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Category Archives: Grey Britain
Rambling through the grey and rising above it …… occasionally
I’ve written before on the psychology of time, about which I read initially in Thomas Mann’s book ‘The Magic Mountain’ when I was in the 6th form and more recently in Claudia Hammond’s ‘Time Warped’, published 2012, exactly 100 years … Continue reading
Posted in Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Weather, Wildlife, Winter
Tagged brecon beacons national park, Covid Pandemic, Gwent, Holiday Paradox, Jackdaws, Magic Mountain, mist, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, philosophy of time, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, snow, Thomas Mann
2 Comments
Rising above the grey
Rather than ushering in the Mediterranean to the UK, climate change is bringing increasing greyness interspersed with ‘extreme weather events’. Gradual descent into winter in November used to be marked by a week of hard frosts, sometimes with temperatures lower … Continue reading
Posted in Grey Britain, Health and humour, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Weather, Winter
Tagged brecon beacons national park, frost, Gwent, mist, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Sunshine, Wales
2 Comments
Locked-down in Wales
Since I arrived home from Greece in early September there have been various shades of lockdown. It would be more pleasant and safer to have stayed on Symi but unfortunately not to be. I would have been tempted to stay … Continue reading
Posted in Autumn, Grey Britain, Grumpy Old Men, Health and humour, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Weather
Tagged acers, autumn, books, Brugmantsia, Covid-19, fruit and veg, gardens, Wales
3 Comments
Virtual Symi: Summer solstice and Covid optimism
Summer solstice, 21 June, and for the last 10 years I have been in Greece to celebrate it. With the sun at its highest, at the zenith (13.00 with adjustment for summer time) I’ve made a point of taking a … Continue reading
Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Health and humour, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Weather, Wildlife
Tagged air-bridges, Covid-19, fauna, Flora, Greece, international flights, Summer solstice, Symi
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Under the Covid Cosh: musings
Five weeks in, under the cosh since 23 March, and the major change is in the weather. For all that time it has been warm and sunny, the sunniest April on record in the UK. A single overnight shower two … Continue reading
Posted in Grey Britain, Health and humour, Hiking, History, Mountains, Spring, Weather
Tagged Bubonic Plague, Coronavirus, Covid-19, history, lockdown, over 70s, social distancing, Spanish Flu, UK, vaccine
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Life under the Covid cosh. And a new book
I’m trying not to be bored. New words and phrases have entered the language, old words and phrases have taken on new meaning, usually imprecise meanings that convey different things to everyone. We are all now living in ways we … Continue reading
Posted in extreme gardening, Greece, Grey Britain, Health and humour, Mountains, Reflections
Tagged Covid-19, Greece, writing
3 Comments
Icy art
Temperature in Canadian Banff, where I usually am at this time of year, is between a high of minus 20 and 25 in the afternoon. Not quite so cold in the UK despite dramatic and completely unfounded headlines in some … Continue reading
Happy Christmas
For various reasons I’m not going to Canada this winter. So no new shots of snow covered Rockies. Hopefully, next winter. However, given the greyness of Grey Britain at the moment, I can’t help looking back to winter and Christmas … Continue reading
Posted in Canada, Grey Britain, Landscape, Mountains, Winter
Tagged Banff, Christmas, Lake Louise, snow, Sundog
3 Comments
10 years. Still waiting for the sunshine
Check the route
Greece
Unfortunately my planned return to Greece has been delayed because of health issues. Not sure yet when I’ll be heading back as I’m resisting the urge to go back and become a health tourist again. The World Health Organisation puts … Continue reading