I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon, from a garden chair in my lounge. We’re making way for some new furniture and our old suite is in the front garden, waiting for the Council to collect it. We might be in a state of flux for a week or so.
Works been keeping me busy this week, and things seem to have settled back into a bit more of a routine, although we still had snow around at the beginning of the week.
I baked some hot-cross buns during the week. They didn’t last more than a couple of days, and in the end didn’t even end up getting the crosses applied to them. They were good eating though. I’ll be making some more ahead of Easter, just as soon as I get some more supplies!
I also watched IT, and wrote some thoughts about it here.
Work – A busy week with phone calls, meetings and some preparation for upcoming meetings and tender responses.
Allotment – First time in a couple of weeks that I’ve actually been able to get on to the plot. It’s still too wet and cold to do much, but I did manage to get some weeding done ahead of hopefully planting in a week or two.
Currently Reading – Another week where I’ve hardly picked up a book or my kindle or when I have I’ve fallen asleep quickly and read very little.
Sudan – The last male Northern White Rhino has died [LINK]. This species is nearing extinction (only two females remain, Sudan’s daughter and granddaughter) and scientists are planning to use IVF and other technologies to revive the species [LINK]. I have mixed feelings about this. Largely we humans have driven this species to this point, mostly through poaching and demand for rhino horn, so maybe we humans should try and do something about it. Actually I feel we should have done this years ago and not reached this point, and maybe our lesson is to prevent this happening with other species. These are deeply philosophical points I know, but I’m not sure trying to use science in this way is the right answer.
France’s Bird Population Collapses Due To PesticidesLINK – [] Not wishing to labour a point above, but when are we going to learn the lessons of what we have done and are continuing to do to this planet under the guise of “progress” and “growth”?
Citizen Science – Really enjoyed reading this story [LINK] about how local birders were able to provide the evidence against a developers claims, but will it be enough. All to often I read similar stories were the “tame” ecologists of a developer produce reports that are fundamentally flawed or even false.
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The Week In Wildlife In Pictures – [LINK]
Neil Ansell – Deep Country I finished reading this book [GoodReads] early in the year, this week I came across this video trailer for it.
That’s all follks. Catch you next week.
Electronic Scrapbook 
Hello, Alan and Ann! Wishing you both a very happy and blessed Easter. Sounds like all is going well, which is very nice to hear (or read, in this case). The hot-cross buns look delicious!
It’s disappointing news about the rhino, and I agree that the revival plans are not the solution I’d like to see. Prevention of the extinction problem, altogether, would have been the best solution. However and unfortunately, we’re dealing with humanity’s greed and that is an uphill battle (to say the least).
The lessons in regards to destruction of our planet and the life upon it will not be easily learned; not when money is ruling the land. Now that I’m working with a neighbor of ours, helping him farm his land, I have been given a very different perspective on the environmental issues that we, in general face; In point, how pesticides are contributing to extinction of animal species.
It’s a terrible situation that farmers face today. They are in a situation that, in order to make any sort of living wage, they need huge swaths of land to produce enough grain to sell to grain elevator (at wholesale prices, mind you). But the mark-up on grain is so much, that they get pennies on the bushel. So, in order to farm so much land as efficiently as possible, they need expensive machinery. And, in order to get as much out of the earth as possible, they need to use chemicals to help increase yields. But, this costs more money (to pay bank loans and chemical companies), so they need to produce more. So, they need more land and more equipment, and so on, and so on.
There are ways a farmer can grow organically, but he needs to realize that yields will not be as high at harvest and it will take more work to keep his natural crops from succumbing to insect and weed infestations, or to the environment, itself. It’s turning out that a farmer can expect a little more money for an organic crop, but with yields being lower, more profits are not guaranteed. If the demand for organic foods was higher (and better wholesale prices), it would definitely help the situation and encourage more organic crops.
Our neighbor is really trying to go this route, but he’s had to make some tough decisions. The first realization of his is that he doesn’t have enough resources to farm the same amount of land organically. He rents a good portion of the land he farms right now, but will be cutting back. And the land he does own, he’s now trying to revitalize and turn organic once again. Because, what he’s noticed is that crop lands, in general, can no longer sustain the crops coming off of them without chemicals.
It’s also been silently observed that the grains coming out of the worlds modern farms void of many nutrients they used to have. There’s nothing left in the soil that can be passed on to the plants. They are, effectively, on chemical life support. We’re not just going to seeing bird and insect die-offs. There are tough times ahead for all of us.
So, the more food we can grow at home ourselves, the better off we will be in the long run. I can’t see this corporate system staying afloat for much longer.
David.
Hi David, thanks for your comment and insight – yes those hot cross buns were amazing (probably why they didn’t last very long!) You’re so right about farming, and although there are many who are trying to do what your neighbour is, it seems that they are in the minority. Hopefully the pendulum will swing the other way, although the corporations seem to have a way to constant reinvent themselves by rolling over everyone in their path, but I hope that you are right.
All the best, and hope you have a restful and peaceful Easter.