Cheer ?

Looking for a ray of light to cheer us up on a bank holiday weekend proved futile. Perhaps banning summer bank holidays would bring us better weather.

Eventually we came upon flowering rhododendron, the conservationist's villain of choice. If you, like me, have never seriously questioned the imperative to remove the invading shrub, maybe we should ask the question now.

At least on this very wet and dreary day it gave us some pleasure. Walking in the area where it's been attacked on and off over several months is even more depressing than the rain trickling down inside the collar.

This is the point: policy is decided on the premise that implementation will be perfect. When the implementers have a competence level like the wildlife trust you have to wonder if it's not just better to leave it alone.