The bins! The bins!

I returned from work tonight, walking down our street, thinking: "I wonder if I'll see my old friend tonight?" I glanced over to wheelie bin #2 and... AND!!! It's gone!! I feel uneasy. Unnerved. "Is this some kind of trick?"

I get myself together and mentally slap my face.

"Keep it together, they might be watching you."

"They? Who are they?"

I realise that I'm not in an episode of the Prisoner (alas) and look over to wheelie bin #3 for reassurance. That's gone as well! What is happening to my life? In the sad, damp space left by #3 ("I am not a number, I am a real wheelie bin") I see that some neighbours have left a few small, bulging binbags. It reminds me of the lamp-posts where grief-stricken parents tie flowers at the scene of a fatal car crash.

I look behind me for the never-mentioned #4, but that too has gone. From my vantage point I cannot see #1 but I know that it's not worth racing around the corner... They're all gone. IT'S OVER! In a very Roy Orbison kind of way.

Then it all becomes clear and I feel foolish for reacting in such an overblown way. It's August Bank Holiday weekend and the Notting Hill Carnival. The council always removes all bins to stop people setting fire to them or using them as giant beer coolers. Normal service will be resumed next week.

Caught on film part 2

I did a bit of a better job tonight. I got nearly 2 minutes footage of old Snoop Dog rummaging through wheelie bin #2. In it you can clearly see my old chum opening the lid of the bin and hunting through before returning to his cab (not sure if he got anything - maybe, maybe not) and zooming off in the snoop-mobile. I have handed this over to the appropriate authorities for analysis. Wow - it's all happening in downtown Westminster. Check it out.

Know your quarry

I thought it'd be worth giving a bit more of a description of the Bin Raider than I have previously provided. It's good to know what you're looking for. Mr Nosey is a short and stocky man with short dark hair and a permanent five o'clock shadow. He looks mediterranean in origin. The person he most resembles is Diego Armando Maradona although he's looked after himself rather better than the former Argentinian No 10. He looks a formidable figure in his brown protective tunic and always looks happy enough rummaging through the rubbish, although sometimes I worry that our pint-sized friend might fall into one of the wheelie bins just as the proper bin men turn up to load him into their crusher. Oh, what a mess that would make.

Caught on film

I managed to film Mr Bin on my wife's digital camera tonight. He had stopped at bin #2 and was having a root through. However, the combination of my camera skills and the fact I was filming from 10 yards away though a window meant that the results were inconclusive. Indeed I would have got better results if I'd decided to film my own backside. I need a new approach - maybe a "hide" like they have in those BBC wildlife programmes. And a proper video camera would be nice too. Now where would I get something like that???

Bags of fun

Today at 1.38pm - one of my helpers noticed our man with his apprentice scooping though bin #2 pulling out bin bags. Looking forward to my sting operation tomorrow. I bet it rains.

Nosing around

Back again Tuesday tonight, rooting through wheelie bin #2. He was too quick for me to capture on film. There was too much normal rubbish for him, it seems. Not enough administrative material, perhaps... I will snap him though.

Sunday, Sunday

Just a quickie to note Mr Snoop's arrival at his world of binbags at 2pm on Sunday. I was on my way out for the afternoon so I didn't get to see if he came back for more.

P.S. Elvis died on this day 27 years ago. I don't think there's a link - but you never know.