03/02/2010I had just visited the doctor for some medication; I have the flu. The French healthcare system is very…complete. My host mother doesn’t need to pay a cent for the visit to the doctor and for the medication. Everything gets reimbursed. The French government doesn’t spend a lot on footpaths, but they spend a fortune on healthcare. If I had to choose between free healthcare and good footpaths (so my shoes won’t get ruined – it’s only been a few weeks and the soles of my Skechers have been eaten up!!), I’d go for the free healthcare.

Btw, I got accepted into Lincoln University!!!! The one in England, of course. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am, going to study International Business after all. ^^

And here are some pictures of the cockatoo that currently lives in the dining room, it can be a pain in the arse half the time because it screeches so loudly.

28/01/2010
STATIONERY: I went to the supermarket with Maïne (my host mum) to buy some stationery; French stationery is amazing. Half the notebooks have protective plastic covers, which means that you can save on Duraseal (I don’t think they even sell that stuff here) and the refill is so pretty! Its got all these purple, red and blue lines all over it, the purple lines are vertical so you can write on refill landscape with ease if you need to. Handy. The quality of the refill is nicer too, it’s thicker, so if you write with inky pens (which most of the students here do, probably because it flows easier, the ink won’t show on the other side.FLAVOURED TEA: the French seemed to love flavoured tea, Twinings did a vanilla flavoured tea, I never knew that. It sounds gross. I stuck with plain English Breakfast tea. (They don’t sell Dilmah here!!! T.T I’m going to write to Dilmah and demand they sell tea to France. There’s nothing worse than not having any decent tea to drink)

FOOTPATHS: French roundabouts are exquisite pieces of outdoor art, French footpaths, however, are not. Footpaths here are rarely paved, and if they are, don’t expect them to be level, you’ll find puddles everywhere after it rains (and during the rain), there’s also plenty of dog poo lying around for unsuspecting walkers to step on. Lovely. I wonder what the reaction of the French public would be if Sarkozy introduced a 300 euro fine for not picking up your dog’s doodoo. I imagine that wouldn’t go down too well, like I said before, the French don’t take shit lying down, so there could be a fair amount of protesting/strikes going on. They’re so good at them, it’s quite admirable, it’s especially useful when students are protesting against increased university fees (lol, Mr Terry showed us a video on Youtube of uni students rioting in Paris in Eco class ^^ Lovely).

PLAYS: after studying a piece of literature written by a French-equivalent of Shakespeare, there tends to be a school trip to see a play on what was studied. I’ve decided that I don’t like plays. It’s too boring for me, and it’s not because of the fact that I don’t understand half of what’s going on; the plays, for some reason, they make me cringe and I don’t like that. Plays aren’t cheap either, I had to pay about 10 euro for one play about Dorian Gray (written by Oscar Wilde and acted out in English – a plus for me) and another play, something about Oncle Vania, written by Tchekov, however you spell it, was 5 euro 50, and it was crappy, not my opinion alone, a lot of my classmates thought so as well.

RANDOM: the light switches here are massive. Useful if you’re fumbling for the light switch at six-thirty in the morning. =) Also, they don’t have power switches here; it’s just plug-it-in-and-go. Love it.

20/01/2010
It’s ten past eight in the morning and I’m early to school by about 50 minutes. How did this happen? Definitely not by chance. Since I moved from Gradignan (where my lycée is) to Leéognan (another little town), I’ve had to take a different sort of bus to school, and this bus isn’t like a city bus, it’s an actual school bus, but not yellow ^^ Unfortunately, like all school buses, they don’t come at frequent intervals, it’s just once in the morning, and once after school, that’s why I’m here early, my first class is at nine o’clock. I would go to the study room, but it’s packed, the library here is even smaller than Burnside’s old school library, so I’m stuck here in the…hall? I don’t know what you cal it. Students here don’t read that much (at least from what I’ve seen), only the texts for French literature, and that’s boring. The last book I remember reading was that Economics sequel book by Robert Frank, I thought it was good. I didn’t read a lot last year, with all that homework and studying for internals and exams (I was so stressed, I spent more time stressing than studying, I have issues -.-). Now that I think about it, most of what I have read was non-fiction books. I think I’m turning into a Mr Barbar (my history teacher, he told us he only read for knowledge, which meant no fiction books).

My host parents are having friends over for dinner on Saturday night (tomorrow), but there’s only room for six places at the dinner table. I wonder how that will work out…

The weather here in France is…constant. Which can be good and bad, on one hand, you know you’re safe if you walk out one morning in shorts and a t-shirt because it won’t suddenly rain in the afternoon, on the other hand, if it’s minus two degrees in the morning, the high for the day will be four degrees. That’s bloody cold if you’re standing outside watching your host sister do her horse riding lesson.

Have I mentioned that my host father has a pet hobby? He breeds parrots. All kinds of parrots. He builds the cages out in the garden by himself, and he contacts his friends, or his friends’ friends, etc for new breeds of parrots. No money is exchanged unless there’s selling/buying involved. There’s a ‘sulphur crested’ cockatoo in the dining room (it’s what Encarta says – the name). It looks a bit dirty, I had asked my host mum if parrots take bird baths and she said no. Ok, but that cockatoo is really dusty, so I was wondering…

HOLIDAYS: My new host parents have decided to go to Ardèche for the summer holidays, which is near the Rhone Alps. It sounds better than where my previous host parents wanted to go: Jordan and Syria – by car. I would have been seriously car-sick.

The area to the side of the shops in Church Road is a real mess, with concrete barriers twisted and collapsed on the floor. basildonFOCUS is making enquiries with Basildon Council to establish who is responsible for the area so that it can be made tidy – and safe.

As well as the graffiti in the post below, I also noticed (again) the appalling bump in the footpath on the corner of Eastley as you enter the green. Walking through to Rantree Fold there were some very deep holes in the road, one by the drain particularly concerning being almost five inches deep and a foot or so long. They’ve each been reported to Essex County Council’s Highways Department for inspection and repair.

Residents had commented on the state of both Swallowdale and Sparrows Herne. A brief visit revealed several dangerous potholes in the road and damage to kerb areas. The basildonFOCUS team has taken them all up with the County Council, requesting both inspection and repair.

The shocking state of the footpath on the north side of Osborne Road has been reported to Essex County Council, with a request for an urgent inspection and repairs. One resident explained to us that he had been forced to buy a new children’s buggy with four wheels as the three wheeler he had was toppling over on the uneven service. In places the difference in height is between four and six inches. It is disgraceful that nothing has been done to make them safe. In our view it is very wrong that residents are being forced into extra personal expenditure because the County Council doesn’t maintain the footpath safely.

Some of the footpath on the north side of Great Mistley is in a terrible state. We’ve asked the Council to investigate the spots photographed here and give an assessment as to whether or not they can be repaired.

Linda Williams with the broken section of handrail, before it was repaired

Residents reported last year that the handrail alongside the steps had become unsafe. After a lot of correspondence with the County Council, who are responsible for maintaining them, the broken sections were replaced. A resident from Gernons has since been in touch about the height of the original top section of handrail, pointing out how low it is and how unsafe the height makes it. Despite further correspondence, Essex are yet to act. As soon as they do, we’ll update here.

The following topics were discussed or reviewed at meetings in December and January.
 
Village Plan. A copy of the Plan has now been circulated to every householder and a sub-committee, reporting to the Parish Council and incorporating members of all interested parties, including the Churches, is now formed. As noted in an earlier report, the Parish Council will be responsible for recording the activities of the sub-committee and reporting its activities to the Annual Parish Meeting.  A presentation has been made to the Local Strategic Partnership and a meeting, held on 15/12/09 in Dry Drayton village hall detailed group interest, ideas and possibilities for action.

Housing Needs Survey. The findings of this survey, implemented by the Rural Housing Enabler, are awaited. 

Footpaths. Clearances continue. The footpath bridges and drainage systems have been surveyed and necessary remedial work is in hand. A new footpath map has been prepared with a copy to all households. Copies will also be displayed on the village notice boards.

Green Group. The suggestion that infra-red monitoring of houses be carried out to reveal the extent of their insulation, was rejected as an invasion of privacy.

Vacancy.  A public declaration of the Parish Council vacancy has been made.

A14, improvement schemes. The Parish Council monitors the works proposed and is concerned about the possible increase in traffic through the Village. A letter expressing this disquiet has been sent to the authorities/contractors.

Cambridge University. Possible development between Madingley and Huntingdon Road.  Comments have been forwarded to the S.C.D.C Planning Office.

Finance. Disbursements included Victoire Press £260.00 for ‘Village Walks and guide’ and £71.62, O S Licence and Map. The village precept for 2010-2011 will be £4000.00. The increase in Council Tax is predicted to be 3%.     

Planning Applications. Two applications have been received:-
              Mr Day, Oakington Road, for a double garage.
              Mr Arnold, High Street, for house extension.
 
Future Agenda Items. The Community is reminded that Parish Council agenda items should be sent to the Parish Clerk, in writing, at least 14 days prior to the Parish Council meeting and that village organisations are invited to forward short reports on their activities to Council meetings.
The following organisation may be of interest to some members of our community.

VILLAGE BENEFITS ADVICE SERVICE
Every year large amounts of social security benefits are unclaimed because many people do not know what they are entitled to, or how to claim, and older people and those with disabilities face particular difficulties. The Village Benefits Advice Service helps people to claim their share of these benefits, by offering advice and assistance.
Telephone number 01353 666990
VILLAGE BENEFITS ADVICE SERVICE
PO BOX 257
ELY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, CB7 9EA

MICROSOFT – Microsoft donations to charities.

Working with the Charity Technology Trust through their Charity Technology Exchange Service, Microsoft is amongst a number of technology companies that makes software such as Microsoft Office available to the voluntary sector with supporting training. In this area the Papworth Trust and the Varrier –Jones Foundation have received software donations. If you would like to recommend or have more information about this programme, contact:-

Paul Morris        0203 139 6279     e’mail       paulmor@microsoft.com 
www.ctxchange.org/about ctx/partners/microsoft

Agenda for the meeting to be held at Dry Drayton Village Hall at 8.00pm on Tuesday 19 January 2010

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of the last meeting 15 December 2009

3. Matters Arising

• Village Plan
• Clarification of the use of the school field after hours
• Parish Council vacancy

4. Bins for gritting material

5. Precept for 2010-11

6. Grass cutting contract

7. Footpaths

8. Planning application: Mrs Arnold, High Street, extensions

9. Correspondence

• NHS – launch of public consultation on the future of musculoskeletal services
• CCC – Bringing hearing services closer to home
• SCDC – Community transport

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of previous meeting, 18th November 2009

3. Presentation by Miss Linda Brown SCDC Community Liaison Assistant

4. Matters Arising
     Village plan
     Footpaths, footpath map, costs

5. Cambridge University Development Madingley / Huntingdon Road.

6. Co-option to fill vacancy

7. Finance
     P Rounds grass cutting 258.75
     R.Scammell footpath posts 22.60

8. A14

9. Correspondence
     CCC1 Cambridgeshire Advisory Freight map
     Cambridgeshire Community Services – Keeping In Touch

9. Next Meeting 19 January 2010

Declaring smoke-free footpaths around Dunedin Hospital is a ridiculous idea which would not solve the issues around smoking near hospital entrances, Richard Thomson says. Read more here

By March next year it’d be legal to cycle on footpaths in Tampines. Cyclists would be fined between $50 to $1000 for dangerous cycling.

This begs the question Why legal only in Tampines and not elsewhere in Singapore? Why the discrimination? Are Tampines cyclists a breed apart from their counterparts elsewhere, say, in Ang Mo Kio or Yishun?

To my mind this discrimination is preposterous. Having one law for cyclists in Tampines and another elsewhere is patently absurd.

Being a recreational cyclist myself, I don’t relish the idea of being tagged as an illegal cyclist, an offender, for cycling on footpaths. Fortunately I can take comfort in the fact that there are thousands of other offenders. What are the authorities going to do? Throw everyone into jail? I might just share a cell with an 80-year-old grandad you know.

Having said that, I’d like to urge fellow cyclists to ride carefully and be considerate to pedestrians. Let’s share the footpaths but a bicycle is capable of causing serious injuries so cyclists need to:

1. slow down when approaching pedestrians, especially when there are children and elderly people
2. go dead slow when approaching pregnant women
3. dismount or slow down at bus stops
4. keep to one side of the footpath
5. use front blinkers to alert pedestrians at night
6. say Thank You to pedestrians who give you way

Maybe you could add to the list?

I hope the authorities will extend the privilege of legally cycling on footpaths to the rest of Singapore.

 This Parish Council meeting followed the published agenda and the following topics were discussed or reviewed.

• Telephone. The Parish Council has asked BT to provide a public telephone facility in the Village and has emphasised the urgency attendant on this request. Action from BT is awaited.
• Village Plan. A copy of the Plan has now been circulated to every householder and a sub-committee, reporting to the Parish Council and incorporating members of all interested parties, including the Churches, is now formed. As noted in an earlier report, the Parish Council will be responsible for recording the activities of the sub-committee and reporting its activities to the Annual Parish Meeting. Representatives of this sub-committee will make a presentation to the Local Strategic Partnership on November 19th.
• Housing Needs Survey. Documents related to this survey, implemented by the Rural Housing Enabler, are now in circulation. All householders are requested to return the survey documents in due time.
• Footpaths. Clearances continue. This work, organised by the Countryside Access Group, will include various re-surfacing and repair work. Long Lane now has a traffic barrier. The footpath bridges and drainage systems have been surveyed and necessary remedial work is currently being carried out. A new footpath map is being prepared and copies will be displayed on the village notice boards.
• Green Group. The Parish Council has received a letter of thanks for the £100.00 grant.
• Vacancy. A public declaration of the Parish Council vacancy will be made within the next four weeks.
• A14, improvement schemes. The Parish Council monitors the works proposed and is concerned about the possible increase in traffic through the Village. A letter expressing this disquiet has been sent to the authorities/contractors.
• Cambridge University. Possible development between Madingley and Huntingdon Road. This is to be studied by the Parish Council and its comments will be forwarded to the S.C.D.C Planning Office
• Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership. The Parish Council received minutes of the last meeting. Copies can be obtained from Mr. Fane.
• Finance. Disbursements included £258.75 for grass cutting, £149.50 to Moore Stephens (auditor), £574.60 Clerk’s salary, £22.60 for for Footposts and £40.90 for Village Plan literature.

The Community is reminded that Parish Council agenda items should be sent to the Parish Clerk, in writing, at least 14 days prior to the Parish Council meeting and that village organisations are invited to forward short reports on their activities to Council meetings.

The following organisation may be of interest to some members of our community.

VILLAGE BENEFITS ADVICE SERVICE Every year large amounts of social security benefits are unclaimed because many people do not know what they are entitled to, or how to claim, and older people and those with disabilities face particular difficulties. The Village Benefits Advice Service helps people to claim their share of these benefits, by offering advice and assistance. Telephone number 01353 666990 VILLAGE BENEFITS ADVICE SERVICE PO BOX 257 ELY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, CB7 9EA

 MICROSOFT Microsoft donations to charities. Working with the Charity Technology Trust through their Charity Technology Exchange Service, Microsoft is amongst a number of technology companies that makes software such as Microsoft Office available to the voluntary sector with supporting training. In this area the Papworth Trust and the Varrier –Jones Foundation have received software donations. If you would like to recommend or have more information about this programme, contact:- Paul Morris 0203 139 6279 e’mail paulmor@microsoft.com www.ctxchange.org/about ctx/partners/microsoft

 The Community is reminded that Parish Council agenda items should be sent to the Parish Clerk, in writing, at least 14 days prior to the Parish Council meeting and that village organisations are invited to forward short reports on their activities to Council meetings.

A 14: We have had the official notification from the Highways Agency of their plans. They intend to block off access to the main road at the end of Oakington Road BUT there are no plans to stop any form of traffic from going along the road through the village from A 428 to A14 and vice versa. Likewise, any traffic going to and from the proposed new settlement at Northstowe will be able to pass through Dry Drayton in increasing numbers. The Parish Council has to reply by January. We plan to object formally along with other Parish Councils and there will almost certainly be a Public Inquiry just like there was for the A428. If anyone would like to help the Parish Council with this please let me know.

Blocked Footpaths and Pavements: We have had a number of complaints of trees and shrubs overhanging foot paths and pavements sometimes forcing pedestrians on to the roads and potentially causing injury. Could landowners please ensure that this does not happen? Any landowner whose property adjoins a footpath or pavement has a legal responsibility not to cause an obstruction and must clear such obstructions when requested. Thank you for your help in keeping our paths passable and safe.

Nick Irish Chairman

Housing Needs Survey The Parish Council has had a further meeting with Catherine Shilton, the Rural Housing Enabler, and the Dry Drayton Housing Needs Survey will be initiated in early November. The survey will commence with the delivery, to every household, of a questionnaire exploring all aspects of housing need and recipients are urged to respond by the due date. This survey is very important and provides an opportunity to inform the authorities of village opinions on local housing.

One of the many things I love about Bali is the way that apparently contradictory things coexist so happily.  On the roads, you will find ‘pedestrian crossings’ whose only purpose is to ensure that the injuries sustained by people skittled by traffic are clustered in handy first-aid access zones, instead of being spread over the length of Jl. Legian. Then there are the traffic lights, where red can mean turn left, or turn right, or if you really, really want to, go straight ahead. Less confusingly, a green light only seems to have one purpose – to signal the start of timing for a special Bali reaction test to discover how quickly everyone can blow their horn. The record is apparently held by a local ojek rider who consistently achieves the feat in less than a  millisecond.  

Of course, there is the white line at intersections too - a fat stripe set so far back from the traffic lights, it  couldn’t possibly be where you have to stop, could it? Unfortunately, it is. Its true purpose is to serve as a cunning revenue-collection device that makes Polisi materialise from thin air if even a molecule of tyre rubber touches it. And don’t even mention the ‘footpaths’, so named because they are in fact designed for motorcyclists who run out of room on the road. When selfishly stymied by thoughtless pedestrians who actually choose to walk on the footpath instead of teleporting, these riders need to stop and put their foot down for stability … hence footpath.

Then there are the written inconsistencies. In Bali you can read advertising tabloids containing ads for English classes – complete with spelling mistakes. Reassuring. Ads for pool maintenance people who rarely answer their phones or return emails, and if they should happen to do so, don’t turn up for appointments. Ads with incorrect phone numbers, unchanged over five subsequent editions. Why bother advertising?

Drive down any street and you will find signs assuring you that it has six completely different names in a stretch less than a kilometre long. Lucky I navigate by landmarks, because even street numbers are designed to confuse rather than illuminate. Sure, dwellings are numbered consecutively, but house numbers appear to be allocated in chronological order of construction, not their geographical location. My own villa is the first house in the street, so officially it’s Number 1. But there is another Number 1 in the same street, because it is the first house at the other end of the street. The owner ’solved’ the problem by telling me to use Number 4, because he didn’t think 4 was taken yet. It’s all academic, because none of the houses have any numbers up on the gates anyway. Directions to get to my place involve statements like “keep going until you see a sleeping three-legged dog, then turn left.” I don’t think there is even a word for precision in Balinese …

But to me, the most striking aspect of Bali is the stark visual contrast everywhere around you. Impeccably dressed locals in traditional attire conduct ceremonies that are both moving and spectacular - next to huge piles of rubbish spilling from ruptured plastic bags.  At a recent ceremony, I saw a muscular local, resplendent in udeng, kamben, saput and selempot – all the traditional, respectfully appropriate garb that one would expect for the occasion. Except that he was wearing a perfectly ironed, collared shirt - with a mammoth Harley Davidson logo emblazoned on it. To me, the contrast was jarring, but his compatriots kept stealing frankly admiring glances at him. I wouldn’t have the courage to do that, but it would seem that no courage was needed.

It’s a multi-faceted society here. Bali locals can be seen taking their beautifully groomed, healthy dogs for walks on expensive leather leads, while other locals nearby take well-aimed swipes with brooms and buckets at street dogs. Small wonder that there were 124 dog bites treated last week at one hospital alone. Karma? I was asked by someone recently “You like dog?” Without thinking, I replied “Of course”, and was promptly informed that if I went to a particular warung, they have it on the menu today. Yikes! I have witnessed gentle people sacrifice chickens at ceremonies, and watched excited crowds of what appear to be perfectly normal people cheering wildly at cockfights. There are social and cultural undercurrents here that I can not begin to understand, and that means that I am not qualified to judge them. But it does give me pause for thought …

However, some ‘visual contrasts’ I do judge. We love our Bali beaches, but all along the south-west coast, stunning ocean vistas are interrupted by the shocking contrast of open drains which pour garbage and raw sewage across the beaches. Their once-pristine sands now frequently conceal festering rubbish such as cigarette butts, plastic bags, needles and other nasties. It’s ugly, but it is fixable.  They should do something about it right? Wrong. There is no they in Bali; it’s up to all of us to fix stuff we don’t like. We all know what to do to make it better. Let’s start by binning our butts, reducing plastic bag use, refusing to throw rubbish in the gutter - it will only end up on the beach. Something has to be done. But it needs to start with each and every one of us. Then we can afford the luxury of enjoying the cultural contrasts of this island.

Good morning friends.  I admit the we are walker-friendly.  I may say that Amdavadis are good walkers. In fact, 40 per cent of them rely on walking to do their daily chores. A Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) report has said that Ahmedabad is second only to Mumbai as far as “walkability” is concerned.

Despite its densely packed population, Mumbai seems more walker-friendly with as much as 55% of its population walking regularly. In spite of the large number of urban “walkers”, WWF’s Alternative Urban Futures Report, to be released at the First Habitat Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, reveals the absence of any emphasis on pedestrians, street culture and walkways as far as urban planning goes. According to the study, Delhi is a pedestrian-unfriendly city, which does not rate walking anywhere near transport although 32% of its citizens mostly get about on foot.

A look at Delhi’s congested footpaths and crumbling sidewalks is proof enough of the pedestrian nightmare.

Even though suburban trains carry thousands of Mumbai commuters to work, the sight of people pouring out of stations onto connecting bridges and walkways is common enough. Mumbai is followed by Ahmedabad where 40% of the people walk to get around, followed by Bangalore at 10% and Kolkata 11%.

The study of 30 Indian cities shows that on an average, almost 40% of all trips in urban India still do not involve motorized vehicles — 28% walked and 11% cycled. The proportion rose sharply in smaller towns since distances were usually small and roads less congested. However, in bigger cities, the proportion of people using conventional public transport was high, and consequently commuters walked the last mile.

For instance, in cities with more than eight million population, 22% walked all the way, 8% used cycles and 44% public transport. – The Times of India

This Parish Council meeting followed the published agenda and the following topics were discussed or reviewed.

Telephone. The B.T. box on Church Green has been removed. The Parish Council has requested B.T. to install a replacement as a matter of urgency.

Public House. The ‘Black Horse’ re-opened in late August.

Village Plan. The Parish Council Chairman has met with members of the steering group to discuss publication and implementation of the Plan and has consulted all members of the Parish Council. A sub-committee, reporting to the Parish Council, incorporating members of all interested parties, including the Churches, is to be formed and the Parish Council will be responsible for recording the activities of the sub-committee and reporting its activities to the Annual Parish Meeting. Representatives of this ‘Village Plan Implementation Sub-Committee’ will liaise with ACRE and make a Presentation to the Local Strategic Partnership in November. The Village Plan is available on paper and on the Village web site.

Housing Needs Survey. A survey, implemented by the Rural Housing Enabler is to proceed during the Autumn months. Parish Council members will discuss details and local implementation with the Enabler, prior to the actual survey.

Finance. Disbursements included £258.75 for grass cutting, £40.81 Allotment Water Rate and £10.00 for ‘bus shelter glasswork cleaning.

Footpaths. Some clearance has been carried out in Butcher’s Lane. This work, organised by the Countryside Access Group, presages various re-surfacing and repair work envisaged for the current year on other footpaths, including Long Lane. The footpath bridges and drainage systems have been surveyed for damage and remedial work will be carried out.

Green Group. A conditional grant of £100.00 was made.

Vacancy. M. Johnston has retired from the Parish Council. A public declaration of vacancy will be made.

Tree Warden. T. Stephenson agreed to act in this capacity.

Future Agenda Items. The Community is reminded that Parish Council agenda items should be sent to the Parish Clerk, in writing, at least 14 days prior to the Parish Council meeting and that village organisations are invited to forward short reports on their activities to Council meetings.

The next Parish Council Meeting will take place in the Village Hall at 8.00pm on Tuesday 15 September

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of last meeting 20 July 2009

3. Matters Arising

• Housing Needs Survey and Village Plan
• Report on Telephone Kiosk Church Green
• Footpaths and clearing of Long Lane

4. Resignation Mrs S Johnston

5. Finance

Bills paid

• Allotment water rate 4.81
• P Rounds grass cutting 258.75
• Over Cleaning Services cleaning bus stop Oakington Road
• Grant to Green Group

6. Correspondence

CCC Emergency Planning Awareness Seminar

SCDC Recycling bin for collection of textiles

• Microsoft software donations for charities
• SCDC CIEH Level 3 Award for health and safety in the workshop
• SCDC Gypsy and Traveller County Strategy
• SCDC Tree Wardens

7. Next Meeting 20 October 2009

There is no Parish Council report this month, but a Councillor writes as follows:

Dry Drayton is blessed with many footpaths and villagers and people from further afield enjoy their walks. All the paths have signposts which ask walkers with dogs to clear up after their animals. Recently however, there have been a number of plastic bags, duly filled with ‘poop’, but pushed into the hedgerows or left on the verges. Can we reinforce the message – Take your dog mess home to keep our walks clean and pleasant.

Thanks, by the way, to those villagers who regularly do clean the pathways and keep the walks so good.