Archive for January 2007
Holiday seasons
Christmas holidays are a great boost in the midst of a season which seems to offer nothing but darkness and cold. I like a holiday as much as anyone else, and I particularly loved this Christmas season, which I confidently nominate as having been the best I’ve ever had, thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Rosie.
But there are some who take things a little too far. There was a time, back in the Dickensian era, when the days assigned for holidays consisted of Christmas Day and St Stephen’s or Boxing Day, to which was added New Year’s Day of course. In recent years a more civilised regime has been enacted. A week, and perhaps a few more days, have for some time been considered an adequate Christmas holiday. Many people find this to be long enough. There is also the fact that the exigencies of daily life do not cease in their importance.
How therefore can some people consider themselves so important as to be entitled to a full fortnight’s holiday at this season? It seems to be the height of arrogance when these people are public employees whose tasks are important and necessary to the public welfare.
Over the Christmas season we found a stray dog, which was causing annoyance to traffic. Naturally it was a danger to itself the poor creature. To cut this part of the story felicitously short, the dog was reunited with his owner. However we found in the interim that the dog warden, who is charged with managing stray dogs, was on holiday … until January 8th, and what was more no one had been deputed to act on his behalf during his absence. Dogs,, in particular are vulnerable to abuse. Young puppies are often given as presents only to be discarded once they are discovered to be more than cute bundles of fur but living beings who need respect and care. When I visited the Citizens Information website I was instructed about what to do if I found a stray dog, or if I had lost a dog. Each of this pieces of advice revolved around a dog warden, of which there was none. The dog warden is also the person who can fine an individual if found in possession of a dog without a chain or an identification disc, but why should anyone bother over the Christmas period? It is an old adage of mine that the only law that applies itself is the law of nature. All of the statutes and legal prescriptions are not worth anything when there is not the will to enforce them.
What would happen if the street-cleaners or the mail people to decide that they were taking a fortnight’s holiday at Chrstimas?
