A friend in the know, warned of the dangers inherent in litter-picking these days. So Him Behind the Wheel was deputised to telephone the local authority to ask what should be done about the rubbish problem. We gave a map reference and were assured that “P would deal with it.” Apparently, rubbish should not be lifted by hand because of the possibility of HIV infected needles and other horrors. I have to confess that I had never given it a thought. Nor did I in the days long, long ago when as an Akela (Cub Scout Leader) I organised twenty or so eight to eleven year olds in a sponsered litter pick on the beaches of the Isle of Lewis.
Those were the days. Freezing cold winds and sharp showers of horizontal rain. (And that was in May.) I do have the photo to prove it, showing the enormous skip that was filled. However, it cannot be published on the blog as I have lost touch with the youngsters concerned and thus cannot get permission.
Anyway, we will check out the forest site in a week or two and may yet have to use the grab and reach tong method. (I have one of those devices that are sold to midgets like me to reach things high up in cupboards) I guess that all of this means that I am not completely confident of P and our local authority. How wonderful it would be to be proved wrong.