The Institute is proud to announce its first international expansion. The Director-General has crossed a significant threshold, both literal and symbolic, by visiting the corner shop.
A Historic Journey
The expedition was not undertaken lightly. Nigel prepared for days, selecting a scarf appropriate to the climate (mild) and the occasion (milk). He departed at noon, paused on the doorstep to deliver brief remarks to the mirror (with whom relations remain frosty) and proceeded approximately ninety metres east, into the unknown.
On Arrival
The corner shop, Nigel reports, was "a vibrant cultural exchange." He admired the crisps "as found objects," described the chiller cabinet as "a meditation on transience," and attempted to discuss provenance with the proprietor, who was, in Nigel's words, "regrettably focused on the queue."
He acquired milk. He has since described the milk as "a souvenir of my travels."
The Wider Significance
This marks a turning point for the Institute. We now consider ourselves an international organisation, with operations spanning the entire route from the front door to the shop and, on a good day, back again.
A flag is being commissioned. A second flag, for the corner shop, is being commissioned without the corner shop's knowledge or consent.
What Comes Next
Buoyed by the success of the corner shop venture, Nigel has set his sights higher. The post office, we are told, is "next." He will not be rushed. Empires, he reminds us, are not built in an afternoon, though, in fairness, this one nearly was.
The Newsroom, reporting from the doorstep