From the sublime... 

  

Last weekend I came across a video on X (was Twitter) of two guys cleaning a war memorial and its surrounds. And I don't mean a superficial 'lick & a promise', but a thorough clean over two days. Their efforts to bring the memorial up to scratch deserved far wider coverage so I did my best to track them down. South Benfleet, Essex-based Harry Salmon and Evan O'Brien, who run WeCleanProperty, should be proud of themselves and I'd like to thank them on everyone's behalf for their efforts last week at the Hadleigh, Essex, memorial. Their website (https://www.wecleanproperty.co.uk ) says: “With a focus on quality and attention to detail, we specialise in transforming exteriors.” Well… I can certainly second that! Last Sunday was remembrance Sunday - a day, along with 11th November, where ordinary folk all over, stop what they're doing to either silently remember those who laid their lives on the line for our leaders, or who visit a war memorial to observe or take part in a formal ceremony. At a time when there's so much turmoil in the world, and so many veterans despairing of the way the UK's being run into the ground and questioning whether their efforts were worth it, Harry and Evan's gesture has made this a better place. See the video here

  

To the ridiculous... 

  

I'm often banging on about litter louts and my despair that so many manage to get away with blighting our environment, but sometimes - admittedly rarely - I'm on the side of the litterbug. I came across a report on the BBC website a couple of days back, (I’ve not checked it out but will assume that it’s authentic!) that had me shaking my head in disbelief. A Feltham, London resident is being fined £1,000 by Hounslow Council for ‘fly-tipping’ an envelope outside her flat. The 26-year-old woman said that the bins she shares with some 25 other properties were full, so she placed the cardboard envelope on top of cardboard next to them – a completely logical and responsible action in my view. The Council thinks differently, but while its argument that fly tipping is “leaving waste anywhere in public apart from in a bin - regardless of whether bins are full” adheres to the letter of the law, its stance is taking things too far. The young woman - a single parent and a mental health nurse, is clearly not the type councils should be punishing, and while they go after easy targets, they’re not dealing with the real problem, are they? I’m disgusted that they’ve not backed down...