We live in changing times and have either to ‘go with the flow’ or risk alienation. I’m no fan of rules, regulation and red tape, however when a piece of legislation makes you stop and consider what you are about to do and explore alternatives, then maybe it has achieved its true purpose. Yesterday we were faced with the clear-up after the St Jude storm. We normally put fallen branches into the wood where it can rot down and become a home for bugs, beetles and other creepy-crawlies. However in this instance there was too much of the stuff and so we needed a bonfire. Official permission, in the form of derogation, has to be applied for before lighting up (along with a health and safety risk assessment)…

Yesterday morning I filled out a form,
In order to clear up after the storm.
We have to apply for a derogation,
From restrictions on burning across the nation.
I humffed in the office I must admit,
“These bloody forms, they’re all sh*t!”
But when I had considered what they are for,
My position started changing from before,
And little by little a change could be seen,
(My hands started first by turning green!)
The ubiquitous forms had made me consider,
The effect of my actions on wood, copse and river.
So having justified the reason in the end,
I felt self-righteous when I pressed ‘send’!
So now we can chain-saw to our hearts content,
Once I‘ve completed my risk assessment!

© Baldock Bard 2013
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