Take a look around you. What do you see?

No, what do you really see?

I do wonder how many people just move about in a blur. Not watching. Not observing. Not seeing. Not noticing. Not noting. Not aware of themselves. Not aware of others. Not aware of their surroundings.

The kind of people who’d visit Chester city centre and walk past this pictured Roman garden tucked away behind the main shopping precinct.

Having driven 1,817 miles (or 2,925km) across the heart of Britain in recent weeks there has been plenty of time for observation and reflection. Based on my travels…

Here are some simple truths.

• – The first time you visit a new place is special…
• – You observe things better, you explore more
• – The longer you have something the more you take it for granted
• – Most places seem to want to look like every other
• – It’s hard for tiny specialist shops to survive in “Chainstore Land”…
• – I’m pleased the owners keep going
• – Some people are kind
• – Some people are rude
• – Extremely rude
• – If you say “Hello” to a stranger in the street they think you are mad
• – (which is sad… don’t you think?)
• – Some places are thriving
• – Some places are dying
• – There’s too much traffic on the roads
• – 97 per cent of people who drive too close to other vehicles don’t realise they are the ones who cause congestion
• – It is a lorry driver’s duty to pull out just as you are about to overtake his vehicle (it must be a hauliers’  rule as it happens so often)
• – Car manufacturers could save money by not adding indicators to their vehicles (only half the population seem to bother using them)
• – If we took the worst 10 per cent of drivers off the roads for good there would be less congestion
• – Roadworks are a nuisance but it’s our fault. We allowed the EU to force us into accepting monster-sized lorries on our roads, leading to continual damage
• – The person who comes up with a motorway road surface which is both quiet and long-lasting will be a billionaire very quickly
• – The UK is greener than you think
• – There are not enough parks and open spaces
• – There is something magical about being by the sea
• – Much of the UK is pretty flat
• – I miss the mountains
• – It seems impossible to get a decent flat white in the UK
• – That’s not the reason I’m heading to Australia for a holiday…
• – (Though it’s a pretty good one)
• – The world is mad
• – The world is crazy
• – The world is beautiful
• – Watching the media gives us a very distorted view of how the world really is
• – The ordinary people in countries like Syria, Tunisia, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are not much different from you or me (they’re just getting through each day like everyone else)
• – What you thought you knew you don’t know
• – Politicians rule for power – to get it, to cling on to it (and say anything to achieve it)
• – Religion has a lot to answer for
• – Home-made dairy ice cream from the farm is always cool
• – Social media is often anti-social
• – Some people talk too much
• – Some people don’t say enough
• – Doing a good deed feels good
• – Watching a video of a skateboarding dog break a world record is complete joy
• – There are some fantastically funny (and clever) comedians
• – The world needs more laughs
• – Blog writers need to know when to stop.

Enough said.

Simple truths? Opinions? What’s the difference?

P.S. It didn’t require nearly 2,000 miles of driving around the country to know that many businesses are clueless about marketing. A quick look at your inbox and you know there are people who are wasting their time and energy with communications guaranteed to fail.

If you want to know the difference between bad, average, good and excellent, ask about my monthly copy reviews or put your marketing copy to the test with my critique service.