All systems go

I was chatting with my Maputo landlady today, advising her of my return and requesting that she does some cockroach fumigation and checking that my clothes have not become a mouldy heap of rotting fabric. She replied in her usual effervescent and helpful way.

Grantchester Meadows have been making waves recently, after an attempt by the landowner (King’s College) to ban swimming. They cited increased disturbance and nuisance caused by antisocial behaviour. As with many other attempts at law enforcement, this would only really penalise the rule-abiding. Teenagers down at the meadows littering and getting high on magic mushrooms are unlikely to adhere to a ‘no swimming’ sign hammered into the grass several fields away. One of my friends at work, Camila, spearheaded a campaign to get the ban overturned, and it worked. Nice to see some community action triumphing over the heft of a Cambridge college.