Last posts on nature

El Olivo de Paz: Corbera d'Ebre

2009-09-24T02:56:49+02:00

Love of the Natural World

2009-06-12T15:46:00+02:00

Yesterday when I wrote my introduction post, I unbelivably forgot to mention that I have a love of the Natural World. I love being outside, in a forest, on a moor, on a mountain, in a tree, in a river... I am guessing you've gotten my point here. I also love strong weather, like high winds, lightning storms, and pelting rain. Trees are the real kicker, though, the real awesome, inspirational, uplifting place to be.

When you sit in a big old tree, you can't help but feel the age of it, and think of what it would have witnessed in it's vast time. I love to ponder that, to ponder how many bird families had lived in this one tree, all the forest animals that would have lived in it, or gained forage from it. I really do find that a quietly pleasing line of thought.

Tonight there happens to be some serious wind, where I am in the world, and it is wonderful! My fiance and I are quiet - so are the cats - so we can hear the wind swirling around our home. It is so wild out there, yet we are safe and snug in our house... it makes me want to go to bed and just look out the window at all the trees thrashing with each gust. It's beautiful, and compelling.

One of our cats, the little girl cat, is afraid of thunder storms. I always know when one is on it's way because she starts slinking around the house, hours before it starts. She is currently resting on the couch, so unfortunately for me, no hope of a thunder storm any time soon. The big boy cat doesn't seem to care in the slightest, though when it is windy like now he won't go outside.

Well, with such a nature bent in this post, I think today's pattern has to be something inspired by nature... and one of my favorite things too! Acorns! I love these little acorns. I have knitted one, but I want to knit many more and sew on little faces and call them moodacorns. Look out for them in the future!

Now I am going to go sit on my back step, with a hot cup of sweet tea, and listen to the wind. Goodnight.

The Effect of Environment on Economy

2009-06-07T19:24:00+02:00

When you look at the list of countries by income per capita, it becomes apparent that nature is apparently an important factor — though the list varies from year to year, countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Ireland, Iceland, Danmark and so on have often been among the list. Two other relationships appear to be a history of fossil fuel exploitation and a history of war, both of which indirectly stimulate productivity.
The causality of this relationship is probably dual. On the one hand, richer people may have been more inclined to seek out nature, and the children of wealthy people are generally relatively wealthy themselves. On the other hand, nature may make people happier and thereby more productive.
If the latter is more important than the former, then it is important to recognize this factor in economy; it must be known that nature is important in economy, and therefore there is all the more reason for the two to be in harmony. Environmentalism does not need to hamper economy, but may on the contrary promote it. Everything, including economy, is a question of balance, and so it must be approached in a holistic as well as a more analytic way. Economy that is out of balance will damage the environment, which will damage the well-being of the population, which will damage economy.

This remains, however, a hypothesis.

Look what fell from my embellisher!

2009-03-26T18:43:27+01:00

From Leaves

Well, here's today's production. leaves done in various ways with the embellisher. one I left the pieces attached so you could see it. It's on a gold/green mesh to which I attached roving and then used a space dyed thin ribbon for the edges...you can see it sticking up at the tip. In reality, the blue isn't so visible at all. These leaves are for a project, to be attached, either with handsewing or thread painting/FME.

Ecological Footprint Tax

2009-03-24T16:50:36+01:00

If for everything one paid, taxes were levied equivalent to the damage to ecology it entailed, and the money of those taxes were used to negate it, then no further damage would be done to ecology at all. This would be similar to VAT, yet serving to a far more important cause. It is ridiculous not to include one's ecological footprint to the price of products or services.This could also apply to population growth, for instance in crowded countries such as China: rather than fining families which have more than one child, one could simply make life more expensive so as to discourage familial growth. Increasing the price of residential zones would also save space. If there are families who are willing to tighten their belt to have more than one child, they could do so without causing environmental destruction if they paid the price to undo it.In this way, all weight imposed upon environment would be reduced to zero. Awareness of ecological footprint would no longer be necessary because it would no longer exist at all: for whatever damage one would cause nature, one would pay the same price needed to repair that damage.Instead, people would come to prefer more ecological means simply because they are less expensive. Thus, taxing ecological footprint would not only reduce the damage of ecologically unfriendly means, but also reduce their use.This is viable. There are plenty of ways to undo environmental damage, though they aren't always cheap. The only thing that keeps us from doing so, then, is greed. However, the more technologies to restore environment would be used, the more efficient and therefore less expensive they would become, as their increased use would encourage their further development.It is an absurdly simple notion, but as it would check the mass consumption of our society, it is unlikely to be implemented with a mindset as we have today. We have acquired the attitude that economy is more important than ecology. We have become so estranged from nature that we have come to appreciate hedonism more than nature's sublimity.

Penang - Pearl of the Orient

2009-01-15T06:16:00+01:00

Deeper Voices

2008-05-08T02:20:00+02:00

I read Barbara Bash's True Nature: An Illustrated Journal of Four Seasons in Solitude (2004) today while sitting in the sun with the dog. It's a simple, lavishly watercolour-illustrated journal of a retreat in the woods, taken during seven days in Summer, seven in Spring, seven in Fall, and ending with seven days in Winter. She's a Buddhist (Chögyam Trungpa is her meditation teacher) who is struggling with fatigue, fear of the dark, a need to do, a certain restlessness, loneliness, self-doubt.

This first journal entry reminds me of the 'grief' I wrote about yesterday:

"My insides are heavy. There are voices tisking and shuddering at such laziness, but I am listening to deeper voices."

That's how I feel. I can hear the voices that tisk and shudder, and, I can hear voices from a deeper place, and I am listening to them.

In Winter, she says something that seemed to me to reframe the dilemma a friend expressed earlier in the day:

"Here in this cabin for six days these demons of pressure and critique can be -- what? Loved? Banished? Teased? Ignored? Put down for a nap? ... It has been a day of doubt. The wind of my mind blew me around. Here's the dilemma -- to articulate the confusion, describe it, know it -- or to label it 'thinking,' let it go and return to the breath. I walk both paths."

It seems it's often a question of whether to engage with the confusion -- to work with the pain, resentment, desire for connection, longing for affinity, fear of disappointment, hope, lack of trust -- or to recognise that those feelings, opinions, beliefs, reactions, and thoughts are just 'thinking' -- they're transitory, they're a fantasy our mind weaves, they can be released. Yes. We do both.

Photo Journal of Woodsy Urban Walk (Boston)

2007-09-11T18:26:21+02:00

Nice: 9 Miles of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace, thanks to Evan at Life Is Sweet in the Fenway

via Universal Hub - JP

camouflage

2007-06-22T16:55:00+02:00

“Homeopathy makes the water cry”

2007-04-19T19:32:46+02:00

Homeopathy, you have certainly heard about what we call soft medicine based on the hypothesis according to it the water keeps the trace of each body that was in contact with it, and that since the universe creation. Thus, this science attribute a “memory” to the water.If the water had memory, it would remember such terrible horrors, crimes, deception, injustice, hate and sadness. It would taste again, while revising the memories, the blood of innocents poured in its ocean, sea, lac and streams...because nothing appease the barbarian thirst of human and that killing to survive strong or dying proud, honors the the warrier’s memory.It would taste again the pestilential cupidity of the black gleaming dirty oil poured, telling bylaw, it happened “accidentally”....blemishing its vividness and assassinating its soul seeing that we have to take advantage of ressources that nature mother offers generousely. It would suffer from the biterness of each tear washed by its rain, every tear dropped from the eyes of orphans traumatised by the violence and to whom we prescribe the oversight as the only cure.It would dampen the dust covering the minors’ faces ...patriotic minors who gave their life to carburate the hellish machines to accomplish their objective. The sweat of exploited children to fill the economic gaps of third world countries...When i think of all burden that the poor water is abiding, all that rot diluted in its memory...the reason of the drinkable water rarity is an obvious fact. And i complain to the water, sympathize to its pain, cry its despair; and i wish for it a liberating amnesia and for us to remember of all what we did to it.Homeopathy is making the water crying...crying because of remembering our dirtiest crimes against it, our mis-use of its sources...Keep it without memory, it would be easier to continue its journey of life in peace.

Mother Nature's Wrath

2006-05-28T18:10:00+02:00

In the far distance

dark clouds have risen

announcing the worst of times

ever lain ahead

Prophecies from the beginning

closing in on us

and soon pain and sorrow

will make our bed

Only through perseverance and compassion

will we survive

the storms of destruction and purification

sent to avenge our contempt of life

Modesty and respect for all

will define our fate

if we can learn to understand again

then maybe it won't be too late

Thursday 19th January, 2006

2006-01-19T19:04:35+01:00

Yet another dry day. This lack of rain is beginning to worry Marie - she has a "potager" or kitchen garden and was not able to water it last year, due to a ban imposed by the Mairie. We went to the market at La Roche Bernard this morning - which is only about half-size at this time of year. During spring, summer and autumn this market is very large, with a good "ambiance". We also popped into the "Office de Tourisme" with our papers and cheque for entry into their brochure. This afternoon we walked down to the river plain with Gracie and Ficelle - there is no lack of water down there! The fields are saturated, but the footpath remains dry.

Sunday, 15th January, 2006

2006-01-15T22:21:29+01:00

A bright, sunny day and fairly warm. We popped down to the local bar to meet our friends around 5pm. Quite a few of our friends, English and French, turned up and the landlady brought out the "Galette des Rois" for everyone. This is a traditional desert – an almond pie – which is eaten at this time of year (to be exact on "Twelfth Night"). Each pie contains a "fève", or charm, and tradition has it that the person who finds the fève becomes King or Queen for the day.

Saturday, 14th January, 2006

2006-01-14T20:47:45+01:00

A dull, but warm and dry day. The Sales have now started here in Morbihan. In France the legislation is very strict – sales are allowed only twice a year (January and June) and for a set period, which is set by the local Préfecture. Otherwise shops can only hold a sale if they meet certain criteria e.g. that their "chiffre d'affaires" (profit margin) is significantly down on the same period for the previous year

Friday, 13th January, 2006

2006-01-13T19:23:24+01:00

A foggy start, but the sun came through around lunchtime – temperatures reached 9 degrees. We have had a very full day, which began with a 2-hour training session with 4 dogs! Our French friends Michel and Patricia have 2 two-year old golden Labradors and, having seen how well-trained Gracie and Ficelle (our Collie/Spaniel crosses) are, they asked if we could help with their training. This caused much interest amongst the neighbours! Afterwards, Michel asked if he could book one of our gîtes for a week in August for his family, so we gave them a quick tour.Then we borrowed a trailer to collect 2 "stères" (a stère is 1 cubic metre) of wood for the wood-burner. The wood-merchant lives only a mile away, but the whole process took over 2 hours due to the amount of people we bumped into! Once the trailer was returned we stopped-off near the river and gave the "girls" a run for 30 minutes. The result was two very happy, but wet and muddy dogs and, therefore, a shower on return. Next we popped in for an aperitif with our neighbour, Marie. We then received a phone call, inviting us out to dinner, which we reluctantly declined. French country life is suiting us down to the ground!

Thursday, 12th January, 2006

2006-01-12T19:14:39+01:00

Wednesday is my busiest day – teaching English from 9 am until 9 pm with only an hour for lunch. Hence the lack of diary entry yesterday (excuses, excuses!). Still, it's good to have work that I enjoy. We are beginning to get quite a few enquiries for the gîtes now – quite a few of the clients are showing an interest in the language-learning package (click on our main website link – left – for more details). We are toying with the idea of setting up a lending library for local ex-pats via our Association – there are only so many books you can bring back with you each time you nip back to the UK and so we feel that such a service would be appreciated.

Tuesday, 10th January, 2006

2006-01-10T19:43:28+01:00

Foggy and dull again today. But we have had further signs that the birds, at least, are thinking about spring – a pair of Magpies were busy house-hunting today. They viewed last year's crows' nest in one of our oak trees – we are waiting to see if they put in an offer! We have been busy filling out forms for the Office de Tourisme – life in France is basically one long form-filling exercise! Once the form is submitted, the Office will send a representative out to look round our gîtes and we will be included in their advertising leaflets, on the local commune's website and the Office will give out details of our gîtes to anyone who is looking for holiday accommodation in the area. We are also awaiting a visit from the Mairie – they are carrying out the 5-yearly survey of residents in the commune – the equivalent of the Electoral Role in the UK – yet more form-filling!

Sunday, 8 January, 2006

2006-01-08T19:45:00+01:00

Foggy this morning. We were treated to a great display by a Sparrowhawk whilst eating our lunch - he swooped on the birdfeeder, scattering all the diners as well as clouds of other birds who were perched in the trees around the garden. He looked very dejected sat up on top of the feeder, empty clawed and soon gathered himself together, disappearing into the hedge. A few moments later he rather ambitiously tried to surprise a Magpie, which was feeding on the ground, wondering why he was alone! The Magpie dashed for cover and the Sparrowhawk perched openly in a tree. A few moments later the Magpie hopped through the branches to settle next to his would-be attacker. We don't know what was said, but the result was that the hawk decided to leave! Magpie 1 : Sparrowhawk 0