magicroundabout

Sophie what a sad tail :( You know of 60 cats missing in that area! I had my own (beloved) cats poisoned, to death, 10 years ago and know how devastating it can be. I didn't take any action but believed it to be my adjacent neighbour's doing, maybe even deliberate. The suffering that could be being inflicted on innocent animals doesn't bear thinking about. I have heard of an isolated incident where someone, so fed up of cat faeces on the garden, has taken nasty action trapping a cat and taking it to a distant location, which horrified me. This high number of missing cats sounds like a deliberate and organised crime. It might be a lower key crime but causing suffering to animals is now a crime. Well done, I applaud you for taking action. Have you listed the 60 you know about and given that to the RSPCA? It certainly sounds as if they have asked you to obtain information about the cats which seems to put the effort onto you. This is from RSPCA website - I hope the link works. http://www.rspca.org.uk/in-action/whatwedo/investigatingcruelty

Blimey! I am intrigued now too! Stalking Biomech and "It does frustrate me how many people spout their personal opinions as fact, when clearly they have little grasp, apart from their own personal opinion on the facts of the issue." Love it!!! More please :D

Reported on radio Hereford and Worcester around 3 to 4 pm the traffic lights were out!! Specifically which ones was not reported. What was it like - any one know? Herefordshire council said they were working to get them on again. It's awash with lights now they've sprung up like rabbits round Newmarket Street and the Boulevard. Doesn't bode well for switching them off/getting rid! Good luck Hereford Reunited.

Last Saturday there was a Bikefest on Bishop's meadow to promote more cycling in Hereford. I have restarted cycling short journeys in Hereford. ( I try to do as I am told!!) Someone there gave me a newly produced 2014 Herefordshire council leaflet "Walk and Cycle". The maps give a suggested safe route through city centre and (my favourite bit) show "Traffic free and special cycle tracks etc" The red cycle track part way up Aylestone Hill road is shown, ridiculously, as one of these. Someone in transportation at the council believes that Aylestone Hill is traffic free!!! Truly Beggars belief. Only on Wednesday morning a cyclist on Hampton Dene Road had a nasty collision with a car and was airlifted to Birmingham for treatment. Hopefully the guy is recovering and my best wishes go out to him. Herefordshire council could do better. When planning development and roads, over the decades, the job is surely to modernise and improve for all types of journey but again HC could do/ have done a lot better. Why does it all cost so much too? I want good value for my money spent. Thousands and thousands of our council tax money goes out and we have little benefit. The Greenway bridge is a good start but the money for that was not from the council. Again roll on the 2015 elections..

Hereford Times may cover this later - who knows? I agree with Ubique on the Hereford Times not liking to rock the boat or being particularly proactive. Online Jess Phillips did the £1 million lottery winner article very quickly and thoroughly researched exciting ways to spend the money. In comparison the story on Jesse Norman being the perceived front runner in the 2015 MP election was quickly "de-activated" (lost from the visible lists of active articles). My thoughts were it was attracting lots of anti- Jesse comments as could be predicted and maybe Jesse was not enjoying that.

This is appalling! I shudder to think that vulnerable women were sexually abused in Commercial Street. Sad days indeed! I know Hereford partook in the sex trade in 2000, why would anyone expect Hereford to differ from any other place?

To state the obvious the concern here is that we council tax payers are being overcharged for this! From post 14 there is a also a big problem for people in the accommodation when the housing benefit stops for one reason or another, due to the inflated excessive rents charged to these vulnerable people. Well done for tackling this Phil, but please take good care you don't reveal too much personal info on forums.

Hi Phil, Well done on tackling the seemingly hotbed of vipers here in the higher echelons of this social housing company (hope that doesn't offend, it's not aimed at the real workers there). I've had some experience of Broxash and was appalled at many aspects. Thankfully it was better than the B & B which was chocka with drugs use at the time! It is now happily in the past. At the time there was too much stress to challenge. I am very happy to read you are working for the current residents. Reading Peter's comments above, if they are true, you may have been a little over the line with your comments. Reading Peter's glib blog and equally glib justification I can see the reason you may be frustrated with him. Having had first hand experience I would say I did not see any of the extra support provided, apart from the intrusive and demeaning weekly quick visit checking the property, for the landlord's purpose, not for the resident's benefit. I saw no real justification for the extortionate charges you have mentioned. Good luck!

The medical staff looked after me beautifully and I was very grateful. As Bobby seems to agree, the procedure is not so nice!

Thanks Roger and twowheelsygood I can see the reason for the cycle track on Union Walk. Travelling on the pavement against the flow of the one way street. It never occurred to me!! Handy, inspirational maybe but looks a bit bluddy dangerous depending on speed! Where do you cycle when you come to the end of the pavement - the road is one-way? As I said "They stop, they start, they go nowhere at all, or not very far, motorists appear to ignore them, so cycling is a challenge". It needs sorting.

Silent Bull - I have just got a bike! I tried to cycle a few years ago and gave up as it was so dangerous. Having another go now but am absolutely petrified at times and very confused about cycle pathways. They stop, they start, they go nowhere at all, or not very far, motorists appear to ignore them, so cycling is a challenge. Yesterday I cycled down Union Walk toward Commercial Street, heading for Morrisons. Just before the Bus Station car park is a short strip of red and cycle logo'd cycle track across a short bit of pavement!! What is that all about? I don't know. On Station Approach travelling onto Commercial road, on the designated reddish cycle way I was obstructed by all the cars in the cycle lane! then, waiting at the traffic lights to turn right, (bravely, imo), still on the road, the front reddish coloured area with the cycle logo, was occupied by a driver. I caught her eye to be sure she could see me, as this lane leads both right and forward. I could not see her indicator - maybe she was going straight on? What to do? I waited as I didn't want to put myself at risk. Although she was not indicating, she turned right unexpectedly. It's a nightmare - why? - we're just a small city! I don't blame motorists for the dangerous state of our roads. I blame the Highways agency and council roads department - they are the bodies charged with responsibility for the roads, their upkeep and the safe direction of road users, full stop. How can we trust our offspring are safe to cycle about, when it is obvious it is very dangerous on our roads? Why is it so hard for them to do a good job, when all that expertise and money is/has been available? Judging by the constant difficulty of travelling through Hereford inner city roads, still due, at present, to one unwanted, poorly planned road alteration after another, totally ignoring the needs of the people and businesses of Herefordshire, I can see the situation getting no better in the future. More good people may go out of business before it ends then we will be left with an even more characterless ugly downbeat place. I would love to be more positive. Our money and goodwill is destined to fill up the coffers of those conglomerates coming to the Cattle market mall with all the non-existent part-time jobs and salt encrusted red brick walls with cheap tinny pointy tops! Rant over!

Deplorable underhand county council cabinet behaviour once again! When or where will this ever end?

Bobby, I can sympathise, I have had 2 endoscopies and one colonoscopy in the last months. Unlike you, I fought for the endoscopy (and while having it done -hehe) but the consequences are positively life changing for me. It was a funny experience for me too! I had the throat spray, one consultant to operate the gagging pipe down the throat, a sweet nurse to operate the machine that inflates your gut - YES!! One lovely chap to hold my hand (thanks - you know who you are), and to hold me firmly down, while I fought like h#ll to stop the gagging process and try to breathe through the gagging and loud racking bubbling burps as the air found it's way out. Then a few weeks later I had it done again - brilliant! (NOT). This time I was offered the opportunity to use services of a trainee (registrar) to push the pipe down my throat, and chose to firmly turn it down, in favour of the consultant who had piped patients many times before. (My past experiences with trainees have never gone too well and I keenly remember a few years ago when I had my hearing tested. I was asked to see the nurse to have my ears syringed before the test. She had a young man to do the procedure under her supervision and the pair merrily poked hooks and what-not near my ear drum until it became very painful and apparent I was his first ever (ear) patient). The colonoscopy lasted three days of medically self-induced diarrhoea and a few terrified hours in the hospital. I sat in the waiting room with one uncomplaining woman, on her umpteenth endoscopy, to solve the problems she was suffering, by endoscopic surgery. Bobby, I hope you bear no scars from the endoscopy and that you are in good health. The procedure was horrendous but so "funny", you are already cashing in on the "dining out on it".

Just a matter of time before the meters come to our streets courtesy of our financially clueless council cabinet. I filled the survey in with lots of Capitalised comments in the "Other" box. I knew it was a waste of time and will never be collated and used but did it anyway. (Quick bit of advice for cabinet, in case they read this - If you can't afford it - don't buy it until you have saved up for it). ( Gem advice there ). Back to my comment - Just renewed annual local parking permit and it is now £30 squid to park outside my house!!! (hahaha - you have to laugh). Apparently, increased in October, unbeknown to me - 20% increase from £25. - (If I have the maths wrong I don't mind -it's close enough!) Who had a salary increase of 20%? Even if it was over the last 5 years? Oh yes, sorry, of course, answering my own question, it was the fat cat officers at the council, when they sacked the workers!!! I know £5 is petty but still - TWENTY percent increase!

Thanks dippy! Was I ironic in my post? Dripping with sarcasm and dare I say it - hatred - for the perpetrators of that dreadful abomination plonked into the middle of Hereford!!! The mall (or The Cattle Market development, as "our" Scott Lahive prefers, on facebook), (Thanks for all the brilliant info megilleland), has it's own body language. It blocks and turns it's back on Hereford and Herefordians, revealing it does not have Hereford interests at heart, as many of us know already. Designed to pull you in to fleece you of hard earned money. ps - Biomech - not me voting you up or down - in case I was a prime suspect!

I viewed the new skyline yesterday from a bedroom atop Aylestone Hill by Venn's Lane, The view is panoramic and usually breathtaking with mountains and the Cathedral. The North Lights in the grim grid look pretty ugly and shone out, glinting in the sunshine, adding nothing to beautiful Hereford. The google view of the Rotherwas ESS shows a valuable heritage site which undoubtedly should be preserved and used. BUT honestly, it just does not compare with the ridiculous concrete and leachy red brick mess in Edgar Street with metallic pointy "north lights". The people concerned with the design should be very very ashamed, if there is any justice in our world.

Grid Knocker you must have been on the wrong side. You should view the mall from Blackfriar's Street. Looks lovely, very welcoming and spacious, a real treat! That way it looks self-contained as it's meant and built to be!

Sounds like he intends to teach a select few potential public purse fleecers how to play the game, whilst happily fleecing those self-same select few - brilliantly nice work if you have no social conscience and can infiltrate the ripe troughs with rich pickings.

We all know the answer. Private companies contracted to supply council services are a brilliant way to stop the audit trail and to syphon off public money without repercussions, consequences or comeback for those in the thick of it. Speculating, Mike Dearing may have greener pastures in sight now a review of the Hoople contract has changed the dynamic in the secret lairs of said company. In my wildest dreams (not Bobby47's versions sadly) the contracts are not going back to our county council. The system is set up to obscure the audit trail and use large, usually long term established companies, as an aid to fleece the hoi polloi liberally.

According to the inference on news this morning the Russian side are gathering, occupying Crimean airports, (but hey "they are not Russian troops") and the EU hopefuls are posturing back. Sad days for Ukrainians and the world. Bobby47 - Surreal and freaky there!!! Reminds me of the sixties - not sure why - love and peace man, flowers in your hair! Am hoping you got back home to bed okay, after your bout with Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's brother!! . You're still posting today so I trust you got home safe, back to bed okay, raw steaks on each eye.

I'm surprised the drop was so low!!

Thanks megilleland I have completed the very biased central parking survey, mainly by my (capitalized) shouting comments in "other" box as there was nowhere else to express your views! Colin, would it be possible to have this survey info as a new topic and not under the heading of shop closing in Cheltenham please? Happen-chance finding it may not work for everyone and although the survey is probably a box ticking exercise, bringing it to more people's attention will give them opportunity to have a say.

Is Wladimir Klitschko coming to box at Fusion Bobby?

That put a cat amongst the pigeons!!!! I thought you all knew that the voting could be rigged online Hereford Times. I have a suspicion the moderator plays a part sometimes as Bobby47's minus count went up very quickly, following his challenge to the masses! (Keep up). I suspect 50 minus votes came from a much smaller number of people! I have only voted when "impassioned" - when brilliant rhetoric makes me roll off my settee with laughter, or when someone spews out bitter undeserved words at an individual. I would never give King Bobby47 a minus, not even when he asked and dared us to. Colin is fastidious supplying such a top notch forum for us Herefordians, with all the buttons and bells we could ever want on here. Press the buttons as many times as you like for me - I have no worries either way. *mag*

Oh dear! Hope the sales are not too low - after all we love our newspaper really ( or to lambast it). Would rather have those local reporters employed than not. Even Fiona!