My faith in human nature is restored

As I stopped at some traffic lights, I was a little startled when a lovely policeman appeared at my window.

"You scared the living daylights out of me," I said.

"Well," he replied. "I couldn't help noticing that you seemed a bit lost. Are you?"

"Yes, just a bit." So he kindly gave me directions and put me on the right road.

As I was driving off I thought how comforting it was to feel that there actually was a policeman watching and caring, I felt quite chuffed.

But that's not all my good fortune. How about this? I received a phone call on my mobile. "Are you Margo Grimshaw?" asked the voice.

"The very same," I replied. "Well, I've got your purse here and it contains a good bit of money and all your credit cards."

I was stunned I didn't even know I'd lost it.

"Now would you like us to deliver it or will you come up and get it?"

Needless to say I went up to Accrington Road at once. Now wasn't I lucky that two honest window cleaners had found it?

What was that old saying about ugly buggers for luck' so thanks again Mark and Paul McNulty you have gone a long way to restoring my faith in human nature. George Formby would have been proud of you.

I was with the Civic Society on Wednesday evening looking at pictures of new buildings, renovated ones, street art and public landscaping.

I have a feeling that at last Blackburn is revitalising itself. It seems to be waking up.

But then, as you know, there is always a but'.

I wonder what is the thinking, the rationale behind the rise in public car parking charges?

What is the point in penalising the shopping motorist if it sends them elsewhere?

What's the result? Shops close, the high street declines, the town loses rates from those shops plus there's a loss of confidence in the town resulting in a decline in investment.

It's a typical case of short term gain resulting in long term loss myopia on a major scale.

So please, please think again. Small individual traders are already suffering very strong competition from the out of town shopping sites.

If we want to keep our town centre, as I'm sure we do, we must consider the future and act now.

ARE we feeding fear? The newspaper headlines are full of woe, nothing is ordinary, nothing is normal, everyone, however trivial the happening, is scarred for life' whereas most of the folk I know just get on with it.

Aren't you just a little fed up with all this fashion for being stressed out' or traumatised'.

Sometimes I long for the days when we were just tired, overworked or merely fed up.

I can remember my husband saying rather cynically "I think anyone that goes to see a psychiatrist needs his head examined."

Till next week.