What’s something you’ve done that your past self would be proud of?
Oh sometimes I feel an awful chump,
My past is gone and some things I’ve thrown in the dump,
Yes I did good but sometimes I did bad,
This looking back all the time makes me sad,
I don’t like that word proud,
It should be reserved for people who are loud,
Who want to make noise and be noticed,
Their egos need a mustard poultice,
Myself I will stay under the radar,
Enjoy the moment and not worry about going too far.
Filed under Short Stories
I remember about fifteen years ago standing under a phone mast in a misty field surrounded by sheep on high ground in a farmers field in Cornwall. There was still no reception.
The masts are essential for rural areas and I’m sure connectivity has improved but it seems that the rental contracts between the farmer and the Telecomms operators have not been honoured and the monies the farmer’s receive have been greatly reduced.
This is due to changes made to the Electronic Communicatons Code in 2017 which has exposed people renting their land to host a ‘Phone Mast’ to lower rents in order to make the infrastructure investment cheaper and in theory increase coverage, but in fact could do the opposite.
This is definitely a David versus Goliath scenario , with the Telecoms operators unwilling to negotiate and saying “see you in court”, which of course the farmer will in most cases be unable afford. It’s risking time and money to try and get fair treatment.
Again common sense should prevail, you cannot cut a rent that was agreed fifteen years ago, just because you want the infrastructure to be cheaper.
Also the farmer’s land is his and who he gives access to it is up to him. To have a decent infrastructure the masts need to be maintained and located where they can provide the best coverage.
Surely at the very least there should be an arbitration service to act as a go between between the landowner and the telecoms operator.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Conor Hunt and RTE News Online for the Headline
Doubling rents is normally associated with the profiteering private sector, however, in this instance it’s one of the largest local authority estates in Wicklow in Ireland. One woman’s rent has gone up from €200 to €400 euros /month. For someone on a fixed income this is crippling.
The local authority are saying that this is the first review since 2019, but this is not the tenants fault. Inflation and economic changes over the years should be looked at each year as doubling someone’s rent is bound to hit the headlines.
Also as part of the tenancy agreement , the tenants are required to keep the local authority informed of any change in their financial circumstances. Wicklow County council has said its rents are based on the ability to pay.
A local councillor has argued that the rent rise is too steep and along with other cost of living increases such as heating and energy rises it will push people over the brink and into debt. Wicklow Council should reconsider their review .
The Council have said that although they planned to introduce the increase in October ’26 , it will now be moved forward to November ’26.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under #HeadlineTherapy
Mothin Ali, is a councillor on Leeds City Council and also the Deputy Leader of the Green Party in the UK. During the unrest in 2024 in Harehills he tried to help the Police by appealing to people for calm and was praised for his efforts by all parties.
However, his actions were maliciously portrayed on the Social Media Platform X by both a TV Presenter and a social media commentator . Councillor Ali sued the two people involved for defamation and has won substantial damages.
Unfortunately though he feels the damage has been done and he was very upset at the questioning of his honesty.
Zack Polanski , the Leader of the Green’s praised the actions of his Deputy and said that he had behaved heroically and had worked to heal division.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Deborah Haynes of Sky News Online for the Headline.
Tell me when a politician ever had a ‘frank conversation’ with the public about anything, generally they are trying to talk up their performance or reassure everyone that everything is going to plan.
Sir Roy Walker was addressing 700 troops on a visit to Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and he talked about Citizen sacrifice and that the general public had to support the soldiers by making sacrifices ( does he mean paying more tax?) or having curfews and not travelling anywhere. Doing a collection for the British Legion or knitting socks as people did in World War One and Two. Have no fear Sir Roy whatever you need us to do we will do.
Sir Roy says that the Citizen support is necessary and that the army can do what ” it only can do” by bringing the fight to the enemy. Strong words .
The reality is modern warfare has changed beyond recognition with the introduction and use of drones and the amount of spy software , satellites and intelligence makes bringing the fight to the enemy quite a different scenario.
Perhaps Sir Roy was just rousing the troops, it’s his role , however , Media outlets can use these words as rabble rousing and scaring people into believing that another War is imminent , when the reality is that there are a lot of people working for Peace and perhaps we need to support them too.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
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
