SUFFERING FOOLS

I am still in the process of trying to sort out with my local planning authority the mystery of the new hotel which is being advertised as due to open soon. The lovely old house, just across the lane from our cottage only had planning permission for a few alterations to be done before the supposed resident moves in. The advertisements on line clearly show the house and gardens as being open for conferences and functions. The planning departments answer to this is to tell me that I have confused the house with a large new hotel which opens shortly about a mile away . Either he has not read the advertisements or he has some other reason for trying to put me off the scent. I had half expected an evasive reply but I was not prepared for such a stupid one.
I have now written to the head of the planning department who had better come up with a less ridiculous and derisory explanation of I shall be obliged to go further . There has been far to much of this sort of thing in this area. Our friends at the other end of the lane are currently trying to have a noisy extractor fan and some very obtrusive lighting removed from a local hostelry who saw fit not to apply for planning permission before installing them. They have now applied to have these alterations passed retrospectively and the planning department seems willing to agree to this. The local conservation groups are up in arms but as is often the case money talks. I shall keep you posted, wish me luck.
Our next door neighbour was with us for coffee this morning and will join us for breakfast tomorrow which will be fun, I think I shall make a big batch of pancakes I am having a bit of a craze on them just now, and it will soon be Shrove Tuesday so it will be good practice.
I have done very little today as there have been ta number of distractions, not least of which is the fact that my internet access is on the blink again and has defied all my efforts to fix it. I hope that my clever son will work his magic again...fingers crossed.
It is half tern here and that means keeping an even sharper than normal eye open when out and about. Today I encountered a father and mother both on bicycles accompanied by three small children also on bicycles. The two youngest children were still at the trainer wheel stage and yet their idiotic parents allowed them to ride on the road. As I passed in my buggy the child bringing up the rear fell from her little bike and rolled into the road. The parents did not notice and continued on their merry way. I managed,God knows how to pull the poor little mite off the road as an overtaking vehicle headed straight for her. I doubt if he could have seen her as he pulled out past another car. To his credit when he saw what had happened he stopped at once and came to help me by chasing after her disappearing family. How can people be so stupid?

Her mother seemed more concerned about the state of the child's clothes than any thing else and the father just looked rebellious as the driver of the car gave him a lecture on road safety, it beggars belief.
I always looked forward to the school holidays when my son was a child ,nowadays I dread them, and it is not the children's fault, that lies with the parents who have no control and give their young no direction and even less of their time. Showering a child with expensive toys is not the answer. What children really want is the attention of their mother and father and I for one do not think this is too much to ask.