Fifty Shades of Grey

Sadly not the book which I am sure would get the heart racing,  but the skies above Edinburgh which may rightly be causing an area of high or acute depression !!  Just have to keep taking the tablets so to speak.

Couple of items relating to Midlothian Council,  particularly the planners who as we know do not always get things right first time !!   Several weeks ago there was the usual chaos with roadworks at Glencorse Barracks, where the traffic islands which were put there as a traffic calming measure were dug up and removed as they were just a nuisance.  The remaining islands still remain a hazard with driver's damaging tyres, wheels, etc.,   and where they are placed opposite of near bus stops traffic grinds to a halt.

In Dalkeith, Barrat homes are now building on the site of the old Eskvalley College,  and from the looks of things reminded me today of the old Pete Seegar song,  Little Boxes,  made of "ticky tacky"

Quite astonishing how close they are, cramming as many homes onto this site -  neighbours will not need to phone each other, or knock the door,  just shout across from window to window -  hope they have no problems on the site like at  nearby Gorebridge.
In Gorebridge, on a four year old site built over old mine workings, houses are now being affected by gas rising from the ground below- with residents being decanted elsewhere, and each week even more are being affected.    Down south there is legislation requiring a special membrane to be placed beneath the founds of  houses built over mine workings,  but here,  someone from planning apparently allowed this condition to be waived.    So for a saving of about £500 could be that a number of houses may have to be demolished - oops.

Bit in the paper about a clamp down on "fly tipping",  go no further than the travelling peoples illegal camp site near Smeaton colliery,  there are piles of rubbish lying, lots of gardening waste, etc.  Looks like these guys are touting for business gardening, etc, where  the customer pays to have the rubbish dumped properly,  however, no worries for these guys - leave it behind them when they move back to their site which is being refurbished by the Council,  and then the Council will also have to clean up the midden they leave behind.   Law unto themselves  when it suits.

So Wednesday is another day,  April 1st and all the spoof items passed - spotted a couple - good one about the tram ticket machines in Edinburgh, built by a spanish company only accepting 1 Euro coins,  and the Council going to have people on duty to exchange the currrency !!!  Mind you, with all the controvesy it could well be true.   The saying that the trams have done more damage to Edinburgh  than an earthquake is also correct.