Tangled Bank Foraging and Fibre Crafts
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
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
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.
Several years I met a rather wonderful hippie elder, who told me that she used to make yoghurt in bed in the seventies; if you heated the milk in the morning and put it under the duvet it would stay warm and fermenting all day and by evening you would not only have homemade yoghurt … Continue reading Economy gastronomy? Hay boxes, Wonderbags and insulation cookery
I spent yesterday evening lying on my back in the middle of a B road, my legs steepled awkwardly to avoid the woman lying in the road behind me, squinting as I stared straight into the bright sky and wishing I'd thought to put my sunglasses on before I lay down. It was too late … Continue reading Lying down for a better world
As the British government continues to fumble its way through its response to the covid-19 pandemic, it is becoming increasingly apparent that if our leaders cannot provide guidance on how to protect ourselves and one another we will have to make our own judgements. We absolutely should not be in this position, with the government … Continue reading We all wear masks
Tangled Bank Foraging and Fibre Crafts 