Spring Lambs and Food Policy

Living in a Sheep farming area, it is the arrival of lambs in the fields that really marks the arrival of Spring. Last week I started looking out for spotting the first, there were none. Even when I went into town and lost altitude, in the fields around town were empty of lambs. Then suddenly on Thursday I spotted not just one but several in the local fields. Therefore officially spring has arrived.

While I guess this may upset the vegetarians, it does get me thinking of cooking and the aroma of lamb cooking. But as the sheep would not be there if they were not kept as part of the human food chain, I can appreciate the beauty of new and renewed life, I can also appreciate the human food they represent as well.

As the weather conditions and the soil here are only suited to growing grass, the local hills can only support livestock farming. Therefore this really means Sheep, especially on the hill tops. My village is the highest point of habitation in the county, therefore sheep are my closest neighbours. I have learnt a lot about the behaviour of sheep just from watching them as I was walking past them over the past year. The play fighting amongst the young males. There was one trio that I saw running back and forward, effectively playing chase. At first, I had wondered if something had spooked them, if I had spooked them. Then I realised that they were just playing, having fun. That is not putting human attributes upon them, they really were like any bunch of teenagers running about having fun.

Therefore when I buy lamb from my local butchers, as they post details of the farm and abattoir where the sheep was grown and slaughtered, I can know the animal was well cared for before it reaches my plate. As my regular reader may remember I was a Vegetarian for a number of years as at that time people just did not know where their food was coming from. Once this changed and I could buy meat that was from high welfare sources and not “Factory Farmed”, the best way of supporting this was to revert back to eating meat. Because I was a vegetarian during the time when the worse practices were in place, the ones that resulted in BSE and salmonella in Chicken, I avoided many of the health risks.

Many of these practices were the results of the constant downward pressure placed upon food prices by big businesses. The supermarkets, the food processors and the land investors who see anything goes as long as it makes a profit.

However the policies of the supermarkets have now started to bite them back. A couple of years ago the supermarkets had to develop direct contracts with milk producers and pay a much more fair price. As in Britain so many farmers were leaving milk production as the farmers were loosing money. This lead to a shortage of milk and to maintain supply the supermarkets had to pay a bit more and contract directly with the farmers. This was blamed on the growing prosperity of the Chinese, but the reality was the supermarkets were dictating the low prices and buying cheaper milk from other parts of Europe if the farmers would not accept the low prices they would pay. So while the Chinese were buying from the same parts of Eastern Europe, they were willing to pay a fair price and not the rock bottom prices the supermarkets were willing to pay.

While the supermarkets and food processors realised the danger there regarding milk and cheese before there were real shortages, aided by the credit crunch, the polices of the supermarkets are again biting back again, this time on fruit and vegetables.

As the effects of climate change are now effecting weather patterns and rainfall creating drought in parts of Europe and noticeably in the South of England, the policy of wanting only cosmetically perfect looking Fruit and Vegetables means that other nations are offering more money and are willing to take items that are less than perfect looking. Therefore, leaving the supermarkets without supplies.

This will not mean that there will be immediate shortages on the shelves but I am willing to bet that prices will start to rise. There are even Growers and Farmers in the South and East of Britain that will not be planting and growing crops because of the drought. Simply as if the crops will fail due to lack of rain, why even try to grow them. Although the crops will not fail, they will not be the “perfect” that the supermarkets demand. The major retailers have so much power that this dictatorial specification of cosmetically perfect Fruit & Vegetables has locked Farmers and Growers into the high cost chemically driven form of farming. As to produce the cosmetically perfect Fruit & Vegetables relies on the use of pesticides.

This policy has resulted in the small growers that used to produce the majority of the nations fresh food, have simply gone out of business. Even the the larger growers who discover their crops have not matched the stringent requirements of the major retailers, often find there crops will go to waste. At best getting composted if not sent to landfill. Therefore a lot of food goes to waste, just because it doesn't look good.

Anyone who has grown their own, and I know that includes my reader, knows the shape doesn't effect the flavour. In fact often with far fewer chemicals used in the average Vegetable Garden, they often taste better.

I do not have any simple nor simplistic solutions to these problems. And while I do understand that businesses need to make money, the major retailers have only ever had their interests in mind and their customers and suppliers have been ill used at the very least. Our governments have left the matter of food to the supermarkets and now we are facing potential shortages and price hikes that will effect everyone.

There will be folks that will read this and say that it should just be left to the market, and governments do not have any role to play. But when we all pay for the effects of shortages and the health effects of the poor diet the major retailers have foisted upon many, the supermarkets will soon find they have questions to answer.

While I can still afford to I will enjoy watching the sheep and cooking with the Vegetables I can afford and making sure my freezer is well stocked.

Mad as a March Hare

When I first moved here to the high fells of Country Durham, I was pleased to discover that I was in hare habitat. While I had seen Hares before, they were illusive and often at a distance. The way they hug the ground to hide in hollows helps them disappear. Bringing to my mind the Celtic and magical myths of folk tales.

It was the myth of the mad march hare that got me confused last year as this was happening in February. My lack of skill watching Hares and the cold made trying to discover the puzzles much harder. Therefore I needed to develop my stalking skills and try to discover where the hares territories were. As here any wind below forty miles an hour is considered just a gentle breeze here, the direction of approach would often involve taking long walks well past these territories then doubling back.

Many of the attempts to observe were fruitless or very brief. This was until one day the observation of a buzzard alerted me to something near the site that had proved to be most fruitful. I then went a couple of days latter. Being May it turned out to be a delightful day and I stretched my legs among the wild flowers. I was allowing my mind to wander and nearly walked into the scrape where the leverets were laying out in the sun. I retreated to a point near a copse of trees. The mother was very close and must have been hiding too as she just popped up and I could not have missed her approaching as the grass and heather was far to short to have missed her movements.

Then the most dramatic part of the observations happened, a large bird of prey swooped down. It was targeting one of the young hares, and I thought it would get one but the mother reared up and boxed the bird. I think it just nudged the bird off taking one of the four young, so it missed a meal.

I am well aware that the natural world is lacking sentiment and there is a natural food chain, but I was really pleased that this juvenile Golden Eagle did not get a meal that day. As it was wearing tresses, it was a captive Eagle that someone was using for hunting. It flew off with empty talons and I could not spot where the falconer was. I have not seen the bird since. Also as the scrape was vacated days latter, I am guessing the mother moved her litter. While it was more likely because of the bird, I was worried that I had caused some disturbance myself.

It was not until the autumn that I started seeing hares again. I most of all wanted to work out where the females were resident. As the female is larger it is possible to tell the difference, but there appeared to be many more males about. Reading about hares told me that this is quite normal.

As last winter had been quite hard with plenty of snow, my initial spotting of hares had been quite easy. This time it was a bit more tricky, but I am learning. Therefore luck has been playing a major part in this too. As I was out watching a flock of Lapwings when I started to spot the start of the mating activity. This is where myth has been blurring the facts. As when I was a child, it was believed that the boxing behaviour was males fighting over females. When in fact it is the female fighting off unsuitable males, or over amorous males before she is ready to mate. So last year when I saw males boxing too, I was more than puzzled by this. As I said size distinguishes the males from the larger females. Also last year it was happening in February a good month before it was supposed to be happening.

By reading deeper than the myths and casual observations, I discover that most of the mating activity actually starts in February and it is normally only the un-mated males that are left fighting, boxing. Therefore while the classic boxing behaviour is the females fighting off males, the males do box too.

It was only because I had seen behaviour that did not match the facts that are often repeated on television and in books that I discovered the truth of the behaviour. At one point I had actually thought I might have discovered behaviour that had not been previously observed, but others had already seen and recorded it. The problem is the myths persist.

The brown hare is far less numerous than it once was, so I am genuinely lucky to have seen these animals at all. To have seen them enough and for such prolonged periods to have been puzzled by the behaviour though was a real privilege.

Diets and Exploitation

As my regular reader will already know, I set up my own little business selling Herbs & Spices. This has been expanding so I now sell a comprehensive range of botanical's for healing too. From the moment I started selling these, I have had a steady flow of emails. The well known auction site requires that your personal details are there for all to find.

Initially this was useful as it gave me some vital clues regarding the herbs that people were looking for, and helped me expand the range. Even now I still have not got all that I would like to stock, but in time I will add to the range. However, the flow of emails has now become a flood. While I have always tried to be helpful to folks questions, and guide them in the right direction, there are limits to the questions I can answer. Further, it would be all to easy to just say buy this, or use this. When often the conditions they are seeking treatment(s) for are far to complex for simplistic solutions.

Here the law actually helps, as there are legal limits upon any claims that can be made for Medicinal Herbs. As while this can be seen as a cop out on my part, often I just can not treat people at a distance. If I had been calculating and cynical, I could have exploited this and sold loads more.

So it was with a degree of concern that I got an email from a woman asking for herbs to treat two conditions. As with all complimentary forms of healing, I could see the two conditions were linked and there was also a third issue that probably needed addressing too. I replied but said that I just do not have the time as her conditions were far to complex for simplistic solutions.

The reply I got back was hostile and hurtful, but I am a big mouse now, and while it hurt I will get over that. However, it highlights the problem of people wanting “Quick Fixes” for problems.

One of her problems was that she was overweight. While there are people that will sell herbs that are supposed to “make the pounds fall off” I know that it really needs folks to change eating patterns and habits for people to loose weight and keep it off. Therefore my ethics just stop me from exploiting people like this. This is why I will never be rich.

While I do not want to, nor am I intending to offend anyone, but unless you are one of the rare people who have an under active thyroid, the reason you are carrying a few extra pounds is you are consuming more calories than you are using. Therefore, it is each individual that can control their weight. I know that is far more easier said than done, and it is often a positive supportive friend that people need more than wasting money on supposed quick fixes.

Further, many of the health problems that people suffer from would be greatly reduced and often eliminated. Therefore my general advice regarding diet is find a supportive friend and eat yourself well.

Curlew & Hare

Hello dear reader, have you missed me? Oh you had not noticed I had gone.

Well as I have been busy, I just have not had the time to put much up here. Also there have been some changes in my life that meant I was not inclined to say much here, as I just did not want to bore folks.

Anyway, a few wildlife observations, a few weeks ago when it was really cold here, snow and all that, there was a rather large flock of Goldfinches about. I would estimate about fifty plus feeding on some Teasel that grows in the corner of one field close to the village. Also during the cold winter weather I was regularly seeing a couple of Grey Shrike. This was a life bird observation, so I was pleased to see them. As my cameras have both died, no pictures for the moment and as soon as I can afford to get a new camera... Well who knows what images may turn up here.

It was the observations that I made this last week that tells me that spring is coming. Although with another cold snap just hit, that seems longer away than it did on Thursday. When I saw the first Skylark making its courtship flight. It was a male and they sing while flying, rising from the ground and singing while in flight for a good minute at a time. The next observation made just ten minutes latter was of a Curlew. I had heard it while I had watched the Skylark but no matter how hard I scanned I could not see him. Then as I walked nearer the crest of the hill before entering my village, he flew across the road just fifteen feet ahead of me. He was going to a patch of land where a farmer had been keeping some manure and now cleared is clearly a good spot for them to feed.

However I have also been watching the Brown Hares. While I have seen hares before, it has only since I have moved here that I have seen them as frequently and in greater numbers than I have ever seen them. Also many of the observations have been closer than I have seen before too. Although I have had to learn how to observe them without them seeing me and going to ground. I can see where the folk legends of them being mystical and magical creatures arise, as one minute you can see them then in the blink of an eye they are gone, disappeared. They huddle in scrapes in the ground so they literally do disappear. While trying to watch a female hare recently, I came across a Lapwings nest. While there were no eggs in it yet, he or she was so settled that it was not until I was seven or eight feet from the bird that it took flight.

There have been times when it appeared that the local landscape was barren of wildlife, but it is there it just hugs the ground so tightly that mostly it goes unobserved.

Amnesty International at Fifty

In the news there have been three stories that have been dominating the headlines recently. The first has been the abuse by the press, the “Phone Hacking” of celebrities and other well known people.

Personally, I have absolutely no interest in the sex lives of anyone who happens to be on television, in films, or happens to be well know for singing or such like. Quite simply when there are real issues regarding the abuse of power by political and industrial leaders, stories of celebrity shenanigans seem to be much more designed to distract from what is really happening. Just as a conjurer distracts attention from what he is really doing.

The second story, is the attempt by News International to buy the sixty one percent of BSB (Sky Television) that it does not already own. The same people that own Fox News in America. Personally, I do not feel it is right that so much media is owned and controlled by one person, or one company. It has nothing to do with me disagreeing with Murdoch point of view, but with anyone having that level of control. Add to this the fact that the comic that they call a newspaper, News of the World, deeply involved in the illegal “Phone Hacking”, is owned by News International, and to be honest they do not appear to be a company fit to be trusted to hold that much media power.

The third story that was linked to News International that was hitting the headlines was the “Footballer” who took out an Injunction to stop the press reporting on an alleged sexual liaison.

Personally I could not have cared less about the substance of the story, as it was just another case of a News International title wanting to report on what the public want to know rather than what is in the public interest.

I would have ignored all this nonsense had it not been that this footballer was granted a court order that ordered “Twitter” to name the people who were naming him. As they (“Twitter”) are in the US, they would have to get a court order there and with the constitutional enshrinement of freedom of speech, I would think the footballer has as much chance as a snowball in hades.

However, this all started to take a more sinister twist as one newspaper columnist, who apparently named the footballer in a tweet, was at risk of arrest and imprisonment and under the terms of the injunction, we the public could not know why Giles Coren had been imprisoned.

This was something that disturbed me, and I was trying to think out a way of posting here about this, when an MP used parliamentary privilege to name the footballer. Even though I had no interest in who he was, I had known the footballers name for about three weeks as other people were talking in the pub about this and about him. The general consensus is that he is making himself (the Footballer) look really stupid.

This is the real point of this posting, as within a democracy people should never be imprisoned without a public trial. As it is fifty years since the founding of Amnesty International, an organisation founded to prevent the imprisonment without due and just process. In fact it was the case of two people being imprisoned unjustly in Portugal that provided the impetus for the founding of the organisation. In fact it was a campaign by the Observer Newspaper that led to the formation of Amnesty International.

The contrast to the media today who are obsessed with the cult of celebrity and ignore real news is quite striking. It is doubtful that if the situation were the same today, that most newspapers would ignore or even denigrate the fledgling efforts of Amnesty if they were formed today. But Amnesty International has done great work over the years.

To illustrate the point, as I was writing that last paragraph, and I was listening to one of the podcasts that I get via I Tunes, came one from the BBC World Service that highlights the very real impact that Amnesty International really has. I will put a link here so that others can here it too, but I will forewarn my reader, that it had me in tears and it is not a comfortable listen.

If only the media, the press, were not so self obsessed and actually started carrying out some real journalism instead of obsessing about the sex lives of third rate celebrities, then they could reverse the decline in newspaper sales. So often when asked about why they cover these (non) stories about celebrities, they always say “Well if people did not want to read them they would not buy the papers” The media owners like Murdoch should actually look at the falling sales and realise that we are not buying their trash because they publish this rubbish all the time.

When they start carrying out real campaigning, intelligent and investigative journalism, then the public will start spending their money on good journalism.

I would like to end by saying that I wish Amnesty International well for the last fifty years of work, especially all the volunteers who quietly work away and make the difference. I would also love to hear that they are no longer needed, but until that happens, I hope that Amnesty is around to for a long while, especially as the majority of the press ignores Human Rights.

Place Names and Heron

When I moved here, I was curious about some of the names of the towns close by. The closest on, and within walking distance, as long as you like walking, is called Tow Law. I did some research and quite simply it appears to mean “Settlement on the Hill” or “Town on the Hill” As there has been a settlement there since pre Roman times, the name appears to be derived from very old English.

It is interesting to note that while this is south of the Roman Wall, Hadrian's Wall, it was never fully under Roman Control. Not least because the people were miners, and traded the lead, zinc and copper, with the Romans but never allowed them to rule them. There is a still a degree of this independence in the local area too. However it was the question of the name that had me puzzled, and finally I had it cracked, Tow Law means “Settlement on the Hill” while the word Tow developed to the word Town.

The next nearest Town is a Market Town called Crook. That name does not mean its full of villainous criminals, but is derived from it being built in a “Crook” of the River Wear. The spacing of Market Towns within the landscape are a useful way of measuring distances as they are more or less spaced twelve miles apart. This was decided upon during the Dark Ages, as it meant that it was close enough for a peasant to walk to and back in a day and meant that each market was not creating unfair competition. Wisdom we could learn from today, but that’s a whole other posting.

Crook is the Closest Market Town to where I live, and its also the main hub for transport for and to other towns including Durham City. Last weekend when going into Durham, I noticed that on one of the buildings there were a number of birds that were going back and forth with nesting material. Today, I was able to take a closer look, and the building has been constructed with nesting spaces just under the eaves of this modern bank building. I have heard of this happening, and it doesn’t require any greater expense or effort but ensures that birds don’t loose nesting spots as we make buildings more energy efficient. It probably the first time I have felt good about a bank for the last few years.

The picture was taken last week when I was in Durham.

Durham City

As my better half is returning to university for the last month of this academic year, we arranged to meet up in Durham. It was a rather spur of the moment thing, as with the bank holidays and that wedding, I really needed to get some food shopping, mainly green groceries, therefore when I knew that she was going into Durham, I suggested we could meet up.

The weather could not have been better, as the sunshine made an already beautiful city, fantastic. As I was there about an hour before I could get to see my better half, I had decided to stop for a light lunch. I went to a café that is right on the river and was sitting on the terrace outside. My cell phone rang and K was able to meet me earlier than had been expected. The amusing thing was that she was just leaving another café that I had nearly gone into and I had passed to try the one that I had eventually settled on. So she was just minutes away and she was able to sit with me while I had my lunch.

From where we were, we were able to stroll along the river. Durham really is a delightful city anyway, and the sun was dancing on the river creating a firework display of reflections. Also as its spring there is the wild garlic flowering and this aroma added to the freshness of the day.

Unfortunately we had to part all to early, as my better half had to return home by train and pack and I still had to get the shopping I needed. Because of previous visits I knew there was a good market in Durham, and I was pleased to find that the quality was better than the average as well as finding items that are not always easy to find, such as Jerusalem Artichokes, and I got some of these. Also in the indoor market is the best fishmonger I personally have ever encountered.

With my wallet much lighter, I headed back home and I will make time to visit Durham again soon, and looking forward to cooking some great fish dishes for my better half once her exams are over.

Wounded Earth

While I could have made the posting regarding the Fukushima Nuclear plant at any time, I wanted to get my facts right. The fact that the severity level of the accident has been raised to the equivalent of Chernobyl, unfortunately shows that I have got my fact right.

Part of the point I was making was that in this case the company and the Japanese government have down played the severity of the incident. Just as the British Government did when there was a reactor fire here in the 1950s. So it does not matter that we have democracy, but at least because of that freedom the media have been able to expose the true extent of the disaster and there was not the attempt to cover it up as happened in soviet times when Chernobyl had its meltdown.

The simple fact is that Nuclear power is just not safe, no matter what the supporters say. The only reason why Britain wanted Nuclear Power was to create the isotopes for nuclear weapons, and as a side issue its why Iran to name just one nation, should not be allowed to develop Nuclear Power. The legacy we are leaving our children is the cleaning up of deadly pollution for centuries.

The other point is it really does not matter how well the safety systems are designed, there will always be something unknown, unexpected that will happen that will prevent these plants from being safe. With Fukushima it has been a series of breakdowns of the safety systems that has made the disaster escalate. Additionally because the reactors shut themselves down when the Earth quake first struck, a sense of complacency ensured that people failed to see the problems that subsequently developed.

This is not based upon some uneducated irrational fear of anything Nuclear, there are many medical treatments and diagnostic processes that safely use Nuclear isotopes Equally when Radon peculates up from granite rocks, there are ways of reducing these risks. When a leak of nuclear Isotopes happens at a power station, it contaminates a wide area. The strange fact is that for the past ten years or so we have been told by the media that we should fear this happening if terrorists were to let off a “Dirty Bomb”, yet when this happens as the result of a “Nuclear Accident” its nothing to worry about.

We pollute the planet with gay abandon and wonder why natural systems Break Down and why it ends up costing us all a fortune to clean the mess up.

Nuclear Power was not and never has been the solution to our energy needs, nor will it ever be the solution to “Man Made Climate Change” as there will never be enough uranium around the planet to fuel the reactors if we were to replace all the fossil fuelled generation. Additionally and more importantly, Nuclear power would just add to the contamination of fresh drinking water, our most precious and at risk natural resource.

This is not a dystopian perspective, but unless we wake up to these problems now, we will wake up to a Wounded Earth.

What a legacy we are leaving our children

I, like everyone else, have watched with alarm the unfolding disaster in Japan following the Earthquake and Tidal Wave at the Nuclear Plant. However, I was left confused by the claims that were being made by the authorities regarding safety. Was it simply a case of incompetence or a cover up? Well it looks like there was and has been a decent measure of both.

Here in Britain we know about that, as we have seen a series of accidents within the Nuclear Industry from back in the 1950s and onwards where the seriousness was never fully admitted at the time. The other two serious incidents, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were equally serious and it was only the design of the safety systems at Three Mile Island that prevented it being as devastating as Chernobyl was.

Even before this disaster in Japan, I was thinking of posting about the Nuclear Industry, especially in relations to de-carbonising the energy system. Further, here in Britain we are still feeling the effects of Chernobyl as there are still locations where the sheep farmers can not sell the lambs that are farmed because of contamination from Chernobyl. It was while researching this that I discovered that there is now published research that shows that the brains of wildlife within the exclusion zone around Chernobyl are smaller.

Before I move on to the events in Japan, the defenders of the Nuclear Industry, often say that we are all subject to some “natural” radioactivity from the environment anyway. While this is true, and a sense of proportion is needed, equally no one rational would willingly and recklessly expose themselves to life damaging pollution. So while explaining the real risks are important and keeping a sense of proportion are important, the defenders of the Nuclear Industry often play down the risks. They make it easier for governments and authorities to down play the effects of a disaster.

When I woke up to the news of the Earthquake and Tsunami my initial thoughts were with the victims. While there was also mention of the problems and “Slight Damage” at a nuclear power station, the first reports made it sound as though all the safety systems had worked. However, as we all now know, the cooling systems were knocked out. Even when it was admitted that the problems were more serious than first admitted, the media reports were saying that Buildings, the reactor and containment were all undamaged.

I knew that if, as was also being reported, the fuel was no longer covered by water, there had to be a leak of that water.

As the reactor is a hot steam design, when I tried to get answers to the questions and concerns I had from people here in the UK, my concerns were dismissed. I was told I did not know what I was talking about. But as was trying to improve my understanding, I persisted. Events actually showed that my concerns were not unfounded. As the fuel pellets are enclosed within tubes of Zirconium, these are the fuel rods, and in steam, Zirconium reacts to produce Hydrogen in an exothermic reaction, heat producing. The Hydrogen explosions showed that even with my basic knowledge my concerns were not unfounded.

In addition to this was the delays in getting the power reconnected to the cooling systems. While would have been damage from the earthquake, tsunami and hydrogen explosions only radioactivity leaks via the cooling water could explain why it took so long to reconnect the power.

As soon as the power was connected there were radiation leaks into the sea that were a million times higher than normal background levels.

The simple point is that the authorities just were not honest or open about what had really happened. Had they been, perhaps people with knowledge and experience could have helped to resolve the problems and made the reactors safer sooner.

Not that Nuclear power is ever going to be safe. Trying to look on the bright side, perhaps the public reaction will make it far harder for anyone to build new Nuclear Generation within a democracy now.

As no matter what safety systems are put onto Nuclear power, there will always be something that Nature throws at us that will knock those systems out.

Even with the current nuclear power generation sites, there will be a serious problem with decommissioning, safety and costs for generations to come. Our children will have some serious problems to deal with for the next couple of centuries.

What a legacy we are leaving our children.

The Delights of Spring

While there was a hard winter, March and spring has been a good one thus far. The last week has been delightful. I have been seeing the signs of Spring bursting out all over. From Daffodils flowering to catkins appearing and the leaves bursting from dormant trees and hedges. As I am now living in Sheep country, the lambs too.

Therefore with the combination of some great weather and my need to travel into Consett twice this week, I had the delight of seeing how spring is developing on the Dales. The journey to and from Consett is a wonderful little bus trip across the high fells of Durham making you feel that you are moving through a living painting. This is however a living and working landscape, hard upland farming country, where sheep farming is the way that the land is used and farmed. While there is also some cattle here too, the traditional hardy breeds, the winters are to hard and the wind to brisk for anything other than sheep.

That also makes it a very good habitat for upland species of birds, and Lapwings are the bird that I see most frequently. During the winter they were flocking together scratching a living on the fields and fells, but now they are pairing and nesting. As a ground nesting bird, the isolation of the location means they are left undisturbed. Hence from the bus, the road, it is possible to see them sitting on the nest.

Further, it is possible to see other birds such as Curlew, Skylarks, Red Grouse and Partridge. During the late winter I even saw a Great Grey Shrike, a first for me, and a small flock of Snow Buntings.

However the sightings that has been most remarkable is of the hares. While I have seen hares before, they have been rare and often at a distance. Here, I have been seeing them more often than I have rabbits. While I was not expecting it though, I have discovered that there is a Badger sett near to me too. It was a pleasant surprise to find that and I may latter in the year go looking and watching, but it takes time to get to understand the layout and dynamics of a Badger Social Group, and it could be that they are more cautious of humans than were the ones I was watching before I moved.

The last sighting that I have had that is worthy of note was possibly an Osprey. I say possibly as I really did not expect to see her and it was at a distance and in poor light. I had gone out before sunrise to watch the passage of the International Space Station. Something had reminded me to look up sighting opportunities and while I had missed one good one, there was an even better one coming up. So I went out and I was in luck as the sky was as clear as a bell, and yes I did see the ISS. I had walked to a hill top close by to view the ISS and I was feeling cold but elated. As the sun cast its early light in the sky I spotted what looked like an Eagle. In the early light I initially thought that it could be a Golden Eagle.

But the more I thought about the location and situation, a Golden Eagle just did not seem likely. The more I thought about the situation, the geography and the likely hood was it would be an Osprey. Even at this distance, I could see she looked like an Osprey. It would have been a female as they are normally the first to migrate and while it seemed a little early, she appeared to be flying between two reservoirs that for her would have been feeding stations. Where was she heading? I just don’t know, but to see one in Early April was remarkable.

The Logic of Hygiene Regulations

As my regular reader, if that person is still there, I was without any real computer connectivity for over five months. Further as I was subscribed to various podcasts via itunes, when I did finally get back online I had stacks of stuff to down load. Including eight thousand emails! But that’s another story.

It was via one of these podcasts that I heard that in the US there was a bill going through the senate that could have effectively killed off small holders (small farmers, homesteaders) selling their produce. With having no access to the net, I was unable to research if this was true or what the facts were. Fortunately, while the bill is now law in the US, it seems that this time the government did listen to the people. As only business with a turn over of half a million Dollars will be effected.

Here in the UK regulations and the way they are implemented, make it increasingly difficult for small farmers and growers to sell excess produce, or make food products.

When I was a child, I lived on a street where there was a regular street market. Current regulations would have prevented many of the then stall holders from trading. It was not that there was anything wrong with the way they sold the food, it was just that the customers knew that the fish from the fishmonger had to be washed, as you would have to do with the fruit. Now often unless the foods are encased in plastic of some form, the sellers at markets, particularly Farmers Markets, just can not sell. Therefore, it adds extra costs upon the framers and growers.

While there has to be regulations regarding food hygiene, there also has to be common sense applied too. At least in the US that appears to have happened. Here I am not so sure, as the local pub wanted to cook and prepare meals for the senior residents in the village but the local environmental health people said that they could not. Even though they were going to be packaging the meals in a way that’s better than most take aways do. There is no sense or logic to this.

Well as I have said before, in my experience Sense is just not common.

Health Guidelines and Food

While health guidance from government health departments can be useful, the messages are often very confusing. Most people take them with a pinch of salt, that's if we are allowed salt this week.

Last month the UK government recommended that we should only eat 70g of Red Meat per day to reduce the risk of Bowel Cancer. While that's a worthy aim, that amount of meat is just one, thin two ounce burger, or one sausage.

The simple fact is that nutritional messages are complex and we being given overly simplified messages. Further, the messages will change from week to week, depending upon the health advice being issued. The perfect example is Red Wine. In moderation it helps, yet as with all foods it has effects upon the body and health. So for someone very fit that moderate drink will do no harm and may even help, but for someone with other risk factors that same moderate drink may trigger or contribute to a problem.

That is the problem as health messages need to be given to individuals not always to the nation as a whole. After all any person who is normal, healthy and eats a good balanced diet can indulge in foods that are officially deemed to be unhealthy without any effect, while someone that has a poor, unbalanced diet will have some effect from eating greater than guidelines say is wise.

While it is very true that there is a serious problem from obesity and the poor diet of some folks, confusing them with unclear and unrealistic messages just does not help. In fact often the way that the health message is delivered often makes people reject or turn off to the messages. Put simply people just don’t like being lectured and criticised.

But also the health messages are just not always as straight forward as the media would like. Take the “Health Message” regarding saturated fats. For years we have been told that saturated fats are bad. However if you exclude all saturated fats from the diet, your health will suffer as the body needs some to function well. An example of this is that there has been a growth in semi skimmed and skimmed milk here in the UK and Europe. It was a message that I even took on myself. However, new research is showing that if you drink raw milk, unpasteurised milk, in Europe known as green top, the fats, saturated fats, are in the right form to benefit the body. Therefore its the processing of the milk that has been changing the fats to make them less beneficial. In my own case it was a degree of lactose intolerance that has been resolved by drinking, using, raw milk.

Interestingly it is why goats milk is has often been recommended to resolve the problem of lacto-intolerance, as often recommended by natural foods advocates. It is the unprocessed nature of the milk that really matters not the species. So while pasteurisation and homogenisation were introduced for reasons of improving health and hygiene, the effect has been to reduce the nutritional value in a very subtle way and a way that is virtually unmeasurable. The difficulty is that when it comes to health messages, there are real vested interests involved. Milk processes like to maintain the status quo as it maintains their profit margins.

Equally, the valid health messages are frequently undermined by the vested interests of the multinational food retailers and manufacturers. The products that are most heavily marketed and promoted by these companies are the high fat, high sugar, calorific foods that the majority of people should be avoiding or reducing their consumption of. It is no coincidence that these foods are the ones that earn the greatest profits. That is why, in the UK, it really defies logic that the current government has turned to these food giants for advice on healthy eating, health and food policy.

It is just one further example of the fundamental lack of understanding that all governments have regarding food and health. After all the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, had to hector the then government to improve the quality and nutritional value of the food served to children in schools. There have also been similar campaigns to improve the quality and nutritional value of the food served within hospitals, yet even health professionals fail to see or understand that food can help with the healing process.

The major part of this prejudice comes from the lobbying from the pharmaceutical multinationals, who repeatedly reject and systemically “Rubbish” any evidence that shows health benefits for particular types of foods. The main reason always seems to be that the pharmaceutical companies can not patent or otherwise control the use of these natural botanicals.

Therefore the health messages regarding foods are often directly contradictory. On the one hand we are warned that eating to much of one food will cause us some harm. Yet if anyone discovers evidence that a particular food, herb or spice will aid health, these messages are blocked or suppressed. Most often saying that: “You cant say that as it has not been scientifically proved”

In fact in Europe and the US, there are laws in place to prevent anyone from making health claims regarding foods, in particular herbs and spices. Well not for human use, but you can if its for animal treatment and use.

If we really want to get realistic health messages out to people, the vested interests need to be ignored. While we protect the commercial interests of the food and pharmaceutical multinationals, we will all pay much more for good food and directly as well as indirectly for health care.

We really are what we eat.

Signs of Spring

Yesterday I had the need to travel down to Bishop Auckland and when I say down, that is very literal as it entails a drop in altitude. I had been expecting a sprinkling of snow as that had been forecast, but there was none. The aspect that surprised me was seeing a few lambs in the fields just outside the town. I know that the lambing season is very close to starting soon, locally around the village, therefore seeing some early lambs was a very pleasant surprise.

After I had done what I had to do, having just missed a bus, I had half an hour to wait. While there, I noticed this male blackbird that was brining food back to a female. They have built their nest just behind the bus shelter. It is nicely concealed but from where I was standing I could observe the bird dutifully coming and going. It helped the time pass very quickly.

Some days just make you feel good and yesterday was one of them.

Curlew and Lapwing

There is something very satisfying in making a prediction and it coming true. Even when I first came to see the new house, I was predicting a few of the bird spices that I could encounter. Because I already knew that about 12 miles away there were Lapwing, that was a safe bet. Equally, I guessed that I might see Buzzards about too. The one that was potentially more testing was thinking that I could see Curlew.

Then on Tuesday, while walking home from getting some milk and bread from the next village, there are no shops in my village, I heard the call of a Curlew. Its quite a plaintive almost mournful call. I was strongly tempted to report it that night here, but I wanted to be sure. I checked the guides I have for bird song (Calls), and I was very sure I had heard the bird, but I really wanted to see it first.

As yesterday and today I had to travel to Consett via a bus route that covers the high moors, I kept my ears and eyes open when going to catch that bus. But with no further sightings. However, on the relatively brief but picaresque journey yesterday, I saw a number of Lapwings clearly preparing for the breeding season. Then today, having to make the same journey, while looking out onto the fields, I saw a long beaked bird probing the mud. A Curlew. I have seen one before, but at a distance. This one was close, thirty five feet away, and undisturbed by the traffic on the road.

Therefore I have heard one bird and seen another. It makes having to put up with the wind and the cold, worthwhile.

The Arms Trade & The Arab Uprisings

To paraphrase Chekhov, the writer not the Star Trek character, all dictators exercise their authoritarian rule in unique ways. When the popular uprisings started in Tunisia, it was remarkable that it happened relatively peacefully. In Egypt, there was violence from the state, but eventually the Army, who hold the real power, capitulated and the nation could be moving towards a more democratic system. However, the next state that the media have focused on is Libya where a real despot has ruled for many decades. Here as we all know, Gaddafi has used the military to try and repress the population.

While the media are calling this the Arab Spring, each of these popular uprisings have occurred for different reasons. While there are common factors in each, the price of food, employment, in each state it is the way that their dictator represses personal freedoms.

In Egypt one of the key demands was the disbandment of the secret police, something that still has not happened. However it is the details of the way that Gaddafi has sown fear in the population of Libya that has been most shocking. In a news report that I heard yesterday on BBC radio, a few details were given. While I was tempted to repeat them here, as even thinking about them made me feel physically sick, I felt that it was not fair to inflict them upon folks here. But what is most sickening is the revelation that Britain has been supplying the equipment to enable the repression and torture of the people in North Africa and Arabia.

In Britain and in the West in general we are very good at talking democracy, but in reality we have been supporting and propping up these despots and dictators. While engagement with any state, no matter how bad it is, must be better than engaging in conflict that harms the people. Supplying them with the means of repressing its people is vile.

I feel real shame that my governments, of all flavours as it was the previous Labour one as well as the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, have seen fit to allow the export of the equipment that is being used to kill, injure and torture these oppressed people. Oh it may earn Britain export income, but just as the majority of people reject the products of slavery, or the “Blood Diamonds” of African wars, this is blood money.

Democracy is not perfect, but stopping others from seeking the freedoms we enjoy while profiting from highly immoral states beyond understanding. In the run up to the second Gulf war, there was a joke doing the rounds: How do we know that Saddam has weapons of Mass Destruction? Answer: Here are the receipts!

Stopping the Arms Trade will do more to end repression and wars than any single action.

Finally Back on Line

I finally have the internet back on. As I moved on the first of November last year, I am wondering if this is a record? Over four full months is diabolical service from my previous supplier, Talk Talk. It was supposed to be a simple house move. I really did give them every chance to sort this out, but finally I just had to change supplier. On the day promised, the new supplier, British Telecommunications, activated the line and provided the broadband. It was that simple. While it now allows me to finally get online, I just hope that anyone who has bought shares in Talk Talk, should be seriously worried about their investment as the company is just going straight down the pan.

Also this week has given me full heating and finally hot water. Again it has taken four months to get this sorted out. While I had heating from the open fire, The back-boiler central heating did not work properly therefore I had no hot water either. I could have just moved, again, but a problem that the landlord had lied about would have still been there for any other tenant to suffer from.

Well finally the system has been re-piped, and a new tank fitted, and I have hot water and heating. As the property is on an exposed fell top, that's a hill to non native speakers, having adequate heating is essential, after all this is 2011 not 1911.

That has not been the only problem that I have had to get fixed and sorted out, but today I can finally sit here and write without feeling cold and worrying about my personal hygiene. Not being able to bath in your own home is not only decidedly Dickensian, it is also unlawful. It must seem odd that I did not just leave, but these problems would never have been fixed if the landlord had not been forced to.

Even though I have had many problems that I have had to sort out, I really do like where I am living. Even the house has many merits, but it really is the location that makes it a place worth fighting for. For example the other day while walking to the next village I saw a Kestrel flying along the fence line as I crested the hill. Then on the walk back I saw a Buzzard near the same point. During the time when the snow was blanketing the ground I saw paw prints that could have been a fox. Well while in the back bedroom I saw the fox sniffing around. The following day I put out some food for him and he fed happily while I watched.

Equally, I find that I seem to be getting on well with most of the folks in the village. While this first winter is not fully over yet and there will be other challenges that living here will throw at me, it has been an interesting first four months.

Joining In Village Life

As well as delighting in the ever changing landscape here, I am discovering new wildlife viewing opportunities. A couple of weeks ago while on the bus, I spotted a Hare just metres from the road side. As the elevation of where I now live is so close to the fell tops, on some of the journeys I have to take, the roads are just a fields breath from the heather clad fells. Therefore with the changing light from the ever changing weather, these journeys can be like travelling through a post card.

Also with the isolation from human interference, I have had the chance of seeing Buzzards scouring the fells. One day I saw two, they appeared to be display flying, Courtship behaviour? I could observe for long enough to be sure.

I have also been getting involved in village life. I knew that it would have to happen one day, but I even ended up rounding up sheep from off the road. Its Like the Archers, But Real!

Further, I have been getting to know the locals via the local pub. This has even included getting involved in a sill drinking game. I did think before it started; “Is this wise?” so that told me I was still sensible enough to realise that this was not really wise. At least it meant that when I called my better half, who is down at University, we were both hung over as she had been to a fancy dress party the same night. At least, now we have been together for 18 months, we can both enjoy going out all be it separately. I had wanted to be with her and had we been here, I think she would have been encouraging me to get involved even more.

Well once I get my telephone and Internet on, I hope I will be able to post more frequently.

Location

As my long suffering readers know, I do have taste when it comes to choosing the places where I live. As this picture taken before the snows shows.

Meet the Neighbours

Thanks to the talking tree for the welcome back, and when the snows here first started, I did think of you. Then after making that posting last night I heard of the snow storms over there, and just like an American you have to do it bigger. Well at least I now know what its like to have four feet of snow, temperatures of minus 18 and to be snowed in for four days.

As I hope to show with a few more images, it is actually a really nice place to be living in. When I moved to the previous village I was in, people would ask why have I moved there? But here, people say “Oh that's a nice place to live” They also add that it can be difficult in the winter as the snow can (and does) drift cutting off the road. But all and all, people have said its a great location.

The village itself is actually in the fold of a hill, just two hundred metres from a high peak. Thus the poor cellular reception, but I do get great TV reception as I can see the TV mast from the back of the house. As I am antisocial and don’t like talking on the phone that much, at least I can blame reception for that.

Also the people seem to be reasonably nice here too. And even though its a small village of only 240 people, there are two pubs. One is my neighbour, so I don’t have far to stagger for a drink. Additionally there are great food shops within easy reach. Well as long as the public transport is running. Although I can easily walk into the next village and back for the shops there. Even though I have returned frozen to the bone and found it warmer in the fridge than outside at times.

But in spite of my moans, its great to be back.

Back after the Move

I am finally back to torment my long suffering reader. It has now been two months since moving, and I am finally able to get back on line. Not with any help from the useless company that is supposed to be supplying my telecommunications, Talk Talk. I will still have to wait another four weeks before they will get me online. Even before then, I may see if I can get service from another supplier. Well if Talk Talk just don't care about retaining customers, customer care or keeping promises, then I do not care to support their business.

To get online I have had to buy one of these mobile dongles. This also entailed me moving the computer to the second bedroom, from the living room. As where the new house is, in the second highest location in County Durham, I get very poor signal on cellular devices, all networks, and where I have the computer is the only place where I can get a reasonable connection.

Well apart from that moan about telecommunications companies, I really like the location that I have moved to. Even though Britain has suffered the earliest snows for a generation, I had four feet here at one point, it was something I was preparing for. It came sooner than I expected, but it was something that I had expected to happen eventually. I will be posting more on the snows at a latter date.

Moving here could be somewhat short lived, not because of the snow or the location as I only have to walk into the next village where the shops are, there are none at all in my village, and the way the landscape unfolds to reveal the views just lifts my spirits. The only reason I may not stay is because of the number of serious and previously known faults with the house. As I write, I have no hot water except what I can heat in pans. While I could see problems when I looked at the property, I was given reassurances regarding these. However, the examples of the workmanship thus far exhibited as well as the clear attempts to cover and conceal the problems has left me less than happy.

Had the property been only suffering minor problems, I would have been very happy here. But these combined with a request from my better half that I move closer to her place of study so we can see more of each other, and well I am considering that.

It will take me time to catch up with all that’s going on in net-land, I had over one thousand emails to work though when I finally got back online, but its great to be back.