Yesterday I spent two hours cleaning all around the bench, scraping out all the weeds between the slabs and block paving, trimming the grass, and sweeping all the muck up. This morning we found that the above mentioned teenagers had broken off a piece of tombstone, and thrown it down behind the bench. The stone smashed into three pieces.
It's always the same, whenever we try and tidy things up in the churchyard and make it into a pleasant place to walk through, the youngsters always turn it into a tip again. I'm sure they do it deliberately. Someone thought it might be fun to dump this rucksack.
I spent two hours today cleaning all around the lychgate. We have six steps from the pavement up through the lychgate and the kids hang around here and drop litter all over the place, despite there being a bin next to it. All this area is now clean and I have moved the bin to it's proper place next to the pub, after the kids decided it would be fun to move it. Lets see what it looks like in the morning. I can see that I will have to check it every morning this week just to make sure it is tidy for the wedding. I seem to have been busy all day today. This afternoon I went round to my neighbours back garden, to prune and trim my hedge on his side. He is getting on in years and although he does all his own gardening, I feel it only fair that I help him out by cutting the hedge. I dont think he would be very stable on a pair of step ladders reaching out with a pair of shears.
I've had my photograph taken today for the Scunthorpe Telegraph, they are doing a story about my long walk. I asked Paul the photographer if his job is safe, as the paper is changing from a daily to a weekly. He said he has been made redundant and finishes on Friday. I feel ever so sorry for him, he has taken my photo several times before and he is such a nice guy. He has a family to provide for, I hope he finds something else to do. He talked about retraining, maybe a plumbers course. It must be horrible to lose your job after fourteen years with the same company.
Remember Rocky, the little dog who lives up the road, who never gets taken out or let out of his garden? I saw the daughter take him out last week, but that is a rare occasion. Me and Barry tried our best to get the woman to let Barry keep him, but she insists that he stays where he is. Anyway, I took him for a walk today, my pockets bulging with doggie treats. He looks a bit skinny, so I brought him home and gave him a Felix cat food pouch, he scoffed it down.
Graham's dog, Lady, can't go on long walks any more because she had a mild stroke when she was out with him, so when Graham goes on his days out with the Ramblers I shall look after her. He's off on a local walk tomorrow but can't take her because it will be about 9 or 10 miles. Henry choc lab is coming tomorrow afternoon as well, so they can have a play together. So I'm going to be busy tomorrow as well.
What is it with people who dump their unwanted stuff! We live in a very remote area, we get tourists who dump the contents of their car's bins out of the windows. Would they do this in their own driveways? UH OH...I reckon they would!
ReplyDeleteSounds as though you are going to have fun with the pooches tomorrow!
Jane x
Thank goodness for people like you who are willing and able to clear the mess that thoughtless youth leaves behind.
ReplyDeleteYou are a star Ilona! Our dog walking field was a target for drinking, glue sniffing and so on for a while so I had to take a carrier bag to bring home the rubbish, luckily it has not been used like this for a while. Just need to train the few dog owners who don't clear up after their pooches now! Shame Rocky couldn't go to a more loving home but he is lucky you are watching over him :-))
ReplyDeleteKate G
Well done Ilona, our big problem in our little village is dog walkers letting their dogs cr*p on the school field. Charming, when our littlies can't play out on the field until members of staff have gone on cr*p patrol and picked it all up!!
ReplyDeleteTwiggy x
Sad to hear that the Scunthorpe Telegraph is shrinking into a weekly paper, and that the photographer is about to lose his job.
ReplyDeleteI live in a Historic District, not a skeezy part of town. One day, as I watched a car pulled into my driveway. When the car door opened, I thought I had company. No, an arm extended and dumped something. I went to examine it and found the person had dumped the ashtray. The ashtray must have been overflowing because there must have been a cupful of butts, ashes, and bits of trash. I was amazed and furious.
ReplyDeleteI live between a grade school and a middle school.
ReplyDeleteI use to pick up trash everyday after school. My upstairs neighbor does it now since I can't bend and have to walk with a walker. I think its a shame that they have no personal pride.
Iiona, your church is blessed to have you to help
with what must be a constant clean up.
I hope your four footed friends have a great visit with you and each other.
You do a great job Ilona. I can't understand the mentality of people who drop litter when there is a bin nearby.
ReplyDeleteIf I were living near you I would help set up a citizens' patrol to catch those kids. You don't have police patrolling at night? This seems to be a crime to me. Maybe if those kids were arrested their parents would pay more attention to what they are doing.
ReplyDelete