Nature


Stepping Out of Christmas!

Posted on January 7, 2024

When December arrives, the winter gloom descends upon us. Then the Christmas lights swoop in like knights in twinkling armor, apparently granting us the permission to eat and get pissed. Pubs and restaurants turn into bustling havens, and suddenly, everyone’s as jolly as Santa Claus himself. The build up to Christmas is still a wonderful time of the year. However, after the much-anticipated work break ends, the winter gloom hangs around ...

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Do We Need to Worry or Rejoice in the September Heat?

Posted on September 9, 2023

By the time this weekend is over, many places in the UK will have seen six successive days where it has passed 30 centigrade. That will be double what has ever happened before in the UK during the month of September. For those who don’t like the heat, they should be grateful it is September. Had the current weather pattern emerged in July or early August, the temperature would have soared into the late 30s. 40 centigrade may have happened ...

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Feeling Liberated From Hope in Cornwall

Posted on August 5, 2023

When I drove down to Cornwall last week, a strange thing happened. I knew the weather was going to be utterly miserable but I didn’t care. I was looking forward to a break and there was nothing the weather could do about it. Hope and Despair Why was this? How could I possibly be looking forward to a wet break? Well, it’s like this. There is an old saying that goes, “Give me despair, I can take despair…it’s the hope that kills ...

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Kill the World, Make it a Better Place!

Posted on April 20, 2023

I was looking at some pictures of birds I have taken, the other day. One of my favourites is of a kingfisher (see above). They are incredibly quick in flight, so normally all you will see is an orange and blue blur. To see one sitting, looking for breakfast, is incredible. It’s when you realise what it really means to have your breath taken away. Who Cares? With pollution flowing down our rivers faster than bungs and donations passing ...

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The Plight of Our Chalk Streams

Posted on March 19, 2023

I don’t know whether it is a coincidence or not but documentaries by David Attenborough and Paul Whitehouse in recent weeks have both featured Hampshire chalk streams. I care about these because I walk amongst them daily. 80% of the world’s chalk streams are right here, in Hampshire. I can even see one (The Bourne Rivulet) from my bedroom window. These precious rivers are under threat from a range of environmental factors, including ...

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