"Runnin' on"

Janet gives a message to a friend and then chastises those who do not respect the countryside

I thought I'd put in some good news for one of my friends, he will know the message is for him. We have had the Great spotted woodpecker in our garden, of course it may not be the one I wrote about previously, but it is a beautiful bird. It is a pity that the birds are so shy, as soon as I see the special one I want to go and get a closer look at him, but I know he will fly away as soon as I make a movement. I do hope the gentleman who used to come into Boots to get the latest information on "our" woodpecker is still reading The Village Pump.

Now this is a bit of a moan, I do think it is a shame that so much rubbish is dumped on the roadside, the hedges are decorated with plastic bags, they seem to last for ever. A car seat has been left among the tyres and the rest of the stuff that is no longer needed. Apart from anything else, all the rubbish is dangerous both for people and animals.

There used to be a settee that had been dumped, now that must have been quite a job to load onto a vehicle and unload it into the bushes. The recycling centres will help you to dispose of your unwanted stuff; in fact you can often buy childrens' second hand scooters and bikes there. Children outgrow their things so quickly it makes sense to not spend a fortune on them.

I don't know if all the furniture shops are as obliging as Reeds were, when we bought our mattresses from them, they used to take our old ones away for us, no charges either, a really handy service.

When I have to part with something that I no longer need, it takes me a while to my mind up! I'm not really the person to nag anyone else, but there comes a time when things have to be given away or passed on to some one else. Then it's time to hit the shops and treat yourself!

May 1995

Janet Tilburn