th SB" take it?

I'm assuming this is more text-speak? In the olden days we only learned English and another language (French in my case) but this new shorthand-talk is way out of my league.

Mater x

Sharon said...

The written digital word has become full of acceptable acronyms & text shorthand with our new digital age of cell phones, blackberries, IMing, chat rooms, blogs etc.
In fact I’ve noticed even you do it in your e-mails to me! So in this case ‘SB’ is starbucks...

WTF...I hear you cry! (what the f*@k)

Anonymous said...

It's so obvious when you tell me - see, I accept I'm not too old to learn!

However, WTF is one I did know - now why doesn't that surprise you?

mater x

Anonymous said...

Given the quality of British coffee, don't think you can complain too much about starbuck's....