And light - or the lack of it - dear readers is our topic for this week. Everyone knows that light attracts and gloom repels; think Vegas without its neons. And here in Lithgow we could do with a lot more contribution in making our evenings more attractive, particularly at this time of year when darkness arrives so early.

Sections of Main Street are bright and cheery but others are dark and depressing. Not helping our night time malaise is the loss of three big hotels and the one time CJ's Restaurant that were once bright, brash and often noisy beacons of light.

These nights they sit in total brooding darkness. Add to this the fact that some of the biggest buildings dominating the CBD, including Verto and Dimmeys are so dark they tend to swamp the vicinity, much to the disappointment of those neighbours contributing to the light fantastic.

How about the Business Chamber organising a one or two night lights-on extravaganza to observe the difference. Then there's the big shopping centres who seem to have ongoing problems.

The Valley Plaza overcame its parking lot lighting problems for a while but again the section at the southern end as well as around the Bent Street entrance have been out of action. Then there's Woolworths where problems recur frequently in the outside car park and the faade. The latest failure presenting a serious challenge to the life and limb of after dark shoppers.

When the illuminated corporate signage on the Mort Street frontage failed not long after the centre was created years ago the story at that time was that the problem was beneath the car park and Woolworths didn't feel it worth digging it up.

Finally our Council, proprietor the gloomiest buildings in Mort Street where the under awning lighting on the administration block and Centrelink walkway went out long ago.

WE really do have a herd mentality. There's no question of supermarket closures or shopping restrictions in a lockdown but a clamp on our Mountains neighbours at the weekend had our citizens, or some of us, once again in panic mode.

By Sunday there wasn't a roll of dunny paper to be found in our biggest supermarkets. It would be comical if it wasn't such a sad reflection on the way we rush towards situations that are simply never going to occur.

There are no supply problems even if we do eventually have to join the lock down - as long there's no panic.

WE really are spoiled for international cuisine when it comes to casual dining around Greater Lithgow. Think about it. We have Indian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and European facilities as well as the leading national fast food outlets.

What happened to the humble toasted sanga for a big dine out?