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The Pros & Cons of Moving Home
If you are in your 50’s and thinking of moving, think seriously. It is physically and emotionally exhausting. It makes you realise your back, elbows and knees are entering the last phase of being fit for purpose. Our reason for moving was simple. We couldn’t continue running two houses. Moving into mine long-term would not have been wise as we might have killed each other. We didn’t want to stay at Jennifer’s as she had neighbours ...
Caring for the Environment – That’s for Snowflakes
When I was out and about in the northern countryside last week, a Twitter shitstorm was kicking off, quite literally. It was all to do with water companies pumping raw sewage into Britain’s coastlines and rivers. Amendment & U-Turns In case you hadn’t noticed, it was all about an amendment in the Environment Bill. It was put forward by the Duke of Wellington, no less. The amendment was, on paper, a reasonable one. It was to ...
The Smell of the Seasons that Take us Back in Time
Sometimes, when I am out walking, I smell the change of the season and it sends me spiralling back to my youth. I can only think that this is because after childhood, we spend decades indoors at home, in the office, or on the factory floor. Therefore, when we get out more later in life, the smells remind us of a time when they were constantly around us. I wonder what smells 21st Century kids will recognise when they are older? The stench ...
Revisiting the World of Twitching
I Had a funny incident the other day when out walking the dog. I was about to capture a picture of a bullfinch when I saw a young couple heading my way. As they approached, I partially hid my camera, said good morning, and carried on minding my own business. I wondered why, at the age of 53, I still feel embarrassed about bird watching. How bizarre that I still feel the pain of being caught, by Gary Maude, with a pair of binoculars whilst ...
The Haulage Crisis that Won’t Go Away!
The crisis with the lack of lorry drivers is quite easy to understand. A UK lorry driver deals with poor working conditions, a paucity of welfare facilities and a salary not worth all the unsociable hours. This was an increasing problem but when freedom of movement was still in place, at least some of the void could be filled by drivers from EU nations. Brexit Exposure Brexit left the haulage business exposed. Freedom of movement ended, ...