Suzanne J. Wright's Blog
April 9, 2018
Book Review
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
Dick was a prolific sci-fi writer; his books were published between 1955 and 1987.
This one is an insight into the genre during this period. It has an interesting and inaccurate view of the future. It is about androids who have escaped the planet where they were made,and where they had a place, a function, and a usefulness, and make their way to planet earth, where they try to escape detection by the bounty hunters who seek to find and destroy them, and begin life as humans. They are excellent androids, and look just like humans. but have to invent a plausible background and history, develop appropriate mannerisms, speech patterns and habits. Some go it alone, some live in groups, relying on each other for support and help.
Many of the sci fi writers of the past have envisioned the future as a bleak place, with cities which have decayed, societies which have destroyed themselves, people who are sad, displaced, malfunctioning, living a nightmare, barren in mind, in place, and in outlook. I wonder what they would say if they had lived long enough to see what 2018 really looks like, and how it contrasts with their view of how it might be.
In reading this book I was reminded of the American black Harlem Writers of the early 20th century. At that time, post-slavery, but not post-prejudice, there were many black people who had so little black ancestry they appeared to be white. The black writers go into detail of physical attributes which indicate black ancestry. Some of the stories are about individuals who left their home, family and town, and began a new life as a white person, often in the north of America in a white environment. The theme of those novels is similar to this one, in that in both the characters are attempting to 'pass off' themselves in a society which seeks to exclude them. In both, the punishment for being discovered is extreme. The Harlem writers are well worth a read.
Since science fiction writers often used their medium to address the wrongs of society, highlight injustices, suggest how problems left unaddressed can develop, I wonder if Dick was aware of the Harlem writers, and using his medium to show injustice.
Dick was a prolific sci-fi writer; his books were published between 1955 and 1987.
This one is an insight into the genre during this period. It has an interesting and inaccurate view of the future. It is about androids who have escaped the planet where they were made,and where they had a place, a function, and a usefulness, and make their way to planet earth, where they try to escape detection by the bounty hunters who seek to find and destroy them, and begin life as humans. They are excellent androids, and look just like humans. but have to invent a plausible background and history, develop appropriate mannerisms, speech patterns and habits. Some go it alone, some live in groups, relying on each other for support and help.
Many of the sci fi writers of the past have envisioned the future as a bleak place, with cities which have decayed, societies which have destroyed themselves, people who are sad, displaced, malfunctioning, living a nightmare, barren in mind, in place, and in outlook. I wonder what they would say if they had lived long enough to see what 2018 really looks like, and how it contrasts with their view of how it might be.
In reading this book I was reminded of the American black Harlem Writers of the early 20th century. At that time, post-slavery, but not post-prejudice, there were many black people who had so little black ancestry they appeared to be white. The black writers go into detail of physical attributes which indicate black ancestry. Some of the stories are about individuals who left their home, family and town, and began a new life as a white person, often in the north of America in a white environment. The theme of those novels is similar to this one, in that in both the characters are attempting to 'pass off' themselves in a society which seeks to exclude them. In both, the punishment for being discovered is extreme. The Harlem writers are well worth a read.
Since science fiction writers often used their medium to address the wrongs of society, highlight injustices, suggest how problems left unaddressed can develop, I wonder if Dick was aware of the Harlem writers, and using his medium to show injustice.
April 6, 2018
Book Review
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
This is the first Iain Banks novel I ever read, and it may be the last.
It is on the recommended reading list for Year ll. I cannot imagine why.
It is necessary to invest a lot of reading time before the story begins to make sense. However, it is recommended, so presumably eventually it is worthwhile, so you carry on.
The characters, setting and circumstances are admittedly very, very odd, but the author enhances this deliberately by the choices he makes about how to unravel his story.
The nature of The Factory in the title is an enormous oddity which is not explained until well into the novel. It is the product of the mind of the main character who is clearly not normal, and is soon revealed to be severely, pointlessly, unnecessarily cruel. His nearest relatives, his only relatives, father and brother, appear to be the same. His father appears to be an ageing remnant of the 1960's free-thinking, hippy dippy, rule-breaking society-rejecting culture, and is so extreme as to be unconvincing. His brother, throughout most of the book, is in fact locked up; his escape is marked by an outbreak of sadistic cruelty to any living creature which is unfortunate enough to cross his path. If you're going to get immersed in a book, suspend disbelief, and believe in the characters and situation, you have to feel at least some sympathy, empathy, connection with at least one person in it. It would be very difficult to like or care about any character in this book. They are all gross.
The final episodes of the novel contain a brief attempt at an explanation which is so unlikely, incredible, and unbelievable as to be wholly inadequate and made me regret the time spent trying to unravel the whys and wherefores.
I asked two sixteen-year-olds to read this book. They could not make any sense of it at all, and were not interested enough to try and figure it out.
The most objectionable aspect of the book is the detailed description of completely unnecessary cruelty to animals. Rabbits, birds, bees, wasps, sheep, dogs - nothing is off limits.
I cannot imagine what this book is doing on a recommended reading list for Year 11. Is it an example of fine literature? No. Does it give insight into the human condition? No. Does it leave the reader with a feeling of having understood something of the world we live in? No, unless the reader lives in a medieval lunatic asylum.
I would not recommended this book to Year 11 kids, nor to adults. Especially if they are prone to nightmares, or are of a sensitive disposition.
This is the first Iain Banks novel I ever read, and it may be the last.
It is on the recommended reading list for Year ll. I cannot imagine why.
It is necessary to invest a lot of reading time before the story begins to make sense. However, it is recommended, so presumably eventually it is worthwhile, so you carry on.
The characters, setting and circumstances are admittedly very, very odd, but the author enhances this deliberately by the choices he makes about how to unravel his story.
The nature of The Factory in the title is an enormous oddity which is not explained until well into the novel. It is the product of the mind of the main character who is clearly not normal, and is soon revealed to be severely, pointlessly, unnecessarily cruel. His nearest relatives, his only relatives, father and brother, appear to be the same. His father appears to be an ageing remnant of the 1960's free-thinking, hippy dippy, rule-breaking society-rejecting culture, and is so extreme as to be unconvincing. His brother, throughout most of the book, is in fact locked up; his escape is marked by an outbreak of sadistic cruelty to any living creature which is unfortunate enough to cross his path. If you're going to get immersed in a book, suspend disbelief, and believe in the characters and situation, you have to feel at least some sympathy, empathy, connection with at least one person in it. It would be very difficult to like or care about any character in this book. They are all gross.
The final episodes of the novel contain a brief attempt at an explanation which is so unlikely, incredible, and unbelievable as to be wholly inadequate and made me regret the time spent trying to unravel the whys and wherefores.
I asked two sixteen-year-olds to read this book. They could not make any sense of it at all, and were not interested enough to try and figure it out.
The most objectionable aspect of the book is the detailed description of completely unnecessary cruelty to animals. Rabbits, birds, bees, wasps, sheep, dogs - nothing is off limits.
I cannot imagine what this book is doing on a recommended reading list for Year 11. Is it an example of fine literature? No. Does it give insight into the human condition? No. Does it leave the reader with a feeling of having understood something of the world we live in? No, unless the reader lives in a medieval lunatic asylum.
I would not recommended this book to Year 11 kids, nor to adults. Especially if they are prone to nightmares, or are of a sensitive disposition.
Book Review
IAgatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M C Beaton
I've read several Agatha Raisin books. I like them because they are refreshingly original ,free from cliché, not over written, short and sweet with no deep philosophy, and perfect for a light read. I looked up the author and found that she is a Scottish lady, over 80, with a formidable history which suggests that she is a compulsive writer. This is one of nearly thirty novels about Agatha. She has a number of nom de plumes. (noms de plume?) and one of her most famous sleuths is Hamish McBeth. I am unfamiliar with any of her other works, but may well try one or two.
Agatha Raisin is a unique character, richly bestowed with a variety of interesting flaws and dazzling attributes. I found it easy to engage with the flaws; they made her an endearing and unusual heroine.
This book, and the others, are peopled with a variety of disparate characters, from minor nobility to social outcasts (one of which is Agatha's long lost husband), all described with a touch of caricature. The story bounces along, the characters race around the Cotswolds in a variety of vehicles, and the crimes unfold in a most unlikely, and quite amusing way. The story lines tend to be preposterous, and that is part of the charm. You're not expected to rupture your brain trying to figure out whodunit - you'd never guess anyway. And Agatha's love-life forms at least half of the interest.
Agatha lives and mixes with posh people, but she's actually from a Brum slum, and has clawed her way to the top. So she can be charming, but underneath is a dirty fighter who can hold her own, figure out everyone's weak spot, and get her own back.
There are far too many murders in the Cotswold village of Carsley to be credible, so if you want credibility you'll have to look elsewhere. There are also too many murders to be feasible in Lewis's Oxford, and around Midsomer, and in the vicinity of Miss Marple - that's how the genre goes.
This book's charm is in the interactions of the characters, and Mrs Raisin's ability to get tough and play dirty whilst solving murders and seeking love and romance, as well as buying lots of shoes and clothes.
Loved it.
I've read several Agatha Raisin books. I like them because they are refreshingly original ,free from cliché, not over written, short and sweet with no deep philosophy, and perfect for a light read. I looked up the author and found that she is a Scottish lady, over 80, with a formidable history which suggests that she is a compulsive writer. This is one of nearly thirty novels about Agatha. She has a number of nom de plumes. (noms de plume?) and one of her most famous sleuths is Hamish McBeth. I am unfamiliar with any of her other works, but may well try one or two.
Agatha Raisin is a unique character, richly bestowed with a variety of interesting flaws and dazzling attributes. I found it easy to engage with the flaws; they made her an endearing and unusual heroine.
This book, and the others, are peopled with a variety of disparate characters, from minor nobility to social outcasts (one of which is Agatha's long lost husband), all described with a touch of caricature. The story bounces along, the characters race around the Cotswolds in a variety of vehicles, and the crimes unfold in a most unlikely, and quite amusing way. The story lines tend to be preposterous, and that is part of the charm. You're not expected to rupture your brain trying to figure out whodunit - you'd never guess anyway. And Agatha's love-life forms at least half of the interest.
Agatha lives and mixes with posh people, but she's actually from a Brum slum, and has clawed her way to the top. So she can be charming, but underneath is a dirty fighter who can hold her own, figure out everyone's weak spot, and get her own back.
There are far too many murders in the Cotswold village of Carsley to be credible, so if you want credibility you'll have to look elsewhere. There are also too many murders to be feasible in Lewis's Oxford, and around Midsomer, and in the vicinity of Miss Marple - that's how the genre goes.
This book's charm is in the interactions of the characters, and Mrs Raisin's ability to get tough and play dirty whilst solving murders and seeking love and romance, as well as buying lots of shoes and clothes.
Loved it.
Book Review
The Edge of Dark by Pamela Hartshorne
Another time-slip novel. The Time Travellers Wife seems to have given rise to several novels with a time-slip theme, and this is a good one.
There's Jane, in 1560's York, and there's Roz in 1986 into 2000's, in London and York. York is a perfect spooky, historic setting for a novel of spirits and evil influences, which this is.
Jane's life has certain points of similarity with Roz's so when Roz goes to work at Holmwood House in York, a restored medieval mansion, her sensitivity to ghostly spiritual happenings is revealed, and fast becomes a problem.
Jane gradually encroaches on Roz's mind. Increasingly the people around Jane are tied in with people in Roz's life, then they overlap, then tragedy strikes.
It is well written. The historical background is well researched. There is a strong contrast between the lives of women in Jane's time. Although Jane is from a family with wealth and position, she is virtually powerless, and her well-being is dependent entirely on the character of the man she marries, who is the man chosen by her father for reasons of social status and money. Roz is educated, independent a modern woman married to a man of her choice, and her problems are of the early 21st century, but there are nevertheless, similarities between the two which are the basis of the story., Fans of the historical novel should be well pleased with the setting f medieval York, and the author switches between the two main characters frequently, gradually weaving a story in which the lives of both become tied across the centuries. In the final chapters the tension heightens, and the centuries meld, in a crisis with fearful consequences.
I enjoyed this book. I felt engaged with the two main characters, and found the historical detail about life in the 16th century fascinating.
Recommended.
Another time-slip novel. The Time Travellers Wife seems to have given rise to several novels with a time-slip theme, and this is a good one.
There's Jane, in 1560's York, and there's Roz in 1986 into 2000's, in London and York. York is a perfect spooky, historic setting for a novel of spirits and evil influences, which this is.
Jane's life has certain points of similarity with Roz's so when Roz goes to work at Holmwood House in York, a restored medieval mansion, her sensitivity to ghostly spiritual happenings is revealed, and fast becomes a problem.
Jane gradually encroaches on Roz's mind. Increasingly the people around Jane are tied in with people in Roz's life, then they overlap, then tragedy strikes.
It is well written. The historical background is well researched. There is a strong contrast between the lives of women in Jane's time. Although Jane is from a family with wealth and position, she is virtually powerless, and her well-being is dependent entirely on the character of the man she marries, who is the man chosen by her father for reasons of social status and money. Roz is educated, independent a modern woman married to a man of her choice, and her problems are of the early 21st century, but there are nevertheless, similarities between the two which are the basis of the story., Fans of the historical novel should be well pleased with the setting f medieval York, and the author switches between the two main characters frequently, gradually weaving a story in which the lives of both become tied across the centuries. In the final chapters the tension heightens, and the centuries meld, in a crisis with fearful consequences.
I enjoyed this book. I felt engaged with the two main characters, and found the historical detail about life in the 16th century fascinating.
Recommended.
August 22, 2017
August 22nd, 2017
Virus
A novel by Michael N Allison
I finished this book recently, and it instantly rang bells. Just as I began to read it, the news was full of the effects of hackers on big computer systems, the most notable, and harmful, the NHS and Heathrow Airport. In that respect the author was truly looking into the future, and seeing what could happen to our highly complex and interconnected society, when virtually every aspect of life today is dependent on computer systems functioning smoothly, when those systems begin to fail. Everything we depend on in our daily life is underpinned by a computer system – water, electricity, road and transport systems, education, industry, defence, cars, computers – the list is endless. If they all packed in permanently, would mankind perish in large numbers before reverting back to the stone age?
The main character is a teenager whose friends are addicted to gaming, to the extent where it is taking over their lives. He writes a programme to interrupt their addiction. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realise how powerful his programme is, and when it spreads to the wider network of global systems, with disastrous results, he has to go on the run, pursued by groups of people, some good some evil, who want to use his brilliant mind for their own purposes.
The story is exciting, the pace is fast, and the dialogue is fresh and convincing. It would make an excellent film.
Although my first thought was this book was written for a target audience of teenager computer wizards, I actually found it highly readable and enjoyable. The main character is a bit of a superman, but nevertheless highly likeable and engaging. The teenage mind-set as described is convincing and appealing. The twists and turns of the plot are unpredictable, and breath-taking.
A very good read, highly recommended. Available in Kindle and paperback.
A novel by Michael N Allison
I finished this book recently, and it instantly rang bells. Just as I began to read it, the news was full of the effects of hackers on big computer systems, the most notable, and harmful, the NHS and Heathrow Airport. In that respect the author was truly looking into the future, and seeing what could happen to our highly complex and interconnected society, when virtually every aspect of life today is dependent on computer systems functioning smoothly, when those systems begin to fail. Everything we depend on in our daily life is underpinned by a computer system – water, electricity, road and transport systems, education, industry, defence, cars, computers – the list is endless. If they all packed in permanently, would mankind perish in large numbers before reverting back to the stone age?
The main character is a teenager whose friends are addicted to gaming, to the extent where it is taking over their lives. He writes a programme to interrupt their addiction. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realise how powerful his programme is, and when it spreads to the wider network of global systems, with disastrous results, he has to go on the run, pursued by groups of people, some good some evil, who want to use his brilliant mind for their own purposes.
The story is exciting, the pace is fast, and the dialogue is fresh and convincing. It would make an excellent film.
Although my first thought was this book was written for a target audience of teenager computer wizards, I actually found it highly readable and enjoyable. The main character is a bit of a superman, but nevertheless highly likeable and engaging. The teenage mind-set as described is convincing and appealing. The twists and turns of the plot are unpredictable, and breath-taking.
A very good read, highly recommended. Available in Kindle and paperback.
Book Review
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.Neurotribes
The Legacy of Autism by Steve Silberman
With a foreword by Oliver Sacks
This book, which I finished last night, tracks the recorded incidence of autism. It begins with Henry Cavendish, born in England into a wealthy aristocratic family in 1730. His father, far from locking him away in a madhouse, as probably happened to less wealthy and fortunate autistics at the time, fostered his son’s interests. Socially inept, scientifically brilliant, Cavendish’s work went on to form the earliest foundations of many current technological achievements of today.
Making prolific use of case studies, histories, records, letters, etc the author traces the recognition of autism through the earliest occurrences to pre-Nazi Germany, the horrors of 1930’s Nazi Germany and the German psychiatrist Aspberger who first began to recognise the clusters of behaviours which define autism.
The story goes on with German psychiatrists in the USA who fled Nazi Germany and tried to define and cure autism, through the painful and sometimes horrific experiences of the children at the centre of the storm and their parents, who were looking for help and support, and were blamed for the condition of their children. Mothers were labelled ‘refrigerator mothers’, on very little evidence, and blamed for being cold towards their children and causing autistic symptoms.
The book begins and ends with the recent proliferation of autism in Silicon Valley where autistic people, often born to parents with similar traits, are fuelling the explosion of knowledge and innovation which drives today’s rapidly expanding technologies.
Towards the end the reader, this reader, is reeling from a plethora of acronyms, ASAN. NYU (an easy one), ADAPT, ASA and so on, and from trying to fit all the chronology together as the author flits back and forth with names, dates, case histories, theories, conflicts and quotes, and waiting for the big revelation….what’s happening now?
What is happening now? You’ll have to read the book. To the end! It has 519 pages of densely packed information but it is worth the effort if you want to know what’s going on beyond the labels of autism and Aspberger’s. It is more hopeful than you could imagine whilst reading the beginning and the middle of the book, but there is a kind of happy ending, and it is heart-warming – and a bit scary.
As I read,I fell into the trap which everyone falls into when they read a medical dictionary. I began to think that one or two of the people I know are autistic; I revised that to nearly all of them, to some extent; finally I concluded that I am a bit as well. How reading expands the mind!
.Neurotribes
The Legacy of Autism by Steve Silberman
With a foreword by Oliver Sacks
This book, which I finished last night, tracks the recorded incidence of autism. It begins with Henry Cavendish, born in England into a wealthy aristocratic family in 1730. His father, far from locking him away in a madhouse, as probably happened to less wealthy and fortunate autistics at the time, fostered his son’s interests. Socially inept, scientifically brilliant, Cavendish’s work went on to form the earliest foundations of many current technological achievements of today.
Making prolific use of case studies, histories, records, letters, etc the author traces the recognition of autism through the earliest occurrences to pre-Nazi Germany, the horrors of 1930’s Nazi Germany and the German psychiatrist Aspberger who first began to recognise the clusters of behaviours which define autism.
The story goes on with German psychiatrists in the USA who fled Nazi Germany and tried to define and cure autism, through the painful and sometimes horrific experiences of the children at the centre of the storm and their parents, who were looking for help and support, and were blamed for the condition of their children. Mothers were labelled ‘refrigerator mothers’, on very little evidence, and blamed for being cold towards their children and causing autistic symptoms.
The book begins and ends with the recent proliferation of autism in Silicon Valley where autistic people, often born to parents with similar traits, are fuelling the explosion of knowledge and innovation which drives today’s rapidly expanding technologies.
Towards the end the reader, this reader, is reeling from a plethora of acronyms, ASAN. NYU (an easy one), ADAPT, ASA and so on, and from trying to fit all the chronology together as the author flits back and forth with names, dates, case histories, theories, conflicts and quotes, and waiting for the big revelation….what’s happening now?
What is happening now? You’ll have to read the book. To the end! It has 519 pages of densely packed information but it is worth the effort if you want to know what’s going on beyond the labels of autism and Aspberger’s. It is more hopeful than you could imagine whilst reading the beginning and the middle of the book, but there is a kind of happy ending, and it is heart-warming – and a bit scary.
As I read,I fell into the trap which everyone falls into when they read a medical dictionary. I began to think that one or two of the people I know are autistic; I revised that to nearly all of them, to some extent; finally I concluded that I am a bit as well. How reading expands the mind!
April 21, 2017
A Streetcar named Desire
I saw this play last night at The Grange Theatre in Walsall. I don't know how I managed to live in Walsall for so long without visiting this theatre earlier. It's brilliant. The Grange Theatre is the home of an amateur dramatics group of exceptionally high standard. This is the second performance I've seen there recently and it was brilliant.
Let me say that I had no idea what the play was about, just that it was one of those which I ought to have seen ages ago, and hadn't. I think I was expecting something light and amusing! How wrong can you be? It was harrowing. The Marlon Brando character was a monster, probably an accurate picture of how men used to be in the days before women began to object and to change things. Blanche Du Bois was a sad and lonely woman, treated badly by the men in her life, and by the judgements and expectations of her time and place. The ending was tragic.
The acting was excellent, the scenery and costumes were very well done, the saxophone player added an extra plaintive atmosphere and the audience appreciated the performance as much as I did.
I look forward to my next visit.
Let me say that I had no idea what the play was about, just that it was one of those which I ought to have seen ages ago, and hadn't. I think I was expecting something light and amusing! How wrong can you be? It was harrowing. The Marlon Brando character was a monster, probably an accurate picture of how men used to be in the days before women began to object and to change things. Blanche Du Bois was a sad and lonely woman, treated badly by the men in her life, and by the judgements and expectations of her time and place. The ending was tragic.
The acting was excellent, the scenery and costumes were very well done, the saxophone player added an extra plaintive atmosphere and the audience appreciated the performance as much as I did.
I look forward to my next visit.
The Day of the Triffids
Published in 195I, I read John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids decades ago and taught Midwich Cuckoo in school, so when it turned up at the library reading group, I thought I probably would not bother, particularly as recent choices have included The Goldfinch and The Improbability of Love, both excellent. . Having seen a rather indifferent film version didn't make it any more appealing. However, once I began, and got into the story, I found it was compelling.
The Triffids are so well known today it's hard to imagine the impact they must have had on a less sophisticated audience back in the fifties. Visualise a rather evil and badly overgrown perambulating pineapple with a kind of deadly whiplash growing out of the top and you have it. Wyndham's vivid imagination and clear and explicit prose are refreshing. By contrast, pick up a Sunday paper and discover just how much the language has morphed in the last six decades into something almost unrecognisable, and understandable to only the elite few - shades of Clockwork Orange. The precision of the use of language was a delight, the range of vocabulary, the variety of characters, and the twists of the plot, almost forgotten since the last time I read this book, probably in the seventies, were just as enjoyable this time round.
The Triffids are so well known today it's hard to imagine the impact they must have had on a less sophisticated audience back in the fifties. Visualise a rather evil and badly overgrown perambulating pineapple with a kind of deadly whiplash growing out of the top and you have it. Wyndham's vivid imagination and clear and explicit prose are refreshing. By contrast, pick up a Sunday paper and discover just how much the language has morphed in the last six decades into something almost unrecognisable, and understandable to only the elite few - shades of Clockwork Orange. The precision of the use of language was a delight, the range of vocabulary, the variety of characters, and the twists of the plot, almost forgotten since the last time I read this book, probably in the seventies, were just as enjoyable this time round.
May 7, 2016
Toby
my surrogate grandchild.. Furrier than the others but many similarities. Loves chocolate, ball games, trips out and telly. Friendly disposition. Likes someone to hold his chew while he's chewing. 
June 3, 2015
Lament of the Suburban Dweller
I’d looked at it from the living room window every day for over four and a half years but hardly ever walked on Anchor Meadow until I got a puppy last November. Now it’s two or three times a day. In May it is especially beautiful – clouds of cow parsley line the stream, and nearby are drifts of blue speedwell, patches of buttercups and, on the first warm day, a very large number of butterflies. These are probably the Dingy Skipper Butterfly, a protected species for whose benefit a rough patch of the Meadow is allowed to grow wild. May blossom, a flowering pear tree, clumps of stinging nettles which attract a variety of butterflies and, along the back, a variety of deciduous trees make Aldridge look more like the rural village it once was. There are always dog walkers, frequently footballers: the scouts and cubs come here, and the students on exam leave, who all enjoy the great sweep of open green grass which is such a feature of the village. The fair comes occasionally for a few days. In winter there are goal posts and organised football matches.
So because it is so beautiful and such a valuable facility, it is hard to understand why some people misuse it. Follow the path by the stream, and you see that there is enough dog poo to constitute a public health hazard. If you look into the long grass, and often on the open spaces, and you will see litter lying where it is dropped, or blown into the stream or the bushes. Most of it is either snack foods, or empty bottles of those endless sugary drinks which pervade every open space. I know this, because I often go out with a bag and pick it up. Between the Community Centre and the stream is the worse area, and the baseball court also has lots of litter, especially plastic drinks bottles.
Would it be too much to ask people to pick up their own litter, or their dog’s poo, and put it in the bin?
Karma!!!
I wrote the above on Wednesday evening. The next morning Toby and I were out on the meadsow at 8.30 am and found twenty caravans parked along the fringe of the woods at the back of the meadow. We strolled past to have a look. Each caravan had a van or truck advertising tree pruning, grass cutting, roofing, building work, drives, etc. Each caravan also had a kennel.
'Is this some kind of trade exhibition?' I chirped to the muscley blonde lady who had just emerged from the woods and was heading towards her caravan.
'Er no. No we are travellers.' she said.
'Ok.'
'But we're not the kind who steals things.' She had an Irish accent.. 'And we don't leave our rubbish and dat.'
She began to cram a few items of packaging which were blowing in the wind - fast food packaging, beer cans - back into the black sack which they had escaped from.
'Have you come from Ireland?'
'Sure, no. We just came from South Wales. The police will probably be here soon to move us on. They'll get a court order and we'll have to move, probably after the weekend.'
At this point one of her greyhounds slipped his leash and began to streak towards my tiny Yorkie and I thought it was time to leave.
I was away over the weekend. When I got back on Monday only seven caravans remained, and by Tuesday they had gone.
Gone but not forgotten. They left several big piles of branches which had been pruned from trees, scattered in the edge of the wood. Also, heaps of rubbish, in and out of black sacks, pallets, a pile of old bricks, grass cuttings, a broken wheeley bin, and an assortment of other stuff. Circles were burned out of the grass by fires. But, horror of horrors, they seem to have been using the tree area as a toilet. Do bears defecate in the woods? Dunno, but I know who does.
So off they go to enjoy the freedom of the road, and the freedom of not having to clean up after themselves, pay Council tax in the place where they leave their rubbish, or obey the laws by which we other mugs have to live. They carry with them the heartfelt thanks of the locals, who are all disgusted that they were allowed to get onto this site, that they were allowed to stay, and that they get off scot free despite the mess they leave behind them, but are so thankful that they have gone.
If any pc types would like to make a plea on behalf of travellers, I'd like to hear it. My own first-hand experience suggests that the law needs to be tightened to make them responsible for the cost of the damage they cause.
Apparently they can't be traced because, guess what, the number plates on their vehicles are false.
So because it is so beautiful and such a valuable facility, it is hard to understand why some people misuse it. Follow the path by the stream, and you see that there is enough dog poo to constitute a public health hazard. If you look into the long grass, and often on the open spaces, and you will see litter lying where it is dropped, or blown into the stream or the bushes. Most of it is either snack foods, or empty bottles of those endless sugary drinks which pervade every open space. I know this, because I often go out with a bag and pick it up. Between the Community Centre and the stream is the worse area, and the baseball court also has lots of litter, especially plastic drinks bottles.
Would it be too much to ask people to pick up their own litter, or their dog’s poo, and put it in the bin?
Karma!!!
I wrote the above on Wednesday evening. The next morning Toby and I were out on the meadsow at 8.30 am and found twenty caravans parked along the fringe of the woods at the back of the meadow. We strolled past to have a look. Each caravan had a van or truck advertising tree pruning, grass cutting, roofing, building work, drives, etc. Each caravan also had a kennel.
'Is this some kind of trade exhibition?' I chirped to the muscley blonde lady who had just emerged from the woods and was heading towards her caravan.
'Er no. No we are travellers.' she said.
'Ok.'
'But we're not the kind who steals things.' She had an Irish accent.. 'And we don't leave our rubbish and dat.'
She began to cram a few items of packaging which were blowing in the wind - fast food packaging, beer cans - back into the black sack which they had escaped from.
'Have you come from Ireland?'
'Sure, no. We just came from South Wales. The police will probably be here soon to move us on. They'll get a court order and we'll have to move, probably after the weekend.'
At this point one of her greyhounds slipped his leash and began to streak towards my tiny Yorkie and I thought it was time to leave.
I was away over the weekend. When I got back on Monday only seven caravans remained, and by Tuesday they had gone.
Gone but not forgotten. They left several big piles of branches which had been pruned from trees, scattered in the edge of the wood. Also, heaps of rubbish, in and out of black sacks, pallets, a pile of old bricks, grass cuttings, a broken wheeley bin, and an assortment of other stuff. Circles were burned out of the grass by fires. But, horror of horrors, they seem to have been using the tree area as a toilet. Do bears defecate in the woods? Dunno, but I know who does.
So off they go to enjoy the freedom of the road, and the freedom of not having to clean up after themselves, pay Council tax in the place where they leave their rubbish, or obey the laws by which we other mugs have to live. They carry with them the heartfelt thanks of the locals, who are all disgusted that they were allowed to get onto this site, that they were allowed to stay, and that they get off scot free despite the mess they leave behind them, but are so thankful that they have gone.If any pc types would like to make a plea on behalf of travellers, I'd like to hear it. My own first-hand experience suggests that the law needs to be tightened to make them responsible for the cost of the damage they cause.
Apparently they can't be traced because, guess what, the number plates on their vehicles are false.
