Rules and restrictions.

Nothing new really, except the reasons given, because Rigby Town's Park has 'no ball games' signs almost everywhere, always has had. It's because the place was intended for families and/or grown-ups to take a healthy stroll along tarmacked paths whilst admiring the carefully manicured floral displays rather than doing strenuous physical activity. There's a sports place next to the secondary school where people can run round a track or kick footballs, but can't play golf - which, actually, seems quite sensible. And, of course, Rigby Town's pretty Park isn't labelled "Playing Fields" by the council.

Walsall is a bit different from Rigby Town because Walsall has some 'Playing Fields' (yes, those places you take the kiddies to play) with a lovely 'no ball games' sign. The sign is ...

... for health and safety reasons as part of the park in on a landfill site

It isn't a new sign, and it isn't a brand new regulation either. According to Nigel Ilsley, Walsall Council Parks Manager ...

'A sign saying no ball games was put up a few years ago on Broadway West playing fields after land contamination was discovered at the site.

Crikey! That sounds nasty. There must be lots of fences and great big "Keep out!" and "Contaminated Land!" signs too - to protect people from the dangerous errm, stuff, they found there.

But no, seems not ...

'The playing fields remain popular and a number of events are hosted there but unfortunately we have had to stop ball games taking place on the site for health and safety reasons.

Oh!

Actually Nigel, that is an absolutely lousy excuse and you know it.

Think it through, will you, just for a moment. Do you understand what "contaminated" means?

It means

impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance

So, what are you (and Walsall Council) going to do about it? Really going to do about it?

'Walsall Council in conjunction with Walsall Star Sports Club is continuing to explore funding opportunities which would allow us to carry out the necessary work to bring the site back into use.'

Still not good enough Nigel. If the land really is 'contaminated' it should be sealed off, otherwise some clever clogs will work out they can claim damages. If it isn't, and you just want some money to upgrade facilities, then be open about it - and ask properly.

And with that Mrs R will move on to another ban.

In case you haven't noticed, John Ward in Medway has flagged up a Facebook petition to Save the Budgieman. It seems that

... the local council (Southwark) has banned the long-established Budgieman (with a history of more than thirty years, for goodness' sake!) from continuing to perform on the South Bank in London.

Mrs R has no idea why Southwark has made this decision, and she thinks it's a bit mean. So, as she isn't on Facebook so can't join the protest group, she hopes this little bit of publicity will help his cause.
(Picture from the Budgieman's website)

....

Tough Guy

No doubt H&S will try to ban it.

More than 5,000 people worldwide descended on a small corner of farmland today to brave mud, rain, ice and fire on a gruelling assault course dubbed 'the world's hardest endurance test'.

The eight-mile long assault course features terrifying underwater tunnels, barbed wire fences and fire walks.

It sees competitors stretched to their physical boundaries as they clamber over nets, walls and even an electrified fence dubbed 'The Tiger'.

Brave Britons, Aussies, New Zealanders, Chinese and Japanese all took part in the rainy event - which saw its fair share of broken bones and bruised bodies.

Hehe!

Just look at the pictures.

If you want to take part in the next event you need to register here

More civil disobedience

In Portsmouth where

Residents defy 'crazy' health and safety advice to clear vital road ignored by council

It seems that

More than 100 snowed-in residents defied health and safety advice to clear a vital road which had been ignored by their local authority.

The householders armed themselves with shovels and pick axes and hacked their way through around three inches of ice and snow after becoming frustrated with their council's inability to do the job.

The team - aged from three-years-old to 80 - took to Galt Road in Farlington, near Portsmouth in Hampshire, and cleared all 400 yards of it in just over an hour.

And they managed to do it without anybody trying to stop them. Will they be able to claim a refund on their council tax?

Riponians defy elves.

Nice!

Ripon’s weekly market was cancelled on health and safety grounds but half of the stallholders shrugged their shoulders, wrapped up warmly and turned up anyway.

Stamping their feet were Ruth and Peter Olley, solicitors turned whole-hog sausage makers. “It’s cold but we’re up North. We’re hard as nails here,” Mr Olley grinned. “They may have cancelled the market but we’ve got products to sell and customers who want to buy.”

A pity more won't ignore them, but it's because of things like this that some people have decided you're not allowed to clear snow from your own property either.

A pity too, perhaps, that we Rigbys hadn't read that article earlier, it would have saved a bit of hard work. We, and our neighbours, decided to try to clear a narrow pathway along the pavement outside our houses so pedestrians could have a choice - walk on icy snow or walk on a cleared area, it would be up to them.

That's what we did outside Rigby Towers to begin with, but 'our' bit of pavement is now clear because it took a lot less time than we'd expected. To avoid a slick patch of new ice we sprinkled a thin layer of sand and salt - mixing some granular dishwasher salt we'd bought recently with some sand left over from laying paving, that we hadn't got round to spreading on the garden and 'knew it would come in handy'. There are no extra piles of snow in the road because it's all inside several snowmen.

Good news for our council is that we won't be asking for a Council Tax rebate for our hard work.

P.S.
A tip - from past experience salt makes home-made concrete crumble.