THIS IS AN OLD WEBPAGE
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INTERESTING TIMES
There is supposed to exist an old Chinese curse (though it may be nothing more than an apocryphal urban myth) which is as follows: "May you live in interesting times!" The inference is that interesting times are usually periods of revolution, war, or social change, and therefore not always the most pleasant to live through.
The last week (mid September) has certainly been an interesting time for us in the cheese business - and it could yet prove even more so, depending on how fast supplies of fuel return to normal. We have seen how quickly the entire country can grind to a halt through the actions of a tiny number of malcontents, even if they appear to have the support of most of the population. Living and working in a small country town, the main effect on our business was an immediate slowdown in trade, as potential customers from outside the area ran out of fuel or decided to conserve what stocks they had. Conversely, the actual inhabitants of the town descended in droves on the local supermarkets and bakers, leaving Tetbury without bread or milk from eleven o'clock each morning.
We were able to obtain deliveries this week, even if there have been few customers around to buy the produce, and also carry out our own wholesale deliveries, but now our own fuel, and that of our suppliers, is exhausted until there is diesel in the pumps again. An interesting knock-on effect is that the next day delivery service for orders placed on our internet site can no longer be guaranteed by the Post Office until they can obtain more fuel for their vans!
It has been strange to see empty roads both in Tetbury and in surrounding areas but, although a reduction in traffic noise is always welcome, it has been difficult to agree with the customers who have said how nice it is not to have cars coming through Tetbury. Like it or not, we are an economy geared to mobility and it is the cars who bring in the people who keep us going. Similarly, because only a limited amount of cheese is made locally, we need to bring in produce from other areas to survive.
We sympathise with those who are suffering from the high cost of fuel - after all, we too have to pay high fuel prices to run our business. However, it is often forgotten that tens of thousands of small food shops were forced to close during the last decade. Protests like the one just ending will not help any of those of us who still remain to stay in business.
