Council will develop a strategy for the commission of murals and graffiti on the walls of buildings along with sculptures in public places.

One aim is to build the profile of local artists.

Let's hope it doesn't turn out like the alley off Summer Street next to Kathmandu.

It's dark, dirty and the bare concrete wall is now covered with junk graffiti, obviously not an example for a public art program.

And it's not a good look for visitors who use it. Or locals for that matter.

Usually when graffiti vandals are involved, if a wall is cleaned they'll be back the next day to attack it.

They no doubt hang out in this local underbelly at night.

So it's time to do something and that's probably why the Future City architects reckon the best deterrent is if you can't beat 'em, as they say, join 'em.

Usually when graffiti artists paint murals on walls other taggers leave things alone.

They've done that at Eugowra where visiting artists have painted wall murals telling stories of the town's bushranger heritage including Ben Hall and the Gardiner Gang's Escort Rock robbery and they look great.

Hopefully the public art program will work here because we don't need any more Summer Street alleys or vandalised road signs.

Are we going back to the future?

In 1865 Britain introduced the Red Flag Act that required all mechanically powered road vehicles not exceed 4mph (6.4kmh) on the open road and 2mph (3.2kmh) in towns and be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag to warn the public.

The way things are going here, it could come back to that.

It seems Orange road speeds are being reduced regularly for obscure safety reasons with the latest suggestion a 40kmh limit in the middle of town bounded by Peisley, Hill, Kite and Byng streets and including Summer Street.

It's probably fair enough in busy Summer but it's highly doubtful drivers will take the slightest notice in the other streets because they don't in the Brown's Cows block in Anson Street that's already a 40kmh area.

In Orange nobody drives at the 50kmh limit, anyway, and if you do there's a tail-gating bullbar in your mirror.

So if the speed reductions are approved it'll be quicker to walk rather than drive a car.

Either that or we'll have to go back to the man with the red flag.

The bumper bright yellow canola crops in the district have competition from the purple flowers of Paterson's Curse that have sprung up everywhere.

The weed reduces pasture productivity and is toxic to livestock, particularly horses.

However, it's not named after Banjo but from early Albury settler Jane Paterson who brought the first seeds from Europe to beautify a garden and could then only watch helplessly as the weed took over productive pastures for miles around.

Saint Peter stops a man at the Pearly Gates.

'You've told too many lies for me to let you in,' he tells the man.

'Have a heart,' the man replies. 'Remember you were once a fisherman yourself.'