#277. free limes

It's hot days and evenings like this when it's easy to forget you're in this city. Taking a stroll through the village at 10pm and it's still warm and just getting dark and people are sitting on their steps or in a cafe or beer garden and there's hardly a Dublin accent to be heard.

It's great to be part of a community. Even without talking to any neighbours or anything, you just feel you're participating in supporting local businesses and actually positively contributing to the area. Being a 'regular' of somewhere is great. You buy your veggies in the local shop and they give you a discount, you buy your Mexican¹ beers in the local offy and they give you free limes, you buy your tofu/cuttlefish in the local Oriental Emporium and they show you the "secret" freezer room, you buy your bread in the local market and next time they keep you one of your favourite loaves. People here are walkers and cyclists. There's an eco-laundrette. The unbiqutous McDonalds is relatively empty, while the health shop is always jammers. The bottle bank is always full. It just all feels very "sustainable" and gives me a nice warm eco-glow.

[1] for example purposes only -- I do realise drinking Mexican beer is not really supporting local businesses.