I JUST can’t believe that it’s May and I am still wearing my winter woollies – well, they are not exactly woollies, but you know what I mean.

Do you not find it rather odd, that a lot of our speech consists of familiar sayings?

I wonder if it’s because we are all lazy – or is it that we are mentally ill-equipped to create a conversation?

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What I mean by a conversation is one that is out of the normal run of the to and fro greetings that we get by with most of the time.

Those phrases and queries include “how are you?”, “how’s tricks?”, or “everything ok?”, but do you realise we hardly ever wait for a reply?

Is that because these questions have ceased to have any real meaning and have become just another form of greeting, or could it be that we are not really interested but ask those questions out of some idea of courtesy?

If that is the case, then it’s rather sad and means we don’t really give a damn.

One question I’m asking myself today is “why do you love markets?”.

Because, let’s face it, I don’t need anything and if I am absolutely honest I can’t say that I want anything.

So what is it that I am I looking for?

I suppose I’m hoping that a wonderful something will leap out and say “buy me, buy me” , but, of course, it doesn’t!

Does that stop me? No, not one little bit.

What I do know, though, is that instead I usually find something that I don’t want and don’t need, but do I let a little thing like that stop me?

Certainly not.

It’s a funny thing this attraction that I have for outdoor markets; do you know that if we are driving through a strange town and there’s a market on, I have to stop, park up and go and have a rummage?

I do wonder whether I will ever find that elusive something.

I do hope not, because if I did, then what excuse would I have?

Do you ever wonder why some people succeed?

Take seniors at a good school, all of similar backgrounds and status, yet only one maybe two will go on to be out of the ordinary.

I wonder if that is ambition, trying to please parents, or an unexplained inner urge that cannot be ignored?

Whichever it is, it is the progressive ones among us that, in the end, push us all.