STRANGE things happen in times of high anxiety - think virus pandemics, football grand finals, mother in law visits - but few stranger it would seem than Lithgow Council's sudden shutdown of the Lithgow Garbage Tip.
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The announcement came on the Council website at the weekend, prompting a mixture of surprise and indignation and a new topic for chatter on social media.
There may well be some sound thinking behind imposing home isolation on our waste but difficult to see what it could be.
The dump is hardly Bondi beach, it's not known to host garbage parties or to encourage up close and personal contact. You get in and get out as fast as possible from wasteland central.
One thing is certain and that's the likely upsurge in illegal dumping around our bushland.
Council's out of town tips are remaining open but are restricted to locals in those areas where other garbage services are limited.
Don't panic, though, unless you're desperate to dump those old TVs and bulky bits, the weekly kerbside garbage and recycling collections continue.
FOOTNOTE: Skate parks around our area closed yesterday as well but that was a government edict.
Victim number one?
STILL with viral matters and according to usually reliable local scuttlebutt Lithgow has its first confirmed Covid 19 case.
And it has been traced back to that astonishing debacle of the Ruby Princess cruise ship that now has authorities scrambling to cover their tails.
It would be nice if the Nepean etc health authorities kept the public up to date on these matters and where this person had contacts instead of announcing how many negative tests have been conducted.
Or did we miss something?
Glimmers of hope
ARE we being over optimistic or are we seeing the first signs of light at the end of the panic buying tunnel?
Shopping around Lithgow's three supermarkets over the weekend it wasn't too difficult to find, for the first time in weeks, stocks of tissues, toilet paper, rice and even kitchen paper, even in afternoon trading.
Plenty of choice in fresh produce and meat as well. The first glimmers of realisation that we're not being locked up?
Meanwhile around town cafes and fast food outlets seemed have a regular, if a little limited, clientele for takeaway coffees and grub.
In the immortal words of Monty Python ' .. always look on the bright side of life'.
Time of change
NOW here's a brighter note to end with.
Next Sunday you can have an extra hour's sleep in. Daylight saving for this round ends at 3am Sunday when your clocks go BACK one hour.
Yep, the timeless joy of a Sunday morning sleep in.
