Richard's Ramblings

 You must have tried to buy something from a café or store, only to learn that the eftpos terminal is down. But many of us don’t carry cash these days, we rely on our touch cards or mobile phones. So we can’t pay for our coffee or petrol. And some places, even now, don’t accept cards, they have a sign saying “Cash Only”. My favourite shoe repairer, in Flinders Arcade, is like that. It’s only in the last few years that Frosty Mango has started accepting cards. It’s a hassle, but not a disaster. What was a disaster was in the days when you had to have a penny, a big round old penny (Boy, am I giving my age away now 🫩 ) to go to a public toilet, they were quaintly termed public conveniences, but you didn’t have a penny. Decidedly inconvenient. A sadder instance is that of the frazzled young mother, children in tow, at a supermarket checkout, counting out coins to make up payment for the food her family desperately needs. She doesn’t have quite enough, and adds shame to desperation a...