Brent's missing front lawns

Depressing isn't it? Between my house and the railway station there about 60 houses on each side of the road. At last count, there were only six front gardens.

I've got one, which my brother kindly tends and it is so pleasing to hear people who pass, compliment me on the sight. All of us have back gardens, but at the front of our home we have hedges, trees, bushes, flowers and even the odd bit of wildlife. I spotted a squirrel, dashing across the lawn to scuttle over the garage towards the back of the house yesterday morning.

All the front lawns about our place have turned into parking spaces. Alright, I know we are within the restricted parking area for the stadium, but even so, the house on one side of me has six cars plus two wheelie bins on the concrete apron out front. On the other side there are four cars. However across the road every house has only one car, but they are all parked almost in their front doors.

During the last council elections, I spent much of my free time delivering leaflets, in and around the Wembley area. Some streets have absolutely no street parking available so they all have paved their front gardens in order to park assorted vehicles, varying from massive 'Chelsea Tractors' down to tiny cars not much larger than my mother's shoes.

This saddens me. When I was a lad, not only did I enjoy the sight and smell of the flowers along the road but also I would admire the butterflies and birds which would dance around me on my way to school. Nowadays there are more gardens in the TV soaps than there are in real life and there aren't many in Coronation Street!