And many of those great places to visit have some beautiful and informative websites.

Have a look at:-

• The Shakespeare Globe Theatre in London
• The Glasgow Science Centre in, of course, Glasgow
• The Scottish Crannog Centre (did you know people used to live in amazing contraptions like these, 2500 – 5000 years ago?)
• Glen Coe (I love this place, and its beautiful, unobtrusive visitors’ centre), in the wild west of Scotland
• Portchester Castle, in the south of England
• The Spinnaker Tower, in Portsmouth, south England

When the wanted some clothes, they had to make do with what they could make or pay a friend to make.  When they wanted to find an apprenticeship for their son, they would ask a neighbour or a craftsman they knew.

Then things changed, towns grew bigger, newspapers and telephone books informed people.  When they wanted clothes, they could browse a number of shops.  When a business needed some workers they would advertise and sift through a number of applicants – offering jobs to your friends and neighbours was considered “jobs-for-the-boys” and not giving everyone a fair go.

Many people would refuse to make any kind of decision until all of the options had been researched thoroughly and all possibilities considered.

Towns and cities; communications methods and choices have all grown over the decades…. until, with the coming of the internet, any kind of decision – be it about a new coat, a home improvement, a new manager or a new pencil – can be researched and analysed until… well, until the cows come home.

Am I alone in finding that, with so many choices now available, I am considering far fewer of them before making a decision?  I know that it is not possible, within a reasonable time frame, to consider all options; and so, I find myself considering just a few, and when I find at least one of those few will do a good enough job, then the decision is made.

It is not necessary to consider all the options…. it is quite liberating to realise that just a few to choose from is enough.  My time and my brain have become more relaxed, with more focus on what is important and less time and brain-space devoted to what ultimately makes little difference.