Nice of the commissioners to disappear off to their holiday homes over Christmas without mowing the lawns first. Thanks a lot. You could have put the house in order first.

Because our normally glorious greenspaces looked like unkempt paddocks waiting for a John Deere to drop by and turn them into silage. Even the lovely planting in a garden on a Vale Street reserve disappeared from view beneath the long grass around it.

I had some folks drop into Tauranga over Christmas and it prompted them to remark.

Probably a nice place but no points for presentation – they said as much. Can't you afford to take pride in your town?

The visitors also hooted when they saw that the guy with the edger had been round, but not a mower in sight. Nice clean tidy edges, but still a paddock. Then a few days ago when the mowers did arrive, that paddock looked ready to be baled – mounds of mown grass and blowing all over the place.

Just tacky! A lawn only looks like a lawn when just the top has been mown from it.

I understand if there's a need for the city to save money, don't mow the greenspace as often.

And there was staff on holiday and all that damned rain. But we still have to live in this town and we still like to take pride. Perhaps the commissioners could just leave the John Deere under the tree and we will do it ourselves.

Science is on my side because researchers in Australia have discovered that when grass is cut it releases chemicals that make people feel happy and relaxed.

Keep me happy and relaxed please commissioners.

I R Goldsmith, Bureta.