Fermentation

It's most important thing in Belgium. 

Read more...

Industry

Well, now I have veered towards the topics of politix and planning, I may as well carry on...

One of the wonderful things about being back in the UK is the incredible opportunity to get ones knickers in a twist about other people building things. In Japan you .just. .let. .go. (and say "shouganai", nothing can be done), because... Nothing Can Be Done - the yakuza are in charge of all the building operations. However, astonishingly, British people are permitted to feel responsibility for their own environment, and thus they must spend quite a lot of their energy getting excited about it.

The thing I have noticed most on return to the UK, is that people have started to plant windmills instead of trees.

This is particularly popular in Scotland, which seems determined to desecrate its beautiful landscape with them. It is a shame they don't produce more power, but I suppose they are less polluting in terms of actual poison than coal fired stations, and perhaps one can chop them down at a later date without too much difficulty. Most people I have spoken to can't understand why they get planted in the nice parts of the country, out of the view of people in cities. Personally I think they should be mass planted along the banks of all the motorways, since they are already massive blights on the landscape. However, I have to admit I cheered quite loudly when I spotted the large array in the sea off the Dee estuary (near Liverpool). I'm not sure we can complain too loudly - the Industrial Revolution started right here - it's all our fault - so surely our duty to endure the windmills as reminders of the sins of our ancestors.

Read more...

Seaside

Apparently this, above, is Jock's nose. It is located near St Abbs on the SE coast of Scotland. I am not sure where the rest of Jock is. Whether he is in England or Scotland could become a matter of great importance later in the year, when Scotland votes on whether to leave the UK. The father and sister in law admiring the view. The sister in law is just back from near death experiences in Antarctica so she was happy to see, through her binoculars, the penguins nesting on the red cliffs over yonder. (Actually they were guillemots).
Finally another property question. Is it just our NIMBYism, or does one of these houses look a bit out of place? Hint: it can be yours for just 1.5Million UKP.

Read more...

Garden Birds

Despite the Sparrowhawk, little birds continue to risk life and limb to visit our bird feeders.

Read more...