Enigma abounds in this amazing country of ours. It often arises as something done by people in the past, and yet we don’t know why or when. Stonehenge might be the greatest enigma but what [...]

My energy bills for October 2022 have not increased too much. The frenzy caused by the media has been absurd. It has frightened many of the aged, not least when forecasts for later in the winter [...]

Is it possible to exaggerate the value of a tree. Yes, I know that they tie up carbon and benefit the environment by their sheer presence. However, other benefits might be more difficult to [...]

In 2010 I wrote a book called ‘A Guide to Natural Burial‘. In it I reminded readers that where they were able to add walking to a funeral, it enhanced the ceremony. For instance, at [...]

Apples and marrow in Bradwell might seem an esoteric subject but stay with me. It arose because in recent weeks, with Ann and I walking around the village most days, we have picked up this free [...]

When our council house estate was built in Shrewsbury in the 1950’s it was invaded. These were house martins and within a few years, almost every house had one under the eves. There were [...]

Gardening springs between joy and despair. Earlier this year I bought three online cottage garden plant collections. I knew it was late in the season, the plants were on sale and cheap and they [...]

I love trees. Sitting here, I look out at a small forest stretching up the hillside. The leaves gently wave in the winds. However, much of my current labour is about planting trees in the garden. [...]

Jelly Babies are dangerous. However, nobody could miss the red flash on the packet highlighting high sugars. As it was, that was precisely the reason why I was buying them. Oh, what a hazardous [...]

In my new house, we live with solar panels. There are eight of them, working away and providing ‘free’ power. I wish it were quite so simple. Firstly, I am surprised how little we [...]

I have just had a world class holiday experience. No, not a cruise to Venice or a tour of Bali; it was far more prosaic. With Ann, I walked from my door, paid £5.00 each for a ticket from two [...]

On the morning I was stressed. Can we manage it? Is it too much? Whatever, we were up at 5.45 am, a bowl of porridge, then toast, jam and heather honey (oh, what a substance!) I forgot, I also [...]

I heard a very sad story the other day. Firstly, a young, enthusiastic teacher returned to school after the holidays. Secondly, she anticipated that the young children would be full of stories [...]

Ann and I have been offline for two months. Then, Open Reach put in a sudden and unexpected appearance and here we are, back in communication. At times over the past few months we had no [...]

Bradwell in the Peak District is now home to Ann and I. This is why I have not posted for a while and will struggle in the near future. No, I am not experiencing personal anxiety. Open Reach is [...]

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, [...]