Comments and views, gardening and recipes, football and lots more
I think all 23 mint varieties have survived the winter and I am going to start drying them and the thyme and sage varieties, and lemon verbena, lemon balm.
Also planing for pickles, relishes, chutneys, ketchups and sauces using tomatoes and the herbs in the garden.
If you were the richest person on Earth. with access to $270 billion – what would you do? Surely every normal human being would want to do something to combat hunger, poverty and pain. Or improve the environment and the lives of all.
My analysis seems to suggest that all billionaires are horrible, selfish, (I am desperately trying to avoid the worst swear words I can think of).
I will concede that Tesla cars maybe good for the environment – and his development of batteries, etc. – but if he believes that buying Twitter is “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” – this needs to be debated!
Using google to place $270 billion it puts his personal wealth between. Chile and Finland, and bigger than Portugal, Greece, New Zealand, Kenya and …. this is ridiculous.
A sparrow hawk landed on a plant pot by the kitchen window with a dead blackbird and then spent a good 5 minutes plucking and nibbling.
Once again the government has no plan other than Sleaze-Dogg ripping up protective legislation. Energy costs to carry on rising and the war in Ukraine is blamed. It is government policy that is to blame. France caps energy rises at 4%, Italy offers. 110% grants for improving home energy efficiency. Government boasts of £20 million ring fenced grant for tidal power research where we are world leaders (from a tiny base!).
Put speed limits on motorways and enforce them. Subsidise energy efficiency. Allow onshore wind farms. Support organic farms. Stop allowing housing projects where car use is essential due to location away from shops and facilities.
EVERY INDICATOR POINTS TO DISASTER. But the government does nothing.
Nice one Banwell Garden Centre.
It is quite cold at night still so most plants taking their time – but that’s ok! Tomato plants planted first doing well – time to transplant in a couple of days – but I need to create some space by giving stuff away! I have also transplanted some of the wild flower seeds into the front. Sweet basil on kitchen window sill with a tomato (if I clip it it should stay smallish), greek basil not showing yet. Dill growing well as are marigolds, mustard and Californian poppies.
Books I recommend. The Anarchy – William Dalrymple; The Book of Trespass – Nick Hayes; Our Climate Our Future – Jonny Friend; and for light entertainment Debbie Johnson -Cold Comfort Cafe. I make no apologies for wanting a gentle read with a bit of humour and a happy ending.
Raw sewage pumped into rivers 372533 times last year. Our wonderful government and the privatised companies which have dished out millions of £ to shareholders, have agreed to cut these discharges by 40% by 2040. Honestly this is not a typo, and the government say it is a step change! So in 18 years time there will only be 223520 discharges of raw shit into our rivers. What a fragrant government we have!
Water companies dumped sewage into our rivers and coast 372,533 times last year! How shitty is that?
National Grid Live Status shows that we are still very dependant on fossil fuels, especially at this time of year. We have become reliant on wind for renewable energy and not done enough to develop solar. As ever I am the worst sort of commentator as I have limited knowledge which may be worse than no knowledge!
Cutting demand is an obvious partial solution. Solar panels on all possible sites of offices and educational establishments that operate mainly in daylight is a no brainer. Governments and investors of all persuasions seem fixated on the large scale projects. Would lots of small scale projects undermine the privatised National Grid? I am surprised at the lack of HEP – water powered this country for centuries. Re-instated mill ponds would surely bring environmental benefits.
The stats show the continuing importance of nuclear power. I am cautious with Windscale, Three Mile Island, Fukushima, Chernobyl all in my memory, and we do not seem to have solved the nuclear waste problem. However, needs must. At this time of year we need an alternative that does not exacerbate climate change. The £13 billion pound cost of increasing the nuclear component from 16% to 25% it to passed onto the public. I am not sure the free market economy is working too well in this market. We have seen the privatised energy companies make huge profits (and the huge fossil fuel companies), whilst little has been done to help the poorest in our society. (I was fortunate to have been born with the benefits derived from a socialist government. The gap between rich and poor was still too large, but has grown exponentially recently). The current capitalist model is broke.
Apparently Tory MP’s with rural constituencies are opposed to relaxing planning rules for onshore wind farms. I suspect that 90% of people living in villages do not give a shit, it is the wealthy landowners they are talking about. I am sure the Daily Mail or Telegraph can run a spurious story linking wind turbines to cancer!