Restarting the Barton news blog

It's the 17th May 2020.  Coroavirus is creeping up again in North Somerset and this week, I had a telecall with my oncology consultant on the state of play with my prostate cancer.  Tragically, our dear friend Ruth Spalding collapsed and died a fortnight ago and her husband Mike came for a cup of tea yesterday.  We have been in contact a lot, but it was good to meet, albeit observing the 2 m social distance.  We sat outside, enjoying the great weather we have had since the lockdown, with louder birdsong and clean air.  With so much that has happened and with time at home to consider the state of the globe, the country and our circumstances, I feel it is time to restart a blog, with occasional posts on topics that need to be considered, alongside news from sleepy Barton.

Echium pininana (3 m) and Echium candicans not yet flowering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Agricultural machinery is now too big for rural roads

Image
We have a problem that is specific to life in the countryside – ever larger tractors and associated machinery on country lanes.  I appreciate that living in the country brings privileges, especially under Covid-19 lockdown, when we have been able to walk out of our garden and not meet many, if any, people.   However, when we, our dogs, the verges and roadside walls are threatened by high speed tractors and trailers weighing tons, there is a time to speak out.   Our lane was built for traffic that consisted of a horse and cart and many rural roads across the UK are just the same.   The mechanisation revolution in agriculture that started around the Second World War still continues.   With ever fewer people working on farms, the technological answer has been to develop larger and larger and ever more powerful machinery.   The larger the tractor, the less time it takes to work a field.   This brings time efficiency, but at what cost?   More and more stock farmers around us use contracto
Read more

Don’t be a colonial tourist, or why we should review our travel expectations

Image
Have you noticed the heavy advertising for travel and tourism?   It seems to be in every medium. just as lockdown is easing.   Have you ever thought: Why do we expect to travel the globe and be tourists everywhere?   What is this sense of entitlement?   What does travel do to climate, to local communities, wildlife etc.?   What should we be doing? Fairly recently, I heard the following: “Everybody has the right to travel to wherever they wish”.   Pre-coronavirus, that was probably a very widely held opinion.   However, at the very simplest level, this is patently now not the case.   I am not able to visit my grandchildren in Scotland.   If we were to follow our inclination to go where we like, when we like, in fairly short order we would likely be subject to state intervention and sanctions – and in my opinion, under current coronavirus conditions, rightly too, including Mr Cummings.   So, how does this sit with our apparently insatiable desire to travel all over the globe.   Nowaday
Read more

Singapore 7

Image
With the tour at an end, Hilary and I set off to explore Singapore.   Our first port of call was the National Museum of Singapore.   This was a fine building with a colonial classic style front, but an modern and airy main area.   We had come to see the Musee d’Orsay exhibition of art and were not disappointed with some stunning pictures of the era from c. 1860 to the 1920’s.   One of the best was by a Brit, of a girl by the sea, with light on the sea to die for.   After that we headed for the Botanic Gardens, getting on at Dhoby Ghout and changing onto the Circle line.   We had a bite to eat at the café, then did the wonderful Orchid Gardens, then the Ginger garden, before strolling back via the Evolution garden – well done.   Bathed and changed for Raffles, going smart, so we could get into the bar for a good seat.   We both had the Singapore Sling Original, which slips down a treat, so you don’t notice the cost!   Then on to Chimjes and selected a nice tapas bar for supper and a bee
Read more