We were invited to the birth by the local farmer, Ann and I. Well, more than one birth, 1500 in fact. The soft, silent, bouncy walk into the barn was over a mass of straw. Around the perimeter, [...]

There are hill routes in the Peak District that have to be treated with respect, especially for we pensioners. The respect is about steepness or remoteness or even the potential for rescue. After [...]

Do you own your own body? If that seems an odd question then perhaps I need to clarify the situation. There is no doubt that you own it whilst you are alive. However, when you die the situation [...]

As we walked through Derby town centre, a young bible basher was in full throat. He shouted, “do you know where you are going when you die?” Mindful that I was headed back to rural [...]

This is a post on getting fitter for the over 60’s. I think I am qualified to discourse on this subject as a runner for over 50 years. However, what is fitter is perhaps a more difficult [...]

I have created five new gardens, each subsequently passed over to the people buying our property. It was a an herbaceous garden in Wolverhampton and then a heather and conifer garden in Penrith. [...]

The words ‘conspiracy in Shrewsbury’ really appealed to me. That medieval town, surrounded by the loop of the River Severn, is hardly the obvious place for such goings on. It was a [...]

I was listening to some music from the proms, in my present in the moment mode. However, afterwards I realised that I had done what I often do at such times, that is to disappear back into my [...]

Can you make soil? If that appears an odd question then stay with me. I was taught this skill in the 1960’s but beware, it involves some hard labour. You might ask why soil is needed. Well, [...]

I have got used to my aching legs. I blame, variously, old age, too much running or even kneeling to do gardening. However, I am not averse to some googling and very quickly up popped various [...]

Moles need a little love! When did you last see or hear anything on moles? Chris Packham never mentions them on Winterwatch or any of the other ‘watches’. David Attenborough [...]

Requests to ban all peat sales in the UK is far more contentious than it might sound. However, this peat extraction issue has been hanging around since the 1990’s and, for some of us, even [...]

As Spring approaches, mucking fields in the Peak District is something you cannot ignore. As a southern softie down in Dorset the contents of a cow’s stomachs never crossed my mind. That [...]

The throwing of statues into Bristol Docks and our past investments in sugar cane touch on a sore that has long plagued humankind. This topic struck me because Ann is reading a book called [...]

As we Brits gaze into our navel and berate ourselves over empire, slavery and colonialism, the Scandinavians stand apart. They appear the epitome of civilisation, wealthy, highly social and [...]

During 45 years working in cemeteries and crematoria, I recorded an increasing longevity each and every year. Because I was so used to that I never expected it to change. The improvement in [...]

Wardlow Hay Cop is a modest peak, tucked away into other folds of Peak District hills. However, from so many directions, even though it is in the view, few people recognise it. A drive from [...]

I’m fed up with being a man. I am told that these days I can be anybody I want to be, and any gender. So, I am exchanging Ken for Karen. That might sound like I want to be a woman but not [...]

Here, in the wilder Shires, life is good, even in the winter. Four cows are snug in the byre. Hay is piled outside and you can smell its aroma way before you reach it. The cats sit about calmly, [...]

I rarely told anybody that I once rafted down the Grand Canyon. It sounded a little pretentious. However, it happened because in the 1970’s, as a climber, I lauded Joe Brown and Don [...]

I’m sick of waiting for the government. They couldn’t make a decision to end my life let alone theirs. With Bishops in the Lords and a pseudo Christian attitude in government, it [...]

The question to the BBC programme was ‘should I have children when I see the world falling apart?’ I cannot answer it because I don’t have a womb. Even if I called myself a [...]

The countryside is a wonderful place. You go for a three mile walk, meet a few people from the village, hear and see all the news. On Main Street, a skip had been placed outside the Butchers [...]

I have despised the water companies for most of my life. The brook I used to fish in as a kid was ruined by them. They cut all the trees and shrubs along the bank to speed up the flow of water [...]