Thoughts while walking Woy Woy

Gosford Council in general and the paving layers, in particular, are to be congratulated on the job being done on the Boulevarde.

It looks splendid. But how long before it is littered with takeaway rubbish, drink containers, cigarette butts and irremovable stains?

The world is full of rubbish droppers but that particular area seems to have more than its fair share.

Witness the earlier work done.

The Woy Woy Commonwealth Bank now has twice the number of customers, most of whom are kept waiting while the bank conducts, in business hours, conversion training of the staff recently shanghaied from Colonial.

Of course, waiting in a queue inside the bank is good practice for waiting in a queue outside the bank, to use the single old-fashioned, slow ATM. Should it be working, that is!

Interesting to note that the much smaller bank several doors along has two ATMs in operation.

Yes, I know there is a new Commonwealth Bank ATM in Deepwater. One queues there also.

The Fast Ferry: Giant ferries, giant bow waves, giant terminals, giant holes dredged in one of the best surf breaks in Australia. Giant nonsense, although I expect someone has profited from all this credulity.

Woy Woy Woolworths customers cannot read.

At the junction of the Woolworths car park exit and Blackwall Rd stands a large sign saying "Give Way to Pedestrians".

Any pedestrian foolish enough to believe that departing drivers, especially ladies with passengers or mobile phones, even see that sign is in for a very nasty shock and possibly a long look at the ceiling of casualty.

A speed hump to reinforce the sign might be nice.

Depending upon which Sunday paper you rely upon for statistical mumbo jumbo, 60 to 65 per cent of Australians do not smoke.

Woy Woy Leagues Club steadfastly caters to the other 35 to 40 per cent in its gaming area. One has only to approach their pokies to realise this.

By noon each day, the "blind optimists" area smells like an Irish shebeen.

Nothing wrong in that if one likes to gamble in an Irish shebeen but for those who don't, taking your gambling money to some other club with a dedicated non smoking area, might be healthier.

Seven years I've tramped the Woy Woy waterfront.

In the beginning, I tiptoed gingerly between dog droppings. Now I seldom see one.

The dog owners with their plastic bags are to be praised.

Interesting to note that the dog owners still adhering to the good ol' ways are predominantly men.

I wonder whether they pick up dog droppings in their own backyards?

Or do they order their wives to do it?

Ray Parkin, Woy Woy