“At one end of the Thames you may picnic over the river on ancient farm bridges garlanded with stonecrop, and watch aerial warfare between monstrous dragonflies; at the other end is the Thames Barrier, reposing in the departing flow like a shining line of walnut shells.” – A Walk Along the Thames Path (Michael Joseph,… Continue reading
Five years on from Paris, where is the urgency?
Five years on from the Paris Agreement on climate, there is still more talk than action. Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise. Green schemes should be all around us. But they are not. Just before Christmas I noticed scaffolding on the roofs of a line of a dozen or so… Continue reading →
Is this what action on climate change actually looks like?
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.) There were many articles last weekend marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement. There is little more to be said on that we… Continue reading →
Looking at Stonehenge Tunnel with future generations in mind
A committee in Wales last week (Nov 27th) published detailed proposals for addressing traffic congestion as an alternative to building a £1.6bn 14 mile long motorway bypass. It was a highly usual initiative. Normally big road schemes are either given the go-ahead or scrapped, either forever or to be revived at some later date. Other… Continue reading →
Black Narcissus may be Christmas draw but Holly and Ivy is seasonal hit
One of the highlights of the 2020 TV Christmas schedule is sure to be the three-part adaptation of Rumer Godden’s Black Narcissus, which she wrote in 1939. It’s the story of a group of nuns setting up a mission in the Himalayas, and stars Gemma Arterton and Diana Rigg. It is sure to attract big… Continue reading →
Introducing Dorset Tea’s plastic-free cuppa
Dorset Tea, one of the smaller UK tea producers, has eliminated plastic and switched to bio-degradable teabags. It now uses plant-based, heat-sealable paper that can be safely popped into council food waste bins for recycling. The company has also removed the gold lettering on the box in which teabags in the Sunshine Blend range are… Continue reading →