Gardening isn’t a chore, it’s a constant joy!
I can’t understand why Marion McGilvary regards gardening as simply more housework, though outdoors (Mail). I agree with her that gardening isn’t a hobby; it’s a passion. What an awful idea, putting down paving and doing away with your garden.
My fear as I grow older is that I might end up having to move to an apartment and not be able to walk out into my garden whenever I want to. a garden is to be enjoyed, it’s therapeutic and relaxing — whether you’re sitting in it or pottering around.
new shoots appear day by day, tomatoes ripen — and oh! that heavenly smell. It’s like tomatoes used to smell and taste, not like the many awful ones offered for sale in supermarkets.
there’s also the joy of watching children work in a garden. I used to help run a school gardening club and they loved to plant seed, dig up worms and watch nature at work. Of course there’s work to do in a garden, but at least you can see the result of your work.
When you dust in the house, no one notices, and the dust just returns. Gardening is a pleasure, not a chore. and if you fill your garden with enough plants, weeds aren’t a problem as they have no room to grow. and yes, we do need lupins, Marion. they bring a lot more joy than a feather duster. Mrs CAROLE LEE,
Mytchett, Surrey.
Are all statins the same?
I Was one of many people advised by a doctor to take statins (Mail). I was prescribed a top-quality tablet and for several years experienced no side-effects.
then I was informed that a similar, cheaper tablet was available, but I resisted any change as I felt fit and well on the brand of statin that I was taking. However, the doctor, on the advice of the Primary care trust, changed my original statin for the cheaper version.
Within a short time I began to experience side- effects. another version of a cheaper statin was then prescribed to me. I persisted throughout the two changes for several years but the side- effects intensified. I realised that I had a choice to make: continue with a tablet that was impacting on my quality of life or stop, I chose the latter.
My symptoms were a regularly disturbed sleep pattern, fluid retention and cramps in both legs, severe backache, muscle cramps and tingling in my arms. My libido was also affected.
Having weaned myself off the tablets the symptoms described disappeared, and I am back to normal and again enjoying life.
From my experience I feel that, having been taken off a tablet that suited me for cheaper versions, which did not, a political decision based on financial cost and the drug companies’ profits came before my health and wellbeing.
JOHN LONSDALE, Robin Hood’s Bay, N. Yorks.
Boris’s doubtful claim
OF tHe many inaccuracies Boris Johnson has expressed in recent days, his claim that the Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI, Germany’s cBI) said ‘there will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market’ is the exact opposite of what the BDI actually said.
Its statement leaves no doubt that Brexit will cut Britain off from the single market and this will be a heavy blow to the UK economy.
the BDI says the eU is still the engine for growth and employment and urges the need for immediate negotiations to soften any negative effects for the economy.
the political chaos in Britain shows that the alliance between the nationalist mob and an irresponsible conservative elite has divided the country and threatens to put Britain’s system of parliamentary representation to the axe. Referendums are easy prey for political liars and mavericks. Dr THOMAS SCHUHBAUER,
Hamburg.
Mirroring America
I’ve just returned from a holiday in Las vegas, which I last visited 14 years ago. these days, the streets are full of homeless beggars sleeping rough. Just like Brighton.
talking to a policeman, patrolling in tandem with a paramedic, both on bicycles, I asked: ‘as this is the richest country in the world, why are so many people sleeping rough?’ He said they were all alcoholics or drug addicts who refuse to go on rehab programmes.
I pointed out that there were just as many drug addicts and alcoholics 14 years ago but they weren’t sleeping on the streets. His detailed answer was confirmed by several other americans I spoke to.
the country is in recession, which has hit the most vulnerable the hardest. the psychiatric hospital has been closed in favour of ‘care in the community’, which means psychiatric patients sleeping on the streets — just like Britain.
america’s manufacturing industry has mainly been transferred to Mexico or the Far east to take advantage of cheap labour. Just like Britain. national and local government have cut down on frontline staff but stuffed their offices with bureaucrats.
Like Britain, america has thrived and prospered on immigration, but some immigrants now refuse to integrate and preach hate against the country that has taken them in. Just like Britain.
Both local and national government are so busy debating issues such as transgender use of public toilets that they haven’t time to deal with what matters to the majority of americans.
no matter how much americans find Donald trump offensive, they’re going to vote for him because he speaks out on issues that matter to the average american who could not care less about transgender use of public toilets. What they care about is being safe and secure in their own homes, their own towns and their own country. We have much the same problem in Britain.
STUART BOWER, Hove, Sussex.
Driving for accuracy
tHe pay rise for officers and staff at asLeF, the train drivers’ union, was 3 per cent not 15pc (Mail).
the Prime Minister, David cameron, misled the MPs when he criticised asLeF for ‘industrial action’: GtR southern drivers who are asLeF members haven’t been taking any industrial action, official or unofficial, and sickness among drivers hasn’t risen. But we agree with Mr cameron’s condemnation of the ‘unacceptable’ level of service provided by the company. KEITH RICHMOND, ASLEF,
London EC1.
Funding the council
It’s been obvious for months that Lancashire county council requires more funds, but I hadn’t realised how desperate it was.
In February, my husband was acting as a volunteer driver for a charity and had gone to pick up a passenger at accrington Blind society’s offices, arriving at 3.30pm as requested. He parked across the street from the office and displayed the charity identification notice.
the meeting overran and as he escorted his blind passenger to the car, at 3.37pm, he saw a traffic warden giving him a parking ticket.
My husband asked why and was told it was a Blue Badge parking area. When he pointed out to the warden that his passenger was blind he was told: ‘that’s tough, you’ll have to appeal.’
He appealed, but heard nothing more until last week when he received a demand for £112. He will pay even though the amount equates to nearly a quarter of his monthly pension.
the council obviously needs the money more than we do. HAZEL STEEN,
Bacup, Lancs.
Summer memories
WHat do you remember about the scorching summer of 1976? (Mail) My first child was born on May 25, 1976 — and three days later it snowed. then, within a week we hit the heatwave.
I remember us walking down to the village pub with our son in a pram and a cat net over it to keep out the ladybirds. ROSA BECKERTON, Peterborough, Cambs.