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With Tomato sauce and garlic yoghurt dip
I will use tomatoes, garlic, 1 lemon juice, green beans(cooked a little first) and chick peas from can or green lentils, and chopped red peppers and one chilli. Maybe some chopped mint.
And for afters a strawberry cake. 175g s-r flour; butter; caster sugar; 1 tsp baking powder, lemon plus zest, drop of vanilla’; 75g yoghurt. Top with chopped strawberries and icing sugar – maybe add some
I am not a scientist (I was crap at science at school), however I was OK at mathematics. So if a country like the USA has had 4 (possibly 5) “once in a thousand years” events this summer; China has temperatures never recorded before of over 50C; Pakistan has record floods; Europe’s main river for trade – the Rhine – has record low flows; crops across Europe and worldwide are having lower yields; sea. levels are rising and coastal erosion increasing; glaciers are melting at record rates in all continents; species extinction due to climate change (as opposed to population growth) is increasing; CO2 levels have doubled in last couple of centuries; methane levels are increasing; IT IS A NO BRAINER NOT TO REACT TO THESE FACTS.
Like everything the situation is complex. Governments across Europe need to ensure there no deaths from the cold this winter – our government seems concerned than just about everyone else. Short term fixes are expensive with no return, just as the Covid lockdown was. In the medium term fuels prices need to come down. The main way this will happen is less use, and the capitalist way of doing this is higher prices. Higher prices hit industries and the poor. So there is a fine balance to be met. The first price hike can probably be tolerated by the middle to high income families, and will result in behavioural change. These changes will have a devastating impact of the hospitality sector like pubs and restaurants.
Government should not be about appeasing a small section of society. It should also take a long term view. Yes the energy crisis needs short term expensive measures to prevent deaths this winter. But the solution is inextricably bound to the climate crisis. Dealing with the second will solve the first.
Figures quoted by tories that solving the sewage crisis are misleading the public as usual. There is no excuse for the present levels of pollution. The money is available and action needs to be taken now. I have heard quotes of up to £200 billion. Ridiculous as ever – there will be, for the conceivable future situations of high rainfall where old sewage systems have to pump out sewage. However this is happening on an unacceptable level, and if shares in water companies drop because of legislation – so be it. If CE’s leave – well good riddance as they are only doing the financial aspect of their jobs.
Ukraine – peace is not a word I have heard. Just driving the Russians out of Ukraine otherwise the bully Putin wins. Life is not simple or fair. If it was Brexit would have been overturned due to corruption, Johnson and cronies would be in prison. Ultimately there will have to be a compromise if millions more are not to die or be displaced.
Strikes – it is very clearly a them or us situation. Yes Andy, I am sure there are some archaic practices that the union will happily negotiate on (once a sensible offer is on the table) – was the crossing an area border from the Daily Mail? What are estimates of cost of this? wage differentials between rich and poor are ridiculous – and dangerous.
Education – Academies are now beginning to coalesce – “Economies of scale” – just like under the end County structure, except that we now have read teachers on upto £150000. Can anyone explain how this is more efficient. Churchill School has 10X the number of ancillary staff and secretaries than 30 years ago. How will it cope with rising costs and a decent pay rise for teachers (maybe it should be a set amount, rather than a percentage!).
EU – I am not sure that slagging Germany off for relying on Russian gas is fair – I am 100% certain that the government of the last 12 years would have done the same or worse. We did after all destroy or gas storage facilities. Yes the EU has many faults, and we are now out. But this means we should be negotiating a return in the areas that we are reasonably happy with. The Brexit campaign was funded by those wishing to avoid future tax regulations. Those who campaigned against migration and lack of control over our governance have been shat upon – it was never about this. Therefore there is a desperate need to negotiate new trade deals and stuff with the EU. Even NZ think exporting to the UK is ridiculous.
Why is no one talking about solutions to the cost of housing? 772000 second homes receiving allowances?
Fry some onion and garlic slowly. Add a red pepper and chilli . 10 mins. Then oil and lemon juice and tomatoes another 5 min. Add herbs and S&P and whizz.
Groundwater, river levels and reservoirs are all at the lowest level for 21 years. Of course climate is a major factor but we should not ignore the impact buildings and roads have, together with intensive agriculture, In the last 100 years e have lost 90% of wetlands and 150000miles of hedgerows. The more impervious the surface, the faster the runoff and the lower the infiltration. this means more floods and more severe droughts. House will need to be built with separate sage and storm water systems, all houses will have to have water butts.
With further rises next January taking the bills past £5000. Many households will cope – just, with major changes to their expenditure: Many will not cope at all. Only the rich will benefit as energy is a tiny % of their income, and they get £400 for each second home.
Energy bills for businesses have in many cases already spiralled with many beginning to go bankrupt – thus causing unemployment to rise. Chip shops and pubs maybe some of the first to close
The only sensible solution is to cut energy use. The government should give 100% loans interest free (repayable over 10 years) for the installation of solar panel and insulation. therefore a minimal cost to the government. Households would get free electricity in day time and be paid the going rate per therm, or the benefits of insulation. If heat pumps are viable they should again be massively subsidised.
PS. What does the standing charge actually pay for? Electricity, gas, water, telephone? Are these prices regulated?
In April and May I thought the birds had deserted me – food in dispensers left for days – took them down and gave them a good wash. But now they are demolishing bird food like a panic run on toilet paper. One individual – a greenfinch – is quite comical. Whilst most great tits and blue tits zoom out of the apple tree to grab some food and retreat as quickly as possible, this one arrives on the feeder and instead of tucking in and making a quick getaway he (I think it is a he) lands and has a look back to the red and has a look of “I am here now so do not disturb me”. He is in no hurry and will spend 20 minutes glaring around and having the occasional seed. Comical.
Butterflies are mainly confined to small white. One peacock and a couple of gatekeepers. I am hoping for more. A couple damsel flies too.