YESTERDAY my wife and I went to two garden centres, a post office, and two food shops. Today I went to a DIY store. In the course of two days I have been in contact with perhaps 50 people, almost all at two metres distance but a handful at no more than one metre. All within five miles from home.
Yet the Scottish Government will not allow me to drive 20 or 30 miles to go hill-walking, which I would do by myself without any contact with anyone. Not until Phase 3, perhaps in mid-July, will I be trusted to travel: two months later than I could in England.
There is no logic to this. There is no "science" to support it. The limit on travel should be lifted now, as we move into Phase 2. It's time for Nanny to treat us as grown-ups rather than children.
Dave Gordon, Scone.
Cycling plea
THERE’S been a lot of talk lately about redesigning city centres post-Covid to accommodate a mix of cars, cycles and pedestrians.
I hope any discussions and decisions made will finally deal with the ever-present problem of cyclists on pavements, bad before lockdown and although many roads are deserted, much worse now.
In the last few weeks I’ve come closer than I ever want to cyclists riding three abreast or in groups coming in opposite directions on an already narrow pavement with the usual inappropriate speed, lack of warning of approach and the smugness of people who think that because they’re doing their bit for the environment that they can go where the hell they like.
I’ve managed to avoid hospital stays over the years, I don’t intend to start now because of the selfish cyclists.
Stuart Neville, Clydebank.
Filial love
NOT being a fan of any sport I had never heard of Marcus Rashford until the last few days when his campaign for the UK Government to carry on providing free school meals during the English school holidays to children whose parents have been pushed into poverty due to the coronavirus. He came across as a measured but determined young man and I can only imagine his mother, whom he spoke so movingly about, must be bursting with pride at the way her son and his supporters have forced an about turn by the government on their heartless stance on this matter.
I witnessed the direct opposite of this example of filial devotion when watching the programme Inside Monaco on BBC1 the other night. I watched it as my friends and I had visited Monaco on a day trip from a holiday in France a couple of years ago and I was looking forward to seeing the sites we visited. However, it would seem the main aim of the programme is to show off exactly how wealthy you have to be to live or even holiday there. In direct contrast to Marcus Rashford, a young(ish) Italian man was very sorry he could only afford a £45 million yacht for his Mama rather than one of the £100 million ones. My heart bled for him – not.
Margaret Thomson, Bo'ness.
Tough love
I NOTE with interest mention of railings and gates being removed for the war effort ("The scrap metal campaign that aided the war effort", The Herald, June 13, and Letters, June 18). I witnessed the ones at our home in Arbroath being removed, one of the workmen telling me it was for making Spitfires; I scoffed at the notion that that aircraft could be made out of iron.
Our school janitor was made aghast that railings and gates were also removed around the High School allowing, as he saw it, easy access for us unruly pupils to gain entrance and exit.
Like your correspondent I recall walking along the tops of walls and falling on the stumps of one particular wall and gashing my knee. returning home for both medical attention and some comfort. My mother asked where I had done so. I replied it was such-and-such a church wall and was told that it served me right for doing this on church property. I received a sticking plaster for my injury but no consoling cuddle. Tough love.
John Macnab, Falkirk.
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