I’ve asked readers before about whether they’d read a newsletter if I produced one, although essentially Quick Links is becoming a weekly newsletter in the form of a blogpost anyway or seems to be evolving that way in my view. I’ve made no plans to change the current arrangement, although a week of blogging every day has taught me a few things and given me some ideas, but for now I thought I’d share some of the newsletters that I read and might interest you. Most require you to sign up, (the links are to the sign up pages) but all contain an unsubscribe link if you don’t like them as much as me or change you mind, I’ve also included a quick note about the normal day and frequency with which they’re published.
So in no particular order…
Christian Payne (@documentally) Backchannel (weekly, Fridays)
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Life
This past weeks been taken up with catching up on preparations for Christmas. Up until this week I’ve not done anything much in that respect. So putting up lights, writing cards, buying presents etc. etc. have been the order of the day. In between times, there’s still plenty to do in connection with my Dad. I think the latter is going to go without saying for some time.
I can’t say that I am particularly looking forward to Christmas – but I can’t do much about the timing, as it is what it is – so I guess I’ll just be making the most of it.
Currently Reading
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
When Eight Bells Toll by Alistair MacLean [GoodReads]. By the time this post goes live I expect I will have finished this. It’s a reread too, although I think I was about 13 or 14 when I read it the first time. Despite being published over 50 years ago it stands up really well, great little action novel. I like many of MacLean’s books, but this is one of my favourites.
Giraffes have been hitting the headlines this week after the IUCN report showing how they have declined in numbers in recent years. The report also shows that there are 24,000 species at risk of extinction in the world. Humans are driving this planet to destruction and without major changes we won’t be able to stop it. It’s not just the exotic species either, everyday we place pressure on an already strained system in the name of “economic growth”. It seems that have more and more money is the answer to everyone’s woes and yet it is the rich who seem to get richer and the poor, poorer. Poverty amongst working people is on the rise in the UK, and our NHS and elderly social care systems are bordering on collapse. There are sections of society that are also likely to become extinct, the only difference here is it’s one species and eventually the issues will rise up the wealth ladder until poverty and related issues has a wider reach. We seem to have forgotten what is important to society as a whole. Maybe it’s because we don’t use some of those systems, for example most people hope that they will never need the NHS, but wouldn’t you want it to be there when you did? So doesn’t it matter that just because your not using it, it should still be in a good condition in case you do?
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Life
Most of this week has been taken up with things related to my Dad, plus my maternal Grandmother is sick, so that’s been taking some time too, leaving little time for anything else.
We’ve had freezing weather all week long with temperatures dipping down to between -3°C & -5°C in the early hours of the morning.
I’ve been up and out with the dogs most mornings before sunrise, so have got to enjoy the sunrise most mornings, and the weather conditions and clear skies have made for some pretty spectualar sunrises.
Not much time to really read anything much apart from the next part of the book in my online discussion (see below). I’ve been listening to (or rather re-listening to), the excellent audiobook by David Hewson – “The Flood“, in the car, but I finished this on Saturday so I’ll be looking for something else. I have a few to choose from.
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Life
Dad & Me
I wasn’t planning on posting at all this week, I didn’t think I could face it for one, or that I would actually have the time for another. Last weeks post was only really possible because I normally build this Monday morning entry up during the course of the week before, I haven’t had that luxury this week as things have just been absolutely chaotic.
I am so surprised about the amount of bureaucracy over dealing with a death in the family, and I have to say without the help of a wonderful funeral director I think things would have been a lot harder. I have found parts of the process particularly hard; registering the death, with a particularly cold registrar, amidst signs threatening me about perjury and other offences if I make a mistake next to those advertising for funeral services, undertakers and other things. Others have been much more pleasant, such as talking to the curate who will be conducting Dad’s funeral service about his life.
I might write in more detail in due course, but for now I just wanted to say a thank you to all those of you who contacted me directly with condolences. Your messages and thoughts made a very unhappy time, more bearable.
Currently Reading
Not much time to really read anything much apart from the next part of the book in my online discussion (see below). I have however been listening to (or rather re-listening to), the excellent audiobook by David Hewson – “The Flood“. I’ve spent a significant amount of time in the car in the last week (not least because of a number of traffic jams), and this has kept me company.
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
The author of this post, spent a year not spending any money on anything that she didn’t consider essential. I admire here for making it through the year, as I’m not sure that I could do the same, although there are many things that I don’t bother with and try to avoid the worst parts of our consumerism driven society, I have my weaknesses e.g. books!
This is one of the biggest scandals of the current government. It seems they are trying to drive the health service into collapse through a number of means, and by not funding elderly social care means there is more pressure of the NHS, as patients can’t move on from hospital when they are well enough. I have seen this first hand this year, and so maybe I am a little too close to it at the moment, but it feels to me that government is trying to drive a perfectly good system to the wall through lack of funding with a view to forcing everyone into a private health care system. I would happily pay more in tax to see an NHS and elderly care system that is properly funded. The vast majority of people don’t use it, but probably know a friend or relative who does, and everyone will need it eventually. It needs to be addressed properly and government needs to decide what is actually important and show some guts in its decision making, not keep running scared that if we don’t have growth the sky will fall, because it already is.
Sadly my Dad passed away in the last week. I wasn’t going to post at all, but as I add things throughout the week before this posts anyway, I’ll let it go live with what is here. It might be a bit quiet though for the next few weeks, but I’ll be back on track at some point.
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Currently Reading
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
The Wastelands (Dark Tower III) by Stephen King [GoodReads]
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
I wanted to include this video last week but it’s only just been released on YouTube. This is a snippet from Plant Earth II, which I’d thoroughly recommend. There was a much longer segment in the programme and by the end I was practically shouting for the marine iguanas.
WARNING: Not recommended if you don’t like snakes!
Currently Reading
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower Book 2) by Stephen King [GoodReads] – I’m reading this as part of an online discussion, and by the time this post goes live I’ll have probably finished it.
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Autumn Photo Collage
The autumn colours have really hit their stride this week, the above is a sampling.
Before The Flood.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s climate change movie has been released on YouTube. At over 90 mins, it’s not really a quick link, but it is worth a watch.
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower Book 2) by Stephen King [GoodReads] – I’m reading this as part of an online discussion.
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower Book 2) by Stephen King [GoodReads] – I’m reading this as part of an online discussion, although it’s really a reread for me as I did read it years ago.
I’d certainly look forward to this sort of camping.
There’s been plenty of coverage of the proposed new third runway at Heathrow, but I can’t say that I’m particularly in favour of it. It seems like the wrong decision, and yet another government white infrastructure elephant like HS2 & Hinkley Point C, costing the tax payer billions but not returning on the investment.
Halloween
Just because it’s Halloween, here are a couple of Simon’s Cat videos for your enjoyment…
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
I’ve been a bit under the weather this last week, so this post will probably be a bit shorter than usual.
Currently Reading
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer: 2 (The Journals of Thomas Merton) by Thomas Merton [GoodReads].
The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower Book 2) by Stephen King [GoodReads] – I’m reading this as part of an online discussion, although it’s really a reread for me as I did read it years ago.
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read, inspired me or just sparked my interest in the previous week, with a little background and my thoughts and other things that I’ve been up to in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Much as I love gadgets and things, I would have returned this kettle and just bought one that you actually have to go and switch on. After all you still need to put the tea / coffee in the cup, pour the water etc.
I didn’t have any luck growing pumpkins this year – although the slugs really enjoyed those that I did – so I bought a medium sized one from our local farm shop this week. My plan is to make pumpkin soup and possibly a few other things, depending on how much flesh I get from it. I then saw this video (one of my favourite TV chefs), so I’ll be giving this a try too!
Electronic Scrapbook 