Walking Thoughts

  Lavender plays a significant role in supporting biodiversity by  attracting a wide array of pollinators, providing food sources, and contributing to overall ecosystem health .  Its fragrant blooms and aromatic leaves make it a magnet for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, which are crucial for pollination and plant reproduction.  By supporting these pollinators, lavender helps maintain the balance of ecosystems and promotes a healthy environment.   Elaboration: Pollinator Attraction: Lavender is a strong attractant for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other insects.  Its nectar-rich flowers provide a valuable food source, and its presence encourages these insects to visit and transfer pollen, aiding in plant reproduction.   Food Source: Lavender flowers offer both nectar and pollen, which are essential food sources for pollinators, particularly bees.  This makes it a "bee buffet," providing the necessary carbohydrates and pr...

  I will never forget the first time I saw a baby gull. I looked at it. It looked at me. I turned to my boat’s first mate and said, “What’s this? It’s got the same type of beak as a gull but it’s brown and fluffy”. That cemented my relationship with burning; My sailing days were continuously enriched by spotting and identification of all the different species of birds at sea and around the coast. On one cross channel sail to France, I saw a whole flock of birds coming towards me. And again, the context meant that at first I didn’t identify them. They were swallows, Migrating from Africa to the UK for the summer. I just don’t normally see swallows at sea. All summer along, I see them around my home, But they are not seabirds. Equally I expected only to see curlew on the coast. And then I visited friends in Rural Yorkshire, Where curlews live in the fields. Why Birds Matter in the UK – And Why You Should Care I have recently been undertaking the 60 miles in June Walking challenge to ...

 From the evil of bombing came joy Irene Lapworth was born in the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in London. It is now the unison building on Euston Road. She was the third daughter born to salvationist parents. Her father was Harold Lapworth who fought in the first world war survived and relisted in 1918. He was a Private in the Navy , A marine , And wasin the trenches for the war and saw action in the Somme and Tripoli. After the war, when he re-enlisted, he joined the artillery. Irene moved with her family to Essex when she was 2. At a time when Essex was the countryside. Her mum played the piano. My mum taught me the piano. It seems that Irene also could not sing, but they did. Irene’s mum died when she was sick. She died in childbirth.. They returned to London to a loving and caring grandmother. But sadly, her sister, her eldest sister to became very ill and the doctor advised to move back to Essex. After a series of unsatisfactory housekeepers her dad tried to go out alon...

  Martin Niemöller Celebrating VE Day is a public commemoration of defeating  a regime that systematically targeted Jews, minorities, political dissidents, and others —and it was defeated through the collective resistance of allied nations and peoples who eventually said “enough.” But voting for parties like  Reform UK , which has campaigned heavily on  anti-immigration ,  anti-woke , and  anti-establishment  platforms, can raise concerns about  how receptive people are to messages that scapegoat others —especially in times of economic uncertainty, cultural shifts, or national discontent. Some of their rhetoric echoes historical patterns: blaming outsiders for internal problems, downplaying human rights concerns, or promoting “them vs. us” narratives. The Discomfort of the Present Moment That’s where Niemöller’s poem becomes sharply relevant. We're not yet at the point of authoritarianism, but the early lines of the poem are about  failing to...