Getting to Know your Community

[MaryN]

Not all of us are planning to up sticks and vanish into the mists post SHTF, and as I intend to stay put and hunker down in my own home, I decided it might be quite a good idea to do a little study of the little community in our Lane. You never know, there might be some little gems hidden there in one of the houses, but it would also be quite a good idea to locate potential troublemakers.

Well, one of the families down here is at least making a go of things. I suspect money is a bit tight, but they are realistic and are trying to establish a veggie garden and chicken run. Bronze star for trying there.

We have a real countryman down the lane. He has worked in agriculture for most of his life and has a very good grasp of how country things work. He's calm and steady and resourceful. I have him marked down as a good'un - he's already a helpful neighbour and I think he would be pretty good in difficult circumstances.

We have a couple of families that I would call "chancers"; sailing fairly close to the wind in most circumstances; living on benefits and probably with a couple of brain cells between them. Absolutely wizzard at finding scrap metal, but I doubt if they would be able to look after themselves for long - definitely on my "miss" list.

We also have the archetypal "squire". Lives in a very nice house, but does not actually do anything in it. Know the type - has people to do things for him. I doubt if he could tell a weed from a cabbage, bless him, he's going to be absolutely useless.

I can see there may be troubles ahead. I suspect that some of the folks down here will panic as soon as their iphones go blank and they can't watch "Strictly". I may need to dig a moat!