I had floor problems. When I moved to my current house, the kitchen was covered with pretty unpleasant carpet tiles. But let's face it, carpet tiles are an insane way to cover a kitchen floor – ingrained grease is guaranteed in no time. I had tried to ignore this, but increasingly derogatory commentary from friends made action unavoidable.

It is the Great Green Betrayal. With environmental issues becoming ever more critical, the green policies of Gordon Brown's government are standing still or even going backwards, it became clear last night. On the day of a major warning that time is running out to solve the problems caused by climate change, it emerged that Britain's own green policies are stalled or backsliding in three crucial areas.

When developers were looking for a new "Street of Dreams" to market to Seattle's upscale homebuyers, they alighted on Woodinville, a peaceful wooded community in Snohomish County, about 25 miles north of the city.