One of the reasons for writing "Windows" was to give a shout out to the high street and local shops in general, following the COVID 19 pandemic, when so many closed because people could only shop on-line. Since then, many haven't returned to local shopping. I think that's a real shame, as shopping is not only a necessity, it's enjoyable and gets you out of the house and meeting people in your local community. I love seeing people out and about on the high street again. We're lucky enough in Linlithgow to have one that's quite beautiful,, with old, stone buildings and the Cross, Peel, Palace and church in the middle. The loch runs the full length of the high street too, behind it, so it's never far away.

Here's a photo of me and its manager, Sally, outside my local bookshop, "Far from the Madding Crowd", of which I'm a strong supporter. It's no coincidence that a bookshop and its owners, Fran and Beth, feature prominently in "Windows", along with a toy shop, gift shop, bike shop, Turkish barber and florist, all of which we have in Linlithgow.