Why is it taking so long to complete the job of adding topsoil to the planters installed some time ago in the 1990 extension to the Maria Addolorata cemetery? About a month ago, some aggregate was poured into them and that, as they say, was that. Whatever happened to the Tree4U campaign? The said planters are already being used as handy containers for rubbish; the sooner they are utilised for their proper purpose, the better.

Walled

The retaining walls on both sides of the road in the general area of the Marnisi Estates were built on a sill of limestone. This is being eroded to the extent that, in some places, there is a grave risk of the walls breaking up. These supports must not be allowed to deteriorate further.

Doorway

Some time ago, someone decided to install an aluminium and glass door in the Taż-Żejt chapel, despite the fact that it jars with the surroundings. However, the chapel itself has weathered to the extent that it may well collapse in the next storm with high winds and heavy rains.

Hopeful

A snapshot of Floriana: 1) hundreds of cigarette ends thrown everywhere; 2) after the Sunday open-air market plastic bags etc. strewn nearby; 3) Sir Luigi Preziosi Street and Square used as a parking place for trucks, trawlers, containers etc.; 4) vandals exercise their cruel profession at the Mall Gardens; 5) other public gardens have become dumping sites for syringes used by drug abusers; 6) in Gunlayer Street a big speed-boat is parked for heavy refit; 7) Bishop Mauro Caruana Street is occasionally blocked for traffic as a motorist washes the car; 8) a refuse area lies behind the Boċċi Club in Vincenzo Dimech Street. Does the local council know about this?

Healthy?

People sometimes go early on Saturdays to a health centre because it is out of the question for them to attend during the week owing to other commitments. That is the day on which they also arrange to make other appointments, whenever possible. But despite being seated at 7.30 a.m. on July 3 at the Gżira health centre and being fourth in the queue, a patient was called in to see the doctor at 9.45. However, it happened that a father and daughter, citing special permission, jumped the queue immediately upon arriving, as did two elderly persons. People had to leave so as not to be late for their next appointment elsewhere.

Nailed

What, exactly, is the law with regard to people utilising public places for their own personal use? We have people putting planters on, and concrete ramps below, pavements. Others attach hooks and nails to walls to hang merchandise. Some put out umbrellas, chairs and tables for the paying public. Signs indicating directions to places of entertainment or commercial establishments continue to proliferate. Which local council will be the first to issue a by-law to stop this?

Roomy!

The good news is that 15 illegally-built rooms along the scheduled cliffs in Għarb were removed by the owners themselves. The bad news is that a boat trip around the Grand Harbour indicates that there are some structures that have been lining the shores for far longer. One assumes they have been allowed to remain there by virtue of prescription.

Restorations

It is wonderful to note that the decorated ceilings at Verdala Palace are being restored. These ceilings are undoubtedly unique in the world. One sincerely hopes that once this opus is restored to its former glory, someone will find the time, the talent and the wherewithal to restore the magnificent mural in the grand stairway of the Ċentru Ħidma Soċjali in Sta Venera.

Examinations

A Maltese laboratory was recently certified to be of an international standard. Assessments were carried out in terms of human resources, management, testing methods, calibrated equipment and involvement in other laboratory projects, with reference to construction work. Hopefully this will mean that the building and construction industries will have a local point of reference and that potential disasters caused by shoddy foundation work will be a thing of the past.

Taxed!

A word of thanks goes out to Josette Zammit of the Inland Revenue Department. When she realised that a taxpayer was very worried about the possibility of not having filled out her forms completely she made it a point to run a check and reassure this person that all was in order. The public service could do with more employees like her.

Cards

The European health insurance card is another of the don't-leave-home-without-it requisites when one travels abroad. As such, it should be made available without delay for people who need to go abroad suddenly and immediately, for diverse reasons, without having made prior plans, and therefore would not have applied for this card within the suggested time-limit. This card covers medical emergencies, when one is on a temporary visit in all 27 EU member states, as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, giving the holder the same access to public sector healthcare on the same financial basis as the nationals of the country visited.

Beached

Many tourists these days decide to hire four-wheel-drive and similar vehicles to get around the island, both because they seat more people and also because of the state of some roads. But when two of these meet in a narrow path, such as the one leading to Kalanka beach, where nothing indicates who has the right of way, trouble sometimes ensues when neither party wants to be the one to give in and reverse into a curve. Is there any possibility of widening the road in order to stop this from happening, especially in summer?