The Mystery of the Vanishing Licence Application

This evening, at 9.30pm, I was walking past the Booby's site on Harbourside, just to double check the colouring of the licence application in the window (there was a rumour going round that if it was printed on the wrong colour paper, we could have a case). And there it was, where I've seen it so often, bold as brass, next to the brassy photo of a bold looking Hooters Girl not wearing much.

For now, I'll gloss over the interaction I had with in irate builder who spotted me looking at the sign to check the colour of the paper (sadly it was the palest blue I've ever seen, but just blue enough not to be the offencing white that we needed). As I walked down the road, he was just getting in his truck to drive off, but he got out when he saw me and came over, ready for an argument. His first words were, "You won't get it closed down." So I asked what made him think I wanted to get it closed down, I was just looking at the window. Anyway, we had a bit of a chat, which resulted in me walking off to be shouted at, "Get a life." (As opposed to, "Get a job with scruples.")

Anyway, not 15 minutes later, a fellow campaigner texted me to say the notice had gone. Which struck me as odd, so I rang her to double check we were talking about the same thing, and we were.

Now why would the builder (the only person visible on the premises, which had its lights off) be in such a hurry to go back into a building site that he was clearly leaving, just to remove a sign? Was he concerned that maybe the licence WAS on the wrong colour paper? Will it be replaced tomorrow, reprinted on a bright blue paper? I may well pop down in my lunch break to check.