Pressing the flesh

It is such a different mindset over here. I've never lived in the English countryside so maybe things are just the same in a small village in the Cotswolds, say. But when I walk around our town, go into the vets/doctors/chemist/post office etc, all the people that work in these places know your name, shake hands with you, ask how the dogs are. It's not a weeny place I'm in; it's a town of 4,000 people so it's not a bled ( Breton slang for a backwater). I used to think it was nice being anonymous and not knowing people nearby but I've changed my mind.