My perspective on the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2016. Why there is a need for two farming conferences at the same time in the same city.

With delayed Basic Payment, pitiful profits, environmental pressures and uncertainty over our future in Europe the stresses faced by farmers are broad and significant. It was therefore brilliant to see such optimism and pragmatism by delegates at the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) where I spent my Wednesday and Thursday this week. There are twoContinueContinue reading “My perspective on the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2016. Why there is a need for two farming conferences at the same time in the same city.”

The Wildwood of my Imagination

This afternoon I went for a walk at Weeleyhall wood, an eighty seven acre ancient woodland in north Essex, owned by Essex Wildlife Trust. It was quiet and peaceful, apart from the odd rumble from a car on the road about four hundred metres to the south. For a Sunday afternoon I met remarkably fewContinueContinue reading “The Wildwood of my Imagination”

Winter – time of the dead? Not at all – time of the quiet more like!

Walking in short strides through the dense throng of bare, shivering trees. The whispery crunch of crystal coated leaves underfoot, my heavy boots pressing into the frosty, leaf littered ground and leaving a trail of shallow imprints in the cold, tough soil.Clenched hands pushed into the depths of my pockets, my rough fingers stretching to…

Paris and Ice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjTsj-fi-p0 There have been many attempts to summarise the events that have taken place at the climate talks in Paris in recent weeks so this post will not attempt to do this yet again. For those interested I suggest you visit this link. Instead, I want to draw attention to the work of the scientistsContinueContinue reading “Paris and Ice”

Why bother understanding the historic environment?

The historic environment combines two of my passions a passion for the outdoors, the natural world, urban and rural spaces and how people interact with them. a passion for the past, for past lives, the archive and historic complexity. It is perhaps therefore no surprise that I am personally drawn to the ‘historic environment’. ButContinueContinue reading “Why bother understanding the historic environment?”