Like many of you reading this, I’ve been doing a lot of outdoor exercise ever since gyms were temporarily shutdown due to the pandemic.
Almost every day I’ll go for a walk or run around my local area for at least 30 minutes to get some exercise and fresh air.
One of the rare positives the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have had is on the air quality and pollution levels due to reduced traffic and some coal-fired power plants being offline.
It wasn’t that long ago when we couldn’t even go outside due to the terrible bushfires over summer and now we are witnessing beautiful clear skies not just over Penrith and western Sydney, but across the globe.
It would certainly make Greta Thunberg smile… if she smiles that is!
I was reading an article yesterday that Sydney’s air hasn’t been this clean since the end of 2017 and we strangely have this horrible virus to thank. Weird, huh?
But one disappointing thing I have noticed on my jogs around town is the lack of pride and presentation in people’s lawns.
Now I understand people can’t mow their lawns once a week, but some of these lawns I’ve come across recently haven’t been mowed in months, perhaps years.
People will have their excuses I’m sure and I totally understand that it’s harder for the elderly, disabled or sick to push their mowers around for long periods, but did you know there are people out there that can help mow your lawns and could probably do with the extra cash right now?
You may think I’m coming across like a bit of a nark (and I probably am) but one bizarre thing I have noticed as well is some residences mow their front lawn but then leave the nature strip in jungle-mode – no kidding!
As I understand it, the nature strip is technically Council’s land but I can’t imagine Council has the resources to mow everyone’s nature strip, so please – for me and your neighbours – maintain it yourself!
With so many people out and about getting exercise these days it’s important to have some pride in your home and your neigbourhood because an unmowed, weed-riddled lawn really does stands out.
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender’s Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.
