Cheques and balances

As pleased as I am that I salvaged my bike after over a year in the store, it hasn’t been running smoothly. I took the flat tyre and the various other glitches to a little repair shop along an old passage in the city centre. The bloke who runs it, Steve, confirmed it had been a quiet few months with no passing trade, and that I should return later to collect the bike. He confirmed he only accepts cash. ‘Or cheques’.

My initial thought was that a card payment machine would be strategic as there is a strong correlation between those who are shielding at home, and those who still carry a chequebook in their handbag. This could help to explain the slowdown in trade, Steve.

In the evening I utilised my smoothly running wheels to cycle to Coton, a village west of Cambridge. Sue, a trustee of the charity I used to volunteer for lives here and she invited me over along with Adrian, another trustee. Half a bottle of Bombay Sapphire and some individually prepared mini snack bowls later, I’d caught up on the latest happenings with the group. Cambridge has continued to do its part towards the government’s target of rehoming vulnerable Syrian refugee families, all made possible by the dedication of volunteers in the wider community who provide English lessons, mentoring, source possessions and help find work for the new arrivals.