At this time of year everyone is putting together their top things for 2014. I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and share my worst irritations of the year past.
You may not publicly agree with me, but deep down you’ll know I'm right. If I’d had the time, energy or inclination I could have provided a list of 50 or more: trams, the East Scotland Street Lane house/office/garage fiasco, and the silencing of St Stephen’s were a few of the many things that missed out on inclusion.
But for now, here, in reverse order, are my top three.
Much has been written about the square that used to be green but is now permanently ramshackle. Each week a new commercial enterprise appears on it and takes over what used to be a pleasant space in the city centre.
Is it time to give up on the square and focus instead on protecting the other green spaces in the capital? I love the fact that Edinburgh is vibrant and full of entertainment, culture and life, but when it starts to become unrecognisable and stops belonging to the locals then it’s time to worry.
2. Rubbish
Missed collections, fly-tipping, gull-proof bags and communal bins are just a few of the issues that crop up every other day in Broughton. I’ve set out my own thoughts for a greener Broughton previously in this column, but I will simplify them here. We put the rubbish in the bins and the Council collects them. We then put the recycling in the correct boxes and the Council collects them. What could possibly go wrong?
On a positive note, we have seen a noble campaign set up in the form of New Town Clean Streets, but things have got so bad that the Dundas Street Bin has joined twitter to voice its concerns to the world.
The most irksome thing to happen in Broughton this year happened at Tesco’s on Broughton Road. They stopped selling my favourite own-brand of cookies. I complained to the checkout assistant, to the self-service machine and to the Big Issue seller. The person working in Timpson’s said they’d be back in five minutes so they missed out on my words of wisdom.
Eventually I rang the disgruntled-customer service hotline and demanded to speak to Mr and Mrs Tesco, but was informed that they weren’t available. I was told, however, that the cookies in question hadn’t vanished but that their packaging had recently been ... repackaged. Tesco Utd 1 Moral High Ground Wanderer 0.
I will return in the New Year with either a spring in my step or a stone in my shoe. In the meantime, feel free to share your musings, grumblings, thoughts and complaints with me on twitter at @TheLHTD or via e-mail.