The softest dog in the whole wide world was 2 years old last Monday …or 14 dog years old if you prefer.

That unbelievably makes her older than our 13 year old son PJ and is fast catching up our 15 going on 21 year old daughter Lizzie.

Pip got lots of presents from friends and family including 2 new squeezy bones and an extra posh tin of her favourite dog food.

She’s soft but we love her lots.

Frank, we didn’t agree on too much but you were a big, larger than life character who didn’t allow political disagreements to get in the way of getting things done for your beloved town.

I bet you had a right old argument with St Peter at the gates and are still having a right ding dong now with God on who should sit where.

All the best.My deepest sympathies are with your wife and family. They must be missing you like anything.

I’ve received phone calls from residents of Rousbury Road, Stewartby regarding who owns the land at the rear of Rousbury Road and Stewartby Way that the old parish play area used to be on.

This arises from letters they have received from O & H Properties telling residents O&H will be blocking off their access to the play area and illegally attaching panels to residents private fences that open out onto the this land. This seems a little heavy-handed and over the top, especially as the fence gates in some cases have been in place for many years and the land until recently hosted the old parish play area.

Why can’t O&H just let sleeping dogs lie on issues where in this case it is a welcome amenity for local people ?

One can only say this is another classic case of this absentee landlord being heavy handed stripping the green areas of Stewartby for all the money it can get and not caring about local residents?