At school we called it Scab Duty, when a whole class would leave its lesson to wander around the school picking up rubbish. No one liked it and we would complain bitterly.  We had BBQ tongs for the pick up. I guess it was an outing, of sorts. Who would have thought 30 years on I’d be doing it ‘off my own bat’. I have to admit though; it wasn’t until I read that David Sedaris had ‘at 56, found a new hobby: picking up rubbish’ that got me thinking about actually doing something about the rubbish I see.  When David takes his guests for a walk near his home, he hands them a bag for them to pick up rubbish. Of course, he would be brilliant company and I image his guests would find it all a hilarious adventure. I have 3 rules when out ‘scabbing’ – 1. only pick up plastic, 2. have a bin within my sights and 3. only pick up one piece at a time. These rules will help me not to get confused with a street cleaner (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I only started scabbing at the weekend, picking up a squashed water bottle on the road as I crossed. My first pick up wasn’t very elegant and it definitely wasn’t hilarious. A car beeped me! I wasn’t sure if they were encouraging me or telling me to move along. However, I do need to work on the perfect sweep up – an elegant bend, a deft pick up and a simple drop into the bin. Slainte – Colleen