On a recent trip out to a somewhat more rural location than my home town, I was quite taken with the eforts the owner of our hired cottage had gone to to make sure the utilities were not squandered away at her expense. There were various devices in place to ensure the heating came on only when really necessary – there were warm rugs on the floor, wonderfully warm woollen blankets and throws in the main sleeping and sitting quarters. We noted the discrete requests to turn off all unecessary lights and ensure the cooker and kettles were not switched on any more than standard use. At first I thought the owner was just being ‘tight’. However, having commented out loud, I was rounded on by said daughter, who reminded me that we were in the most gorgeous part of the country and it was our duty to save the planet and peak district at all costs!
