On a recent trip to the countryside, I decided to look round a nursery I came across.

Many years of shopping in the high-tech environment of the modern superstore, where a trolley with a mind of its own is the only hazard you are likely to meet, had left me ill-prepared for the out-of-town experience.

A sign at the entrance warned of uneven paths, rose thorns and hosepipes and, if none of these caused you to fall over or sustain a nasty gash, it seemed unlikely the antics of the silly dog or aggressive gander would leave much chance of escaping unscathed.

Having decided to take a chance, I entered this new shopping experience with considerable trepidation.

But I need not have worried because the gander only squawked and waddled off, the roses were pruned and the silly dog wagged his tail.

The paths were smooth if you kept to the centre of them away from the hosepipes running along their edges.

And, like all the other warnings, the proprietor's irritability turned out to be a false alarm - a more charming and friendly man you could not have wished to meet.

Urban shopping is going to be a very dull experience from now on with none of the out-of-town excitements on offer.

-Michael Parker, Lewes Road, Brighton