One more before I shut up.

May 25, 2008 19:17

I walked, it rained. Just be warned…the cut-tag is precisely what it says it is. (ETA: Only words, not pictures because that would just be plain nasty).


Why yes, my walk was lovely. I found a dead cat. I know it was dead because I thought it was sheltering from the rain under a bush. I went to say hello. It was a lovely white cat - clearly cared for; it looked like it was sleeping, then it looked like it wasn’t. I bent down to see if it was injured, and got stung in the face by nettles. Brilliant. I poked it with my toe. Definitely dead. Probably this morning, I’m guessing, as that distinctive stiffness had set in. I feel a bit scuzzy because I just left it there. It had no collar, and was about a mile from my house - I know none of my close neighbours have a cat like that. So it’s at least a mile and a half from its home. I have actually seen this cat before, running along the side of the motorway, but I don’t know who it belongs to. I guess I’ll just leave it there (on the pavement) for the moment, and check in a day or two to see if it’s been picked up. If it’s still there, I guess I’d better bury it. Poor thing.

Also on this wonderful walk, I found a another dirty nappy hanging from a hedge. This is the third in about a year. Some people are just disgusting.

Much like carrier bags, nappies don’t biodegrade. They just stay there. I don’t so much mind picking up a carrier bag and putting it in a bin. I feel I have to draw the line at random, anonymous, pooey nappies. It’ll hang there in the wind and rain for a while, I suppose, and then I, or someone else, will get fed up of seeing it and get rid of it. I am exceptionally cross about this latest nappy, as it’s in clear sight of a litter bin. Like I said, some people are disgusting.

We don’t have street cleaners here. There are yearly, voluntary clean ups by the people that live here. Also, once every seven or so years, there’s a more thorough litter-pick by the community service people. They send the street-sweeping machine about once every five years. There’s no more cleaning than that, apart from incidental pick-ups by people out walking or whatever.

So if you drop (deep breath)….

-carrier bags, empty, or filled
-nappies
-used sanitary towels
-cans
-bags full of lacy knickers and bras
-sandwich containers
-pie-wrappers
-trainers
-porn
-mugs
-entire hoovers (yes, honestly)
-pizza boxes
-broken mugs
-smashed mirrors
-television sets
-bags of (presumably) stolen razors
-industrial size gas cylinders
-cigarette packets
-milk bottles
-whisky bottles
-paint cans
-various contraceptive (in the words of Cherie Blair) ‘equipment’
-wellington boots
-assorted clothes
-kebabs
-filofaxes
-boxes of leaflets
-matresses

(I could easily go on to make that list about five times longer, but those are just the ones I’ve found that I can think of offhand)

…they’re not going to magically evaporate, or even get quickly picked up.

I’m serious - the only litterers I’m willing to be lenient on are the bananaskin/apple core throwers…as long as you don’t actually hit me when you throw them out the window. At least that rots away.

If you absolutely have to get rid of something out of your car, then please put it in a bin. Failing that, just stick it in someone’s wheely bin. Many people round here are lawbreakers anyway and leave them out on the road all week, so you can’t miss them. I can look out the window and see three in plain view. Most people honestly won’t mind. If you feel bad about it, or have a shitty nappy to get rid of, then just knock, and ask. I honestly would prefer that than being unexpectedly confronted by one hanging from a hedge. In fact, I would be impressed by your consideration. I’ll even give you a bag to put it in. Just…don’t be disgusting. Please.

I got back, and someone had switched off the hot water. When I realised this I had already run the bath, stripped, and stuck one foot in. Some days, you just have to accept that it’s going to be a cold bath day.
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