Listening to the radio this morning I was somewhat annoyed to hear that some Tesco shop in England was selling Easter Eggs – already. Given the a-religious, crass commercialization of Christmas in which, once again, any Christian message was almost completely drowned out by extortions to spend, drink, eat and party amidst tales of Santa, reindeers and tinsel, I can’t say that I was surprised.

What does surprise me is that Christians don’t make more of an attempt to reclaim Christmas and indeed Easter for Christians. Both events are central to the Christian story and fundamental to how Christians perceive themselves and their faith. Instead both Christian celebrations have been subverted by retailers with the active acquiescent of Christian and non-Christian shoppers alike. The upside of course is that with more people spending, the economy grows by a fraction of a percent. The downside however, is that it pushes everyone just a little more into debt and further detracts from what should be a celebration of a central Christian message.

Most religious holidays the world over have been encroached to some extent by secularism and commercialism, but none, in my view, as much as Christmas in the West. It is hard to imagine Muslims secularising Eid or Hindus turning Diwali into a shopping fest. And Yom Kippur is hardly an excuse to run riot in the malls and clubs.

The reason given each time for turning religious festivals into commercial ones and bringing them forward months is that the punters want it. Well we, the punters, are fed up with it. We’re going to buy our Easter eggs at Easter and not before.

With both sides of all the Squares lined nose to tail with vehicles of all shapes and sizes, pedestrians forced to walk on the road, and wing mirrors missing each other by millimeters, I can’t imagine many people in Strathbungo are happy with the parking arrangements.

Sadly Zipcar hasn’t strayed beyond the US, Canada and London, but a similar scheme is in place in the Southside of Glasgow – Whipcar

Unlike Zipcar which owns a fleet of cars available to zipcar members, Whipcar cars are owned by you and me but available to other whipcar members to rent by the hour, day and week. Eligible car owners and drivers register on line and simply accept or reject requests to rent it.

Owners set the price of rentals (against established guidance) and Whipcar makes its money by charging WhipCar owners a fee (15% incl. VAT of the rental price) and drivers a transaction fee (£2.50) when placing a booking.

The advantage of this scheme of course is that owners can make extra money for your car which would otherwise just sit idle in the road and drivers have access to cars without the expense of owning or the faf or expense of renting from a rental company. And of course if enough people used Whipcar there would be considerably less congestion in the Squares.

It all sounds like a recipe for disaster doesn’t it as friends and neighbours crunch or even write-off your car sparking neighbourly disputes. But Whipcar it seems have got this covered and gone to great lengths to reduce risks, vetting all cars and drivers with the DVLA, holding credit card details for all parties, and offering eBay-like feedback profiles. And the scheme won’t even affect your insurance, with Whipcar having created a special insurance package for the service. The moment you accept a booking on your car their insurance supersedes yours for the duration of the hire, keeping your no-claims bonus intact in the event of damage.

Costs vary depending on your car and location. Whipcar suggests that our 03 Mazda 6 estate can command £6/hour, £28/day or £154/week for us if we put it on the scheme. To save depreciation costs, MOT, annual servicing, fuel, insurance, road tax, accident insurance excess not to mention the hassle of parking I’d be sorely tempted…

Read press coverage here.

Keys were found this morning at the junction of Marywood Square and lane to Venard Gardens. They will be handed into the police unless somebody contacts me.

My number is 07810 376 471

Maybe this follows on quite well from all the cold weather we’ve been having … I’d love to know if anyone would be interested in generating our own green energy in Strathbungo? Wouldn’t it be great if some of the power going into our cold houses and heating our showers could be produced by us, in the streets we live in?

Has anyone ever looked into getting solar PV on their roof – plenty of sunshine across those south facing roofs! Or are there any options for starting a sustainable wood fuel group in the area? Would people be allowed to set up group to collect and burn sustainably managed wood in the city – or is this against smoke free zone rules?

I’ve set up a group on a site called energyshare – which aims to support community renewable energy projects and called it Strathbungo Greenies.  If you’re interested, and especially if you have ideas you’d like to throw into the mix, please do come and join the Strathbungo Greenies group – I’d love to find out what people think might be possible in Strathbungo.

For example – have a look at this film about a community pool heated by biomass (using local wood chips as fuel) Maybe an idea for the Govanhill baths? And this film of a BMX track using solar PV to help them light their track – to get an idea what can be done.

…. a small disclaimer too. I also work with the lovely folks at energyshare, which is where I got the idea! I’ve been speaking with lots of community groups and been inspired by what they’ve done to set up their own renewable energy projects, and thought if they can do it, maybe we can too.

If you’d like to talk some more, please do come join me and leave your comments in the Strathbungo Greenies group.

While reflecting that my wife and I are going to have a quiet Christmas together this year I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if it was just me spending Christmas alone. A short trawl on the internet threw up an article from the Daily Mail earlier this month which reported that:

Most elderly people think Christmas is overrated and one in ten of them will be spending Christmas Day alone, according to a survey.

It showed that the poorest were more likely to dread Christmas and more likely to borrow money for presents and celebrations. They were also more likely to spend Christmas on their own.

Sixty-eight per cent of them believe Christmas is overrated, compared with 54 per cent of the population as a whole. Eighteen per cent of Britons, or nearly one in five, say they dread Christmas.

And Research from Help the Aged has revealed that three quarters of a million older people in Britain regularly feel isolated and lonely, while one million are spending the Christmas period on their own. According to Help the Aged, a worrying half of the UK’s nine million elderly population claim that the television is their main form of company.

Please do visit anyone in Strathbungo who will be spending Christmas by themselves particularly those who are already vulnerable or unwell. Taking a pie or going with a family member (particularly a child) will reduce any stress or awkwardness from your visit. Small gestures can have a big impact on the health and wellbeing of others.

They may have specific concerns they need to talk over with somebody and may be in need of extra support. It could simply be of course that their family wasn’t able to make it to Strathbungo on account of the weather and closed roads and airports. It could be that they have not invited anyone because of the expense of hosting and giving gifts. And remember it is not just the elderly who may be spending Christmas alone. New comers to Glasgow and Strathbungo as well as the more introverted of us (and I include myself in that category) are also vulnerable to spending Christmas alone. Whatever the reason, it could be that you will be the only person your neighbour sees or speaks to at Christmas.

And if you haven’t seen someone for a few days when you would normally expect to see them, ask if a neighbour has keys and gently let yourselves in to check all is well.

If someone needs company do stay with them and make sure they are warm and fed. Invite them to your place for coffee or a meal. Or, if they are up for it, invite them to your Christmas party. If you know of someone in Strathbungo who would like some company but you can’t help, then let me know and we will organise for someone to visit.

Our aim should be that no one is alone at Christmas who doesn’t want to be alone.