Decluttering has never felt so good. It really came into fashion in the last few years – getting rid of all that junk you accumulated and heading towards a life of simplicity. Something always felt missing in that decluttering fad though. It can often be temporary and superficial, and not…
Where have all the men gone
This year has strongly featured getting out-of-the-blue invitations from people, usually asking me to do something that makes me feel nervous, and quickly accepting. None more surprising and uncomfortable than being asked to participate in the Clear Lines Festival, which runs from this Thursday 30 July to Sunday. Festivals aren’t…
Posted in Man talk
Lawngrowing
My landlords came round the other week to make sure that the house hasn’t been too trashed in the 2 years we’ve been living here. No big issues. Their only observation was that “the garden could do with a bit of attention.” You know what? They are absolutely right, and…
Posted in Culture, Zen moments
Exclusivity, and a desperate call for elders
I call this the Freedom Blog, but that doesn’t mean that freedom is always a good thing. For instance, I often find myself worrying about the crippling dangers of Free Markets. And the Charlie Hebdo thing brought attention to the shadow side of Free Speech. A good dose of restrictive…
Working out what the work is
Knowing what I now know about the disastrous destiny of the culture I live in, how can I possibly participate in it? Since I need money to survive and am reliant on this system, how can I possibly not participate in it? Still wrestling with that one. I am staggered…
Posted in Change
The case for spoiling my ballot
I have never cared more about the general election than this time round. To date, I have only actually voted once. Up until the last general election, I stayed at home, not feeling compelled to join in, but nothing deeper than that. Last elections I did cast a vote, a…
Posted in Culture
Forest Row Song 2015
Sometimes songs can be like snogs. Or buses. Straight on the back of last week’s musical offering I have another. This one is made in service of and out of love for Forest Row. It is not a sequel to last year’s, simply another outburst. A bit of spoken word,…
Posted in Music
Wild Words
I have another song to share. I can now confirm that it is immensely good fun to sing hanging upside down from a tree. It is always nice when dreams come true. This was done for the Wild Network addressing the issue of nature words being dropped from the Oxford…
Posted in Music
Patriotic patriarchies
England might get together and look down on France in the 6 Nations rugby. But Northerners in England rarely associate with lightweight southerners. But up north, Yorkshire and Lancashire have a long history of rivalry. West of the Pennines, Manchester might have a low opinion of Liverpool, but that’s nothing…
Reflections from the wheelie bin
A lot of ecology-related words have become highly politically charged – sustainability, environment, climate change etc – to the point where they seem to have lost all power to engage. To restore the words’ meaning and help me understand again, I often find it useful to visit the woods, especially…
