Opinion – Bare Community Association

Opinion

Shiny Happy People

I have been browsing through local FaceBook groups, as you do, to see what is happening in our wonderful town. What I found shocked me. The sheer amount of negative things that local posters say about the town is incredible and makes me feel very sad. All I see is people saying the town is a disgrace, it is a mess, the grass hasn’t been cut, the council are doing nothing, why do I pay my council tax? I actually have heard people saying they are embarrassed by the state of the town! Whilst I understand why people are complaining, …

Goodwill to all men

It’s easy to understand why there has been little mentioned about Christmas recently. Normally we would be starting to be overrun with adverts on TV, promising us the best Christmas ever if we just buy certain products. Not so as yet this year. There are good reasons for this of course. I am not a religious man but it seems to me that ‘The Season Of Goodwill To All Men’ is as apt this year as ever, if not more so. One of the tenets of most religions, if not all, is to be kind to each other, help those …

Grumpy Old Man Opinion

Whatever happened to common sense?

Sadly, it is a fact that we live in an increasingly litigious society. It would appear that we cannot understand anything unless we are told about it. We cannot know that hot water comes out of the hot tap unless there is a sign saying ‘Danger – Hot Water’ above it. I have even heard people complain, even though there was a sign, that they did not realise how hot the water was! Really? In the chip shop, there is a sign on the warmer above the range saying ‘Danger – Hot’. Come on, it’s a warmer! It is there …

Opinion

The Litterati

WARNING! POSSIBLE RANT BELOW! WARNING! We have just got back from our morning walk down the prom and through Happy Mount Park. We love this walk. Linda and I do it each morning (weather permitting) and it is wonderful to see the park change as the seasons pass. During the pandemic the amount of wildlife has proliferated, apart from the ducks, they seem to have vanished. Squirrels, blackbirds, song thrushes, dunnocks, robins to but name a few. They have become quite tame while the park has been quiet and are enjoying the long grass in parts of the park. This …

Covid-19 Lockdown Opinion

Masks at the ready!

It would seem that from 24th July, we are mandated to wear face coverings in shops. Any face covering will do but masks would appear to be the way forward. Interestingly, this does not appear to be mandated for retail staff! ‘Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC Breakfast the new mandatory rule for face coverings in shops does not apply to retail staff.’ No, I don’t get that either! Still, we have to get used to this for all our sakes. I have already started. I don’t see any point in waiting until the 24th. I suppose the delay is …

Covid-19 Opinion

A New Normal

And so it begins. Relaxation of the lockdown is starting and pubs and cafes can reopen. This is not without strict rules and will require patience on both sides. You will have to prebook a table, or wait in a socially distanced line outside for a table to come free, assuming they are not booked all day! Table service will be the norm and it is all going to seem very strange indeed. Non-essential shops will start to reopen cautiously and again, social distancing will still have to be respected. I suspect I will be seeing more people in masks …