……over the edge

 

I am sitting here listening and watching a man wearing a green spacesuit spraying a grey concoction at the walls of the Council block opposite. Isn’t it amazing how politicians, bureaucrats and even past local representatives (neighbours) think the colour of the brickwork is of far more importance than the immediate safety of the wiring, the hygiene of the waste disposal, the security of the vulnerable who live here let alone the energy wastefulness of these pre second world war red brick housing estates dotted around London?

They were built as a final solution to the East End slums, a campaign begun by charitable souls with lots of money and influence who realised that healthy and happier workers made better products, back in the 19th century. Now here we are making 70 year old apartment blocks, or flats as we call them here in Britain, look pretty, before even fixing the draughts from windows and doors for the elderly and the ill, on a very windy hillside!

I hope not too much is being cut from budgets as the contractor stutters along? Windows are what people always asked for because of the lack of insulation here and apparently as original carpenters would have faced, each hole in the wall is so different that each thermal glass window is having to be tailored to fit somewhere in Europe and delivered to site! We are so looking forward to being warm Councillor! The compressor is starting up again and the spaceman is back I will stop complaining about progress and "Regeneration" now because I cannot hear myself think, besides I should be grateful shouldn’t I?