And other stories from the stranger side of life
A council has been ordered to pay £32,000 to a man it accused of stealing part of his own garden. Christopher Pinto, 77, a retired magistrate, was accused of altering his garden’s boundaries to encroach on the Parkland Walk nature reserve in Highgate, north London. However, a court found in his favour and ordered the council to pay him thousands in costs. Pinto described the local authority as “dishonest, inefficient and uncaring”, noted Metro.
South Koreans become younger
South Koreans have become a year or two younger after new laws requiring the use of the internationally recognised way of counting age took effect. Previously, people were deemed to be a year old at birth - taking into account time spent in the womb. Their age would increase by a year on 1 January every year, noted Sky News, instead of on their actual birth date, meaning someone born on New Year’s Eve would turn two years old on New Year’s Day.
Blackbirds ruin cherry festival
A pick-your-own cherries festival in Cornwall was cancelled after the cherry trees were stripped of fruits by some “cheeky” blackbirds. The five-day cherry picking festival had been organised at Cotehele, a medieval house and grounds managed by the National Trust in Calstock, but trust officials wrote on Facebook that “unfortunately, the cheeky blackbirds who live at Cotehele have jumped the queue and eaten all of the cherries in the orchard”. Another event is due next summer “if the blackbirds allow it”, said UPI.
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