Madam, – It’s nice to see that the Government has just discovered that the country is experiencing bad weather.
If the speed of reaction to this issue is as rapid as its reaction to other issues (eg the economic downturn, the carry-on of the banks, etc), we should expect a report on the current situation by consultants in the first week of June 2011 and resources to clear the ice and snow being made available by August 2012 (if we have any money left). – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I haven’t heard any mention of the civil defence being brought out to help clear the paths for our citizens.
Their presence at major concerts during summertime seems a waste if they cannot be utilised to aid struggling pedestrians young and old, on the paths of our towns and cities.
Surely now it is time for the authorities to consider their mobilisation?
Shovelling ice off paths and roads is a viable alternative in the absence of grit. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – At last the great mystery of why so many city dwellers drive 4x4 vehicles is solved. They knew that the Arctic conditions were coming. (Because of the effects of all their extra emissions?) – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The cold spell has had the most dramatic effect on my back garden. Being a keen birdwatcher and conservationist, I have half a dozen hanging wild-bird seed-feeders, three peanut- holders and a few apples and pears strewn on the lawn.
My local avian friends are normally a sedate bunch, but three days ago I couldn’t help but notice their communal anxiety with a hither and thither attitude to the arrival of one very chubby bumptious intruder lording over two closely-placed apples and seeing off all little (finches, tits, etc) and large (thrushes, blackbirds, starlings, doves, etc) locals, it had taken over the entire area. Swift of foot and robust in size, the redwing had landed.
Enjoying the Arctic conditions and driven in from its Scandinavian homelands, it and its many colleagues have indeed found a frosty Céad Míle Fáilte. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The current weather has given us a new twist on the old joke about our economic woes:What is the difference between Ireland and Iceland? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Bus and train drivers worth their weight in gold – public service. Politicians, national and local, not worth their salt – self-service. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Wearing a pair of loose woolly socks over your shoes provides an excellent grip on icy surfaces. This could mean the difference between fracturing a bone or not. – Yours, etc,