The Eye Of The Beholder

For the idle visitor beauty taunts the day tripper with her must-see list of trend stops as she rushes from Jobs Lane to Newtown, eager to be among the see-and-be-seen weekend bound. Yet for the shopkeep, fairy dusting for the onslaught, this is a land of stark contrasts where deafeningly quiet mid-week afternoons this mid-May do little to bolster the bottom line as UPS deliveries pile stack high in the back room waiting for suitors.

The annual gearing up is upon us. And oh the gumption these merchants must muster to light a spark to ignite even a modest consumption from the working crowd among us, keen on keeping their own heads above water as the economy sputters its way to a half throttle. Choice rentals linger non-committal, unnervingly close to the starting bell despite talk of a sprightly Spring among brokers just a month ago as the weather hangs in mid-step between chilly damp and foggy dawn. Like reluctant suitors leaning against the porch railing feigning nonchalance, they wait.

And all that would be as it is if only it weren't so damn true to form, overflowing and then running bone dry. Too much lending and spending what wasn't ours has left a tide line of discomfort where once a spiny fortitude shouldered the off season. The boat that rocked has long since dropped anchor in search of solid bottom to latch hold - adrift still without a sail.

So come and spend your hard earned cash on the elusive beauty that promise offers. We welcome your arrival, this year more than most it seems.