On the dot

The Fleur-de-Lys roundabout is fast gaining a reputation as the local Firth of Forth bridge. No sooner was it painted, than a car crash or general maintenance caused it to be retouched once more. The latest revamp, however, is something more elaborate: the hedgerows have been sheared off and the row of stones retaining the soil has been removed. One eagerly waits for developments.

Eyesore

It is not unusual to see big, black luxury cars parked, at times haphazardly, on Castille Place, even on double yellow lines. On rare occasions it would be a vehicle belonging to a diplomat accredited to Malta but most of the time it is a ministerial car or one being used by a parliamentary secretary. Should better sense not prevail?

Catty

The secretary of the Attard local council has decided, willy nilly, that the cats keeping the vermin population in check in the general whereabouts of Ġnien l-Istazzjon have suddenly become a nuisance and the animals must be relocated. Thank God, better sense prevailed and the "order" has been retracted. But can an executive secretary simply make such a decision, causing pain to animal lovers and embarrassment to the council, without any sort of consultation with, at least, the mayor?

Iced

Is it within the power of local councils to prohibit itinerant ice-cream vans from parking within a set distance from schools? If the answer is yes, would this be done to avoid children purchasing unhealthy sugar - or salt-laden snacks - or because these vans provide competition to shops in the area that also happen to sell ice-cream, albeit of different brands, and snacks?

Recycling

Not enough attention is given to charity shops as yet another means of recycling. One can even donate the whole contents of a house, according to the services offered by different organisations. And when all is said and done, these shops are the ideal places to pick up bargains and even collectors' items at prices much cheaper than those of auctions or second-hand shops.

Songbird

Once again, the Eurosong administration is pleading lack of funds for promotional purposes, which is an insult to the winner of the local heats. Cost-effectiveness has nothing to do with it because this was to have been budgeted for as part of the winner's package. The question begs itself. If we cannot go the whole hog why do we even bother with the Eurovision Song Festival in the first place? Sometimes it seems that half measures are only a preparation for a dismal final result so that no one would be able to cite the sums spent for nil points.

Gaming

A few companies have come up with versions of card and board games that highlight local personalities or locations. It would be a good idea for an entrepreneur to introduce a series of sets of trading cards, not as a game, but as collectors' items. These would feature timely topics such as Maltese women through the ages for women's history month; anniversaries for a given year; endemic flora and fauna; important monuments; historical events, and so forth. Who knows, this might even make studying history and social studies fun.

Chaplet

The chapel of St Mary of Magdala, Valletta, has now reverted to the Church, its rightful owner. One hopes the building is immediately placed under protection and restored from the stained floor to the roof. It would be wonderful to have this chapel re-consecrated and used for religious celebrations and, perhaps, Catechism lessons as is the case with the San Rokku chapel in St Ursula Street.

Benchmarks

The Nationalist Party has "expresses regret" that the benches removed from the Floriana granaries were not replaced within a reasonable time of their having been removed for there to be more room in the September Independence celebrations. A little forethought would have gone much further than an apology. All that would have been needed was a clause to the effect that the contractor has to pay a nominal sum, say €1 per bench per day, after a period of grace, until the benches were replaced. Fine words do not bring benches back.

Pedestrians?

A part of Merchants Street, in Valletta was made a pedestrian zone and, as such, is inaccessible to vehicles except for those rendering a service. However, one wonders which vehicles, exactly, are spoiling the lovely - and expensive! - surface by staining it with engine oil and tyre marks. How often are these vehicles checked to ascertain that the stretch of street remains as pristine as it was meant to be?

Noisy

Now that the weather is relatively fine, several households are keeping windows open. Unfortunately, there are selfish people who think cranking up the volume of their car radios is an integral part of washing the vehicles. This is especially irritating when it happens on weekend afternoons and weekday evenings. Is there any law against this?

Blockage

This column has often referred to selfish car dealers who park cars for sale along a stretch of pavement, hogging precious parking space. However, the situation at the Birkirkara bypass, specifically Dun Karm Psaila Street, remains as bad as it ever was. This despite the fact that the attention of the police has been drawn to it for the last few years. Police headquarters send officers from the Birkirkara police station to check out the situation but nothing is ever done about it.

Milked!

Prior to the rebranding and repackaging exercise, the small cartons containing full-fat or skimmed milk contained 568ml of product. The price has remained constant, yet the volume has gone down to 500ml, making the mark-up quite considerable. It would be interesting to find out the views of the Consumer and Competition Division and, indeed, of the company itself, about this.