OWhat’s not to like about this story from last week? A Devonian Mayor Was Banned From His Local, All Because it’s a shetland pony. When Cockington’s unofficial mayor died, there was a campaign to raise Patrick, a four-year-old pony, to replace him. Patrick, a therapy pony, is a regular visitor to the Drum Inn, where he grazes in an “interactive paddock” in the pub’s garden. His popularity is such that he became mayor in July.
But not so fast. The pub was told by council environment officers that they would need planning permission for their enclosure. And be prepared for a charge from Torbay council officials: “This is a designated conservation area and is next to a listed building and we need to make sure that historic areas like this- are protected from unauthorized development.”
“Unauthorized development”? What, like throwing a load of excrement in the garden. Please save me from council panjandrums entirely devoid of common sense or humor.
What a treat to move on to the following from David Linton: “My wife received an email from delivery company DHL that her package was now at the ‘sorting centre’. Parcelforce has a ‘hub’ and Royal Mail has a ‘sorting office’. Why invent a word that has no meaning? Absolutely.
And this from Glena Chadwick: “What annoys me a lot is the use of sit or stand when it should be sit or stand. “He was sitting on the grass” – like someone was a toddler lying in the park – “he was standing on the edge” – like he was Gloucester in King Lear standing (or rather thinking he was standing on the edge of the cliff).
“Why use the passive instead of the active? “I’m afraid I can’t help you, but I bet there’s a guy on the council in Torbay who could do it if he had any sense of horses.”
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