Leaves on the Line: excuse for slow-running trains which has become a classic tabloid joke at the expense of “bureaucrats” and “bunglers” – this sensible article unpicks the science behind the gags and explains that, yes, leaf-falls are a real problem and yes, there is a reason why the problem got worse in the 1990s. It’s nice to read the boring truth occasionally – and there’s even some happier news at the end: Britain is getting its “first national magazine about trees”, called with admirable good sense Tree News. Best of luck to it.