.Lift the cornflakes and set them on the back seat, are you going into town? Accepting the lift I noticed my neighbours eating, reading and shopping habits could easily be determined by the rubbish inside his car. Pride of place went to the half eaten bowl of cornflakes complete with spoon sitting in the passenger seat. I've spent too many hours lifting roadside litter to have anything other than admiration for drivers who keep their rubbish. While roadside litter is unsightly it is not normally dangerous, glass bottles thrown into pools are a different matter. Previously I had mentioned the pools on the Bloody bridge river, half the country must have read my article or already knew of their existence. Over the bank holiday period the pools were filled with bathers enjoying the summer sunshine. Before sketching the scene, I was horrified but not surprised to find the pool beneath the bridge full of bottles and cans. Rubbish will always be left in beautiful places, and will always include the ubiquitous plastic bag. After filling a few discarded bags the place looked a lot better, but broken glass remains, hidden on the bottom. I managed to complete the sketch despite the attention of two young boys enjoying an early dip. Sketching outdoors invites artistic criticism, whether you want it or not. The questions are invariably the same, are you an artist? how much will you sell that for? and if you are having a bad day, is that anywhere near here mister? The boys had been camping nearby with their parents and when they left, only a ring of stones, a patch of scorched earth and a few disposable barbeques remained. Its surprising how far people will walk into the Mountains to dump litter, often in some very inaccessible places. If you are interested in helping to keep the Mournes clean, the Mourne Heritage Trust regularly organise litter lifts or if when hiking you are incensed by its presence fill a plastic bag and bring some down to the car park and put it in a bin.