Seeing red

‘We apologise… the e-mail didn’t look legitimate however, we can confirm this was a genuine e-mail.’

Did you get this from the Council? If I get a message to say, ‘this is genuine’, I begin to doubt that it is. I first had an e-mail asking me to update my details ‘here’. Now, I don’t know about you, but I was always taught never to press on a link in an e-mail. I ignored it, then I had another message to apologise that the first e-mail did not look legitimate and assure me that it was genuine. I ignored that too.

Undeterred I had another council contact asking me to check my electoral registration, again by pressing on a link, considering the recent scams I have been reading about I rang the council instead. They were very helpful. I am no expert, but I prefer to visit the website directly which I then did using the phone directions.

I have been following the diversion links to my friend’s house. Our little lane is closed, it leads directly to my friend.  But there are road works and when there is a notice saying ‘road works’ you know that the road does not work! I have to go round and follow the signs. There is a new housing estate being built and the builders need access so the road will be closed for several months. How often have you gone past a road closure sign hoping that it is an old sign or that it does not mean your road? I know that I have and regretted it several minutes later. Cars are doing the same here, buzzing past the sign only to reappear dejectedly a little later.

We borrowed a friend’s trail camera last week. You set it up and if any wildlife goes past it switches on and takes a video of any activity. I could not resist going up to it and ‘bombing’ by appearing in front and smiling and waving. Mr T was not amused when he came to check the pictures (though he laughed afterwards). We saw magpies coming to our pool for a drink, moths flying past and an early morning robin coming for a bathe. Not as much as we thought but quite exciting all the same.

It is thrilling to see all our fruit and vegetables ripening too. The blueberries are weighing the branches down and it is hard to pick them fast enough, our tomatoes are turning red and beans and peas are ready. It is all at once and the autumn raspberries are a bit early and are diverting our thoughts towards the beginning of the next season. 

(Taken from my column in the Shropshire Star)