I’ve stuck with Duolingo to learn Italian and Spanish,
I must admit it has made my blues vanish,
Romance languages make me smile,
To know a little Amor helps pass the while,
The friendly competition and puzzle and games,
Makes it fun while achieving your aims,
So Duolingo online,
Is a good way to spend my time.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thank you to Oliver Dyer and The County Press for the Headline
Two men were caught illegally dredging for scallops in the prohibited area of the South Wight in March 2026, the resulting court case has meant the two fishermen have been fined over £4700 after admitting the offence at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on October the 7th this year.
The evidence submitted included footage gathered by a drone equipped with a camera, laser range finder and GPS by the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority which showed the men contravened the bottom towed fishing gear Byelaw. The men’s vessel had dredged in the excluded area for two hours and 21 minutes and gathered a catch of 645kg scallops valued at around £1161.
So it has proved an expensive fishing trip. Not to mention the damage done to the local environment.
Namaste and thank you for reading.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Rachael Lewis and BBC Online News for the Headline.
When is fly-tipping not fly tipping? When the four overflowing skips are actually owned by a small family -owned company that has bought the previously multi-occupancy (MHO) which was shut down last year and who have after a year finally got planning permission to convert the building into fourteen residential units. The rubbish is from inside the building they are converting and consists of old sofas, mattresses and other detritus.
The situation has arisen in the leafy suburb of Moseley in Birmingham, and the owners of the property are blaming the Council on the lengthy time it has taken to approve their plans and having now incurred additional costs say that the project now will take another year to complete and that the situation with the unsightly overflowing skips is unfortunate, however they are on private land and they will address the situation as soon as possible.
A local councillor has got involved and contacted the “empty property officer” to get involved and the owners have been sent an official letter to clear the mess and if nothing happens within 28 days there will be a formal notice.
Actually, this kind of rubbish is very unsightly and if the skips are full they should be emptied and replaced with empty ones so that the work can continue.Perhaps the “empty property officer ” can enforce this?
Filed under #HeadlineTherapy
Thank you to Charlie Taylor and Chris Lockyer and BBC Online News for the Headline
A tall chimney stack which is part of the skyline in the Somerset town of Wiveliscombe has failed to sell at auction and is proving difficult to “give away”. The local history society refused the “gift” due to the maintenance costs involved in looking after it.
The chimney is beside an adjoining Brewery Building which was built and run by the Hancock family, an old Wiveliscombe family. It is being sold separately from the old brewery buildings near it and comes with a small road and a path.
The chimney was in private ownership and is being sold as part of the previous owner’s estate. The asking price of £2000 cannot even be achieved. It’s function is purely a reminder of the Hancock family’s legacy to the town and perhaps it’s future now is uncertain as who will look after it’s maintenance? Is there a modern day Fred Dibnah somewhere who would want to buy it and look after it?
Namaste and Thank You for reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Colletta Smith and Elaine Doran and BBC News Online for the Headline.
There are two sides to every story, Royal Mail Management are firm in their belief that they are doing the right thing and introducing working methods that will bring more efficiency Apparently it is code named DM26.
In truth I think I paid £1.36 to send a letter first class, and actually the local post office in a big Supermarket is always very friendly and efficient. However, I only send letters once in a blue moon and restrict myself to close family when it comes to Christmas Cards.
So I’m sad to see that the Communication Workers Union say that on a weekly basis a significant number of the 83,000 workforce of Royal Mail delivery workers are leaving, because their job is becoming more and more difficult with the priorities of making first class letter deliveries every day , whereas second class are now delivered every other day, and they’ve got to fit in parcels too.
An average of 25,000 steps a day to deliver mail is for some a great way to stay fit, but for some it will wear them out. Also , some are upset because they say that first class letters get left behind because they need to catch up on all the second class that they have got behind on. Actually it seems a bit daft, if they all arrive at the sorting office together , why not just deliver them. I thought all the sorting was automated anyway.
Ofcom have fined Royal Mail more than £37million over the last three years for missing delivery targets. I wonder what happened to that money? Actually I think anyone who criticises Royal Mail should have to do 25,000 steps a day and see how they like it.
And now with the advent of Christmas , which is a terrible time for posties, the weather is bad , everything has to be delivered in time for Christmas and people still forget to put their Post Codes on their addresses. Royal Mail recruit about 22,000 temporary staff to help out, but it’s still a pretty tough time to try and hit targets.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Holly Phillips and BBC News Online for the Headline
This headline helped answer a very important question ,what do people with Stoma bags need when they are out and about and need to access Public Toilets ? According to Colostomy UK there are more than 200,000 people in the UK living with a stoma.
A campaigner in East Yorkshire has successfully achieved her goal for more Stoma friendly toilets in the local hospitals, where shelves and mirrors have been installed in the facilities as well as coat hooks and a disposable waste system. This is to enable a change of bag when needed.
These are not expensive alterations, and could be accommodated Nationwide and even Globally.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under #HeadlineTherapy
Thanks to Joshua Askew and BBC Online News for the Headline.
Thanet District Council has a Car Park which is on the seafront of the Marina Esplanade in Ramsgate, a prime seaside location.They are looking for ideas from developers to utilise the land more creatively to get the maximum benefit for local taxpayers as well as creating a “wonderful seafront location”.
How exciting, to be in right at the very beginning of the project when anything is possible.
The site is approximately one acre along the Eastern Undercliff, and forms an unbroken seafront location.
Obviously they don’t need a Car Park as it’s not being used as much as the Council would like. So the usual options are shops, a hotel or sports and leisure spaces.
I suppose it has to be something that people both locals and visitors use and will provide an economic boost to the area.
Ideas please to Thanet Council.
#Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under #HeadlineTherapy
Carlos Alcaraz and I would sit down together and have tea,
Because I wanted to practise my Spanish really,
I’d make certain I didn’t bore him and would make him smile with my pronounciation,
And of course I’d ask him where he likes to vacation,
For tennis players are very busy,
The speed he would talk would make me feel quite dizzy,
I’d tell him I really thought he was the best,
And apart from Nadal he was ahead of the rest,
It didn’t matter if he sometimes got beat,
Because as a tenista he is complete!
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thank you to Helen Gregory and LandlordZone for the Headline
Facts,statistics and Lobbyists. In this particular instance an ex-Housing Minister (during Grenfell Tower Fire) who also held the post of Chief of Staff in Downing Street under PM Theresa May is leading the Prosper UK Housing Commission’s lobby to get the recently passed Parlimentary Law, the Renter’s Rights Act, changed to encourage investment in the Public Rental Supply.
The argument is that the only way to ensure rents are affordable is to ensure supply and that new landlords will not invest in property unless the conditions are right for them. The lobby is asking for a statutory exclusion preventing rent controls, backed by a ten-year agreement between ministers and the sector on rent indexation, to give investors greater certainty and clarity over future returns.
In reality they are not looking to offer “affordable rates ” but are looking to guarantee their investment and indeed control rents for ten years and then foist whatever they want on the poor renter for another ten year period. So a hike every ten years.
Whatever your thoughts on this, the professional lobbyist, particularly with the pedigree of an ex-MP who admirably managed to raise a Private Members Bill ( on Mental Health Discrimination) and successfully got it through Parliament is well placed to head this campaign.
It is just unfortunate that their career is a bit checkered by the fact that in the run up to the Grenfell disaster, they largely ignored warning from the All- Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fire Safety and Rescue chaired by David Amess MP. They were contacted seven times about the dangers of Class O fire rated materials , and received the last letter 26 days before the Grenfell Tower fire and took no action.
Whatever your thoughts on “investment properties” or how we organise Public Housing, relying on a market that is “controlled ” by Ministers and the sector rent indexation is extremely dangerous.
Perhaps for the future what people can afford to pay for decent housing needs a practical problem-solving approach not a percentage monetary gain approach.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
To be good you really must be not bad,
Yes it’s not easy and it’s really quite sad,
It’s all a bit like a tightrope to walk,
Even the brave may gasp and baulk,
What is right ?What is wrong?
Do we need to sing another song?
Is the tune off or is it our hearing?
Are angels singing or is it the devil sneering?
So much to consider,
There really isn’t time to dither,
Still to live our best lives is all you can do,
If you do harm it will come back to you.
But that’s not definite perhaps it’s more of a wish,
It’s like a chef serving up the perfect dish,
Which on the plate looks perfect and clean,
But with the ingredients they’ve been really mean,
Aiming high can lead to a fall,
I’m sure it has happened to us all,
So don’t worry about the latest fad,
Just be grateful you can be not bad.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
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Filed under Short Stories
