Learning about and trying to live lightly on this beautiful planet. The natural world, inclusive bushcraft, evidence-based environmentalism and sustainable living.
A documentary called Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator aired on Saturday on Channel 4, covering work done by the team who conducted the genetic identification of Richard the Third's skeleton to sequence Adolf Hitler's genome from a fragment of bloody fabric from the sofa on which he killed himself. As a scientist who would … Continue reading Talking bollocks: Hitler’s genetics
I was so lucky last month to marry Charlie, the most wonderful person I've ever met. I wish I was a better writer, I'm rather better at facts and figures about carbon sequestration than I am at heartfelt romance so I can't really do the whole experience justice but it genuinely was the best experience … Continue reading How we made our wedding as sustainable (and affordable!) as possible
Olio is an app that launched in the UK in 2015, encouraging people to share surplus food and so prevent food waste. It then expanded to allow the sharing of non-food items on a similar model to Freecycle or Buy Nothing Groups. As well as food sharing between individuals, Olio also distributes surplus close to … Continue reading A disappointing decision from Olio
I've been a regular cycle commuter in both London and Exeter so am pretty confident on a bike. I've also done a fair bit of long distance hiking, so have a fair bit of experience with packing light and managing menstruation on the trail, experience which you would think would translate well to bikepacking. But … Continue reading A beginners’ bikepacking adventure
Photo by Tania Ford on Pexels.com I am a fully paid up member of the tofu-eating wokerati and probably drink more gin and tonic than is entirely reasonable, so was disappointed to see the following shared on Mastodon: I downloaded the image in question for more detail of the logos: I don't believe it's much … Continue reading Mixing with the best? – the confusing connection between Fever Tree and the US Republican Convention
Last night my partner and I went to see Mikaela Loach, climate justice organiser and author of "It's Not That Radical" in conversation with Kalkidan Legesse at Bookbag, Exeter's independent bookshop. Mikaela Loach on the left and Kalkidan Legesse on the right, sitting in front of microphones and viewed over the shoulders of seated crowd … Continue reading “It’s Not That Radical” – organising for an environmentally just future with Mikaela Loach
I woke up this morning to the depressing news that CoBikes, Exeter's bike and electric car hire scheme, had gone into administration and would be ceasing operations. Sadly I can't say I'm entirely surprised. CoBikes were an absolute lifesaver for me during the pandemic when, thanks a hasty decision to prioritise bringing my plants home … Continue reading Public vs private luxury: why are we so willing to accept that we can’t have nice things?
You poor take courage You rich take care This earth was made a common treasury For everyone to share Billy Bragg - The World Turned Upside Down Photograph by Rob on Flickr It may surprise you to learn this about me, but I frequently do something illegal and thoroughly enjoy doing it. I do it … Continue reading Camping in our common treasury
Mastodon is a federated social network - unlike Twitter or Facebook say, which is run by one company, it's easiest to think of Mastodon as a tool like email. There are a number of different servers or "instances" where your data (your account details, the contents of your posts, the timestamps of your activity, the cute picture you took of your cat fighting your slippers) are stored, there are a number of different apps or clients you can use to access these data the same way you could access the same email account through Apple mail on your iPhone or Outlook on your work PC or Gmail on an Android phone, and Mastodon is the set of instructions that allows them all to talk to one another.
Who wants to hear a scary Halloween story? According to Hubbub 39.9 million pumpkins are bought in UK at Halloween, and 22.2 million of these, worth £32.6 million, end up thrown away uneaten. Apparently an astonishing 41% of the population don't even know that they're edible, although that's at least a slight improvement on 2014's … Continue reading Spare the squash: tips for a sustainable spooky season
Tangled Bank Foraging and Fibre Crafts 