I was very interested in Claudia Chen's letter published July 24, and read it with mixed emotions. There was some amount of nostalgia, as I am quite familiar with the area and the phenomena of exercise enthusiasts and associated irritants to which she refers. I can definitely relate to Ms Chen's underlying frustration, so well expressed in her satirical account.

My family's home is there. Over 35 years ago we moved to Upper Widcombe, and as a young woman, my father and I continued our daily routine of jogging together up that "challenging hill" to Mountain Spring. We were delighted at the opportunity of exercising to keep fit, in an environment that was as unspoiled as it was beautiful. In those early mornings, my father and I were alone, except for the sounds of several springs gushing through the rocky terrain, and the occasional frogs, crickets and early-morning bird cries.

Gleaner exposé

Apart from the obvious and established fact that regular exercise contributes to one's overall well-being (a practice instilled in me since childhood), my dad has maintained his stance of 'reverence' to 'Our Hill' as being fundamental to his good health over the years. [As a matter of note, The Gleaner did an exposé on him, when, on his 80th birthday, he was still able to make it to the top. Not an easy task by any standard.]

Which brings me to Ms Chen's dilemma, one shared by so many residents in the area. I have witnessed the plethora of fitness enthusiasts and their parked vehicles grow over the years. I no longer live there ... but my parents still do. I am fascinated by the growing numbers of persons (of varying levels of fitness) who have 'discovered' the wonderful benefits of 'Our Hill'; while secretly reminiscing and longing for the 'old days' when it was just my dad and me.

Inconsiderate

I am encouraged and delighted by a trend that epitomises wellness; yet dismayed at the inconsiderate, haphazard parking, which creates unnecessary hardship for my elderly parents when exiting their driveway.

There have been many changes over the decades, but life goes on. The miles of trees and foliage have been replaced by lavish homes. There are no more visible springs gushing from the rocks, (an occurrence for which the area was named). I empathise with Ms Chen. Her grouses are justified. However, she knows perfectly well that the "illegal parking and threats to road safety" and the "noise of chatter and car alarms" will never be addressed. Not by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation nor any member of parliament.

Unfortunately, Ms Chen and the legal residents of upper Widcombe and Mountain Springs will have to accept the travesty of a society steeped in thoughtlessness and indiscipline, along with the absence of a means to achieve justice ... just as I have had to accept the realisation that 'Our Hill' will never be the same as it was for us, 35 years ago.

I am, etc.,

The Jogger