In defence of grubbiness

Here's a good aesthetic argument for throwing away your dustpan and brush. This railing wouldn't look half so nice if it had been kept tidy.

There are practical arguments too. A bit of muck is surely a good thing. I don't like the obsession with cleanliness that people seem to have in the west, especially North America. There's a difference between being clean, and being sterile. Every other advert on the telly is for chemical cleaning products. Food comes sanitised and shrink-wrapped, and it tastes of plastic. Every winter, office workers are required by their employers to take flu vaccines rather than build resistance by letting nature take its course.

I'm not surprised when I hear that we're facing an "allergy epidemic". We're bombarded with chemicals and isolated from nature. Kids are kept away from bugs and dirt and crud for as long as possible, and their immune systems don't get the early kick-start they need. When our natural defences do come on stream they overcompensate, with allergies and leukaemia the predictable result. So, honestly, when my nipper walks in from the garden with barked knees, grubby hands, a snotty nose and a big smile, I couldn't be happier.

Details: Nikon D70, 18-200mm lens @ 90mm, f/5.3, 1/1000s, ISO 800. Sintra, Portugal, 29 July 2006.