Are we facing a future without native wildlife?
GroWInG up in Kent, I lived on a council estate, but we were surrounded by fields.
I could catch sticklebacks in the stream, watch water voles, listen to skylarks and see barn owls flying low across the meadows.
But all this was gone within 20 years; the habitat destroyed, waterways filled in, to be replaced by housing estates.
I now live in the south-West, which relies on tourism. But how long before people have nothing to see? Their long journey along gridlocked roads will be to replace one housing estate with another, the only difference being the chance to sit on a crowded beach.
Britain is so densely populated, how long will it be before our native fauna and flora are restricted to protected parks?
Perhaps the future is one where we will sit in our homes using virtual reality goggles to see open fields and coastal views, a perpetual lockdown in all but name.
This dystopian future may be closer than we think as climate change, pollution and overpopulation take their toll.
GARRY CARR, Bideford, Devon.
Covid profiteers
I oWn a cottage managed by an agent, and was appalled to see the prices increased when we were given a date for overnight stays.
I certainly wouldn’t pay the exorbitant prices. I told the agent to cut the prices to the base rate.
People are having a hard enough time financially without being unable to afford a holiday. CHRISTINE SEYMOUR,
Yeovil, Somerset.
Medics on front line
As A consultant physician, I was offended by the claim that ‘too many consultants and GPs have locked themselves in bunkers’ (Letters) during the pandemic. I have seen patients face to face every day of my career.
consultants of all specialities have chosen to work in intensive care units to care for the most sick covid patients.
In fairness to nhs managers, this pandemic is unprecedented. The basic problem is the lack of staff, equipment and beds, and the fact the nhs has fewer doctors and nurses than comparable Western countries. SANDY CAMERON,
Bingley, W. Yorks.
Long suffering
I FeeL so sorry for the previously fit and healthy Kate Weinberg, who described the debilitating symptoms of Long covid (Mail).
her experience sounds similar to fibromyalgia, from which I’ve suffered for the past ten years.
It hit me from nowhere. I went from playing 18 holes of golf three or four times a week to being barely able to walk.
Like Kate, I have muscle pain, exhaustion and feel low. Doctors are at a loss as to its causes. As my consultant told me, fibromyalgia is not life-threatening, but it is life-destroying. MARGARET PICKERING, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.
The inside story
here’s my prediction for that TV interview.
After a well-hyped introduction by oprah, Meghan will walk on to applause, tilt her head to one side, smile and rub her stomach to remind us she’s pregnant.
she will answer the pre-arranged questions, bemoaning how she has been treated unjustly by her family, the royal Family and the media. harry will then walk on and concur with everything his wife has said.
ROBERT DEWAR, Beeford, E. Yorks.
BBC bias
The new BBc director-general Tim Davie is introducing employment quotas.
he wants 95 per cent of staff to complete unconscious bias training, 80 per cent to declare their social class, half of LGBT employees to be out at work and a 50-50 split of male and female staff.
could we also ask that he tries to achieve 100 per cent talent? DAVE ROTHWELL,
Llanrhos, Conwy. DID I lose my over-75s free TV licence to pay for unconscious bias training at the BBc?
I agree with the critics who say this training can be counterproductive. I now resent it when it never bothered me before. BOB MACDONALD GRUTE,
Newquay, Cornwall. GooD to see diversity in employment is alive and well on TV. Will someone explain which two boxes were ticked in appointing Gordon ramsay and Anne robinson to their new presenting roles? RICHARD WITTERING,
Milton Keynes, Bucks.
Keen on Keeley
I Don’T agree that the actress Keeley hawes is in too many TV dramas (Letters).
If she is in the cast, you can be assured of a riveting performance. she handles every role to perfection, creating believable characters with her expressive face.
Be it the scheming Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty, the lighthearted, frustrated matriarch in The Durrells or the disbelieving mother in It’s A sin, Keeley is the actress of our times and a national treasure. MAUREEN COVEY,
Farnham, Surrey.
Cutting crew
hoW I miss my hairdresser. I will be so pleased when I can get my hair cut in April.
It’s not an easy skill to master, as I discovered when I trimmed my husband’s hair. I cut above his hairline at the back and the sides look as if I used a knife and fork.
JANET BERRY, Hambleton, N. Yorks. GooD on carrie for cutting Boris’s hair. now sort out his shabby wardrobe.
ANNA BROOKS, Tarporley, Cheshire.
Mirror, signal, move!
Why go to all the trouble of designing special glasses that allow cyclists to see behind them (Mail)? For years, I’ve used a rear-view mirror fitted to the end of a handlebar.
It allows a clear view of vehicles approaching from behind and makes lane- changing a breeze. And at £10, it cost a lot less than the £199 rear-view glasses.
The £ 100,000 development money would have been better spent on an advertising campaign to remind drivers it is the law to leave two metres, not 2cm, between their car and a cyclist.
W. KNIGHT, Peterborough, Cambs. no one needs expensive specs to see what’s behind them when riding a bike. not wearing headphones or a hood is a great aid to safety, too.
N. J. WOOTTON, Wallasey, Wirral.