Category Archives: environment

books, environment, history

Book Review: Burlington

Nick Catford
Burlington; The Central Government War Headquarters at Corsham
Folly Books; 2012
book coverThis is a large, coffee table-sized book full of photographs and maps of the now decommissioned and abandoned government bunker under north Wiltshire.
Nick Catford is one of the country’s most expert and specialist historians and investigators of underground Britain, and especially wartime/military and railway infrastructure, with several books to his credit. He is also an excellent photographer and a leading light in Subterranea Britannica (SubBrit). Which means he gets access to places most people wouldn’t and he’s absolutely the right man to write this book.
The first almost 50 pages provide a blow-by-blow history of the Corsham bunker from the mid-1930s through to it’s demise some 10 or so years ago, but majoring on its Cold War incarnations since the mid-1950s. The reminder of the 215 pages are filled with glossy photographs and charts of the layout of the various areas of the bunker, showing how each area would have been allocated and the now abandoned state of the site — complete with stored hardware, furniture, etc.


The photographs give a good idea of the decay that sets in very quickly when a site like this is abandoned. As yet apparently no roof-falls (at least not in the bunker area), but lots of water seepage and thus decaying wood and metal. Hundreds of new, but abandoned, chairs, blankets, packs of copy paper, telex machines, generators, telecoms infrastructure, catering equipment — it’s all there! It just beggars belief that all this can just be abandoned; one would think that at least the metal (and there must be hundreds of tons of it) could be recovered and sold off for scrap and recycling.

It’s the sheer scale of the enterprise, the government’s inability to organise its way out of a paper bag (certainly with any speed) and the scale of waste which for me makes this book so interesting. Plus the horrendous logistics of setting up the whole outfit, keeping it secret (the code name seems to have been changed every 2-3 years!) and maintaining it in a state of readiness. It all just boggles the mind.
If you are interested in what we get up to underground, things governmental and military or the general disorganisation of the way government goes about planning and implementing projects, you’ll likely find this book fascinating. Or you might just want to have your mind blown! If none of those floats your boat then basically, don’t bother.
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆

current affairs, environment

A Right Bag of Cornflakes

Oh dear, dear.
From 5 October retailers in England are required by law to charge 5p each for single use plastic carrier bag. Except when they don’t.
It’s all well and good, and very laudable, in theory. But as with all legislation the devil is in the detail.


And oh dear me! As the Independent on Sunday pointed out yesterday, the system is a mess and is bound to lead to a whole raft of arguments with supermarket cashiers who are going to be at the sharp end of implementing the scheme. I can already picture the low-life having fisticuffs round the checkouts in Asda and Tesco.
Just take two minutes to read the article. Think about some of the implications and it’ll soon become apparent that this isn’t as clear-cut and easy as it needs to be.
If you want more you can always read the Government’s guidance.
What a mess!

environment, food+drink, history, links, nudism, science

Your Interesting Links

So here we are again with another round of links to interesting items you might have missed the first time around. Again not too much heavy science but a lot of oddities …
Cats vs Dogs. Who wins? Well from an evolutionary perspective scientists have concluded that cats are better.


Since when has a Goth Chicken been a thing? Quite a while apparently as it is a recognised breed with black feathers, black meat and even a black heart. And they are highly prized.
We all know we eat too much animal protein, so it’s no surprise that the trend for replacing red meat with chicken isn’t actually helping.
George Monbiot considers evidence that obesity is an incurable disease and asks why then governments are intent on punishing sufferers.
So what is it like if you lose your sense of smell?
There are lots of medical screening tests available but which are really useful and what are the drawbacks?
Michael Ignatieff looks at the ongoing human impact of the Fukushima accident and subsequent clean-up.
So which shall be the master: the Meridian or GPS? It seems they don’t agree where the Greenwich Meridian is by a small matter of 102 metres. which is fine, apparently.
Galileo looked at a pendulum and thus begat GPS. Or how seemingly trivial observations and inventions can have long-lasting and profound effects centuries later.
And while we’re on inventions, a creative man has built a machine to feed his cat — but only when the cat hunts and finds a hidden ball and puts it in a slot machine!
Mention of Galileo makes us turn to history, but let’s start even further back in time … An English academic working in America has been looking hard at the walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber and thinks he’s spotted the bricked up entrance to Queen Nefertiti’s tomb.
Now here’s an equally puzzling conundrum. Was Shakespeare stoned when he wrote his plays? Well maybe, because pipe remains found in Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon garden have been analysed and found to contain not just tobacco but also cocaine and cannabis.

Struan Bates at www.EnglishCivilWar.org takes a further look at London’s York House Water Gate, this time as represented by various artists.
Has anyone got a couple of million to spare? If so, Dungeness is up for sale — yes, that large expanse of shingle on the Kent coast. And as it’s a very environmentally sensitive area it needs a suitable owner. Now if I can just win the lottery …

After which it is all downhill (or do I mean down the beach?) …
Guys … Do you want to increase your fertility? If so, take a tip from the Scots and wear a kilt!
Don’t want to wear a kilt? OK, so nudism is another option. Here are two items where young ladies look at the experience of social nudity: the first talks of the challenges of being a lifelong nudist and the second tackles nudity in the interests of research.
Meanwhile Amnesty International has found some sense and now backs the worldwide decriminalisation of prostitution. Is it too much to hope the politicians might now listen? Yes, I thought so.
And finally some words from a working, legal (albeit American) prostitute on the misconceptions people have about the job she has chosen for herself.
That’s all. More anon.

environment, history, links, science

Your Interesting Links

So soon already here’s another round of links to items you may have missed the first time — with rather less difficult science in this issue!
NASA have recently had a spacecraft whizzing past Pluto and they have some stunning pictures as a result, like this jaw-dropping colour image.

pluto

Do skin moisturisers do any good? Well maybe. Here is something on how they work.
On a slightly different chemical tack, why is it that many people think blackcurrants smell like cat wee? For me it isn’t the fruit itself that has this effect but the leaves of blackcurrants and flowering currants.
Girls, now do just be careful because it seems that semen has controlling power over your genes and behaviour (at least when it’s applied in the place Nature intended for it).
While on things sexual … just why do we kiss, when most other animals don’t?
Moving slightly away, here are some good scientific reasons why you should go naked. It’s basically what I’ve been saying for many years.
Now what about our pussies? Just why do cats purr? And for me even more interesting is how do cats purr?

Which leads us back to the age-old question: are cats domesticated or still really wild animals?
George Monbiot has been talking about rewilding for a long time, and it is something which does seem to make a lot of sense. In welcoming the new environmental organisation Rewilding Britain, Monbiot spotlights 15 species which could be brought back to rewild these islands.
The hope is that rewilding is not just good for the environment (for instance lynx would easily control our exploring deer population) but that it will enhance and enrich our lives too.
But hopefully one thing rewilding wouldn’t do is to increase is Mother Nature’s ability to rain frogs and other creatures.
From ecology to, well I suppose ethnology … What is the smallest language which would be useful? Well the constructed language Toki Pona contains just 123 words and really does allow you to say (almost) anything.
And now to a few things historical … A rare medieval gold ring depicting St George has been found in Norfolk. I’m glad the archaeologists know it shows St George, ‘cos it sure as hell beats me.
There has been much in the media recently about British slave ownership in 17th to early 19th centuries. Here the Guardian looks at the history and also the Legacies of British Slave-ownership database which is going to be very interesting for genealogists.
And coming slightly more up to date, I bet you didn’t know much of the history of that British institution the red post box. And yes, they were introduced by author Anthony Trollope, who also lived for some years in my home town.
Now we’re reaching the end of our quest and the penultimate curiosity is that a musician has recreated Leonardo da Vinci’s piano, and it is heard for the first time 500 years after Leonardo sketched it. And no, it isn’t All Fools Day — just have a listen to the video; it could easily be a string quartet.

And finally, just because they are stunningly beautiful, here’s a collection of animated GIFs of some gorgeous cactus flowers. Real natural fireworks!

amusements, environment, photography

Buggered Britain #25

Another in my occasional series documenting some of the underbelly of Britain. Britain which we wouldn’t like visitors to see and which we wish wasn’t there. The trash, abused, decaying, destitute and otherwise buggered parts of our environment. Those parts which symbolise the current economic malaise; parts which, were the country flourishing, wouldn’t be there, would be better cared for, or made less inconvenient.
This delight is near Harrow town centre and, as you’ll see, is part of the grounds of a primary school! And it has been in this state for quite some years.

Buggered Britain #25
Click the image for larger views on Flickr

environment, natural history, ramblings

Orchid Instructions

Yesterday I posted a photo of a Denbrobium orchid, and in the past I’ve posted images of Phalaenopsis orchids. Yesterday I also made the comment that orchids are very easy to get back into flower, but realised afterwards that most people aren’t going to have a clue how to do this. So instead of throwing out that beautiful orchid once it has finished flowering, this is what you do …
Phalaenopsis orchids, which is most of what are in the shops, are actually surprisingly easy if you do a few simple things. You will also sometimes find Dendrobiums and in my experience they can be treated in much the same way. (There are many other species of orchid but these are the ones you will normally find on general sale, eg. in supermarkets, in the UK.)

Purple Orchid
Phalaenopsis orchid

Orchids are epiphytes which grow in trees using their roots only to hold them lightly in place and to pick up water. They will also grow extra aerial roots to absorb any moisture in the air; these roots should not be buried in the compost. Good roots are essential for flowering.
Make sure your orchid is potted in bark chippings and NOT in soil or moss. Orchids must not stand in water or be waterlogged; their roots have to be free-draining. If your orchid is planted in anything other than bark chippings, get some orchid compost (which is basically bark chips) and repot it. Being waterlogged is the quickest way to kill an orchid.
Dendrobium
Dendrobium orchid

You’ll notice that most orchids are planted in transparent or translucent plastic pots. This is because their roots like light just as the leaves do. If possible keep the orchid in a light place and in a clear container.
Do not put your orchid in bright sunlight as this is likely to scorch the leaves. They are plants which grow in amongst the branches of trees so although they need good light they would only naturally get dappled sun.
Orchids also need to be warm (20-25°C) most of the time. Avoid putting them somewhere where the temperature fluctuates a lot and keep them out of draughts. However a few weeks of slightly cooler temperatures (maybe down to 15°C at night) and reduced watering forces them to rest and is almost essential to get them to come back into flower.
bboIt is a good idea to get some orchid feed. There is a “Baby Bio” orchid feed in a pink bottle; it is easily available — many supermarkets sell it — and is probably as good as anything specialist. A bottle will last a long time.
Now about watering. Your orchid needs watering once a week but it must NOT stand in water all the time. Each week put your orchid (in its plastic pot) in a bowl and fill it with water almost up to the level of the compost. If you have orchid feed add a small squirt of this to the water (read the directions on the bottle) although this should not be done every time they are watered. Let the orchid soak for an hour or two (but no more). Then take it out, put it back in its outer container and return it to its normal place.
Watering time is also a good opportunity to give the plant the once over. Remove any dead/dying leaves, dead flower spikes and dry shrivelled roots with a pair of sharp scissors. Try to make sure the leaves are clean and dust free. Keep an eye out for pests like scale insects — if you spot them I’ve found that unfortunately the only reliable way to get rid of them is with a houseplant insecticide spray.
When your orchid has finished flowering — hopefully after many weeks as the flowers can last 6 weeks or more — remove the dead flowers and cut off the flower stem of Phalaenopsis (with Dendrobiums you should only remove the flowering stem when it dies and withers). Keep the cane which was supporting the flower and any clips or ties. If it needs it this is a good time to repot your orchid.
Phalaenopsis Orchid
Another of my Phalaenopsis orchids

Don’t worry if your orchid isn’t growing lots of new leaves. Phalaenopsis grow very slowly, usually only one or two new leaves a year. Dendrobiums will throw up new stems quite easily; these may need staking and they should eventually flower.
Your orchid will flower again but normally it needs those few cool nights to trigger this. As the spike grows you should stake it (that’s why you kept the old stake and clips). Although the stems themselves are quite robust, they do tend to fall over with the final weight of the flowers and it is easier to keep stems upright if they are staked early and trained upwards.
Then just sit back and enjoy the wonderful flowers!

environment, photography

Weekly Photograph

2 Comments

This week’s photograph is another from the archives and is specially for all those who know and love Dungeness — and especially for Katy! Dungeness is just such a wonderful place: open, bright, wind-swept, desolate and isolated. As one of the largest areas of natural shingle habitat in Europe it is also ecologically important.
This is Prospect Cottage, the late Derek Jarman’s cottage in the middle of Dungeness, with the minimalist garden he laid out amongst the shingle.

Prospect Cottage, Dungeness (Long View)
Prospect Cottage, Dungeness
Dungeness, August 2010
Click on the image for larger views on Flickr

books, environment, photography

Book Review: Subterranean London

Bradley L Garrett
Subterranean London: Cracking the Capital
Prestel; 2014
This is a beautifully produced book of photographs which peels back the layers under London’s streets and brings you clandestine views of all those things we depend on but which are largely out of sight: sewers, cable tunnels, the tube, communications hubs and even Crossrail construction.
It is the work of a group of either brave or foolhardy (depending on one’s point of view) explorers intent on making this infrastructure visible, often when the authorities don’t wish it to be. They follow on in the pioneering spirit of Duncan Campbell from 30 years ago, gaining illicit access — through manholes, ventilation shafts and derelict buildings often right under the noses of “security” — to that which is normally off limits.
The book contains relatively little text — just a single page of explanation at the beginning of each of the four sections, a couple of pages of introduction and a short foreword by Will Self. This lack of text is my only major gripe; I wanted more about the places and the exploits which got the explorers to them.
But the book is about the images, each minimally captioned, which record some of the places the group have penetrated. Much of the photography is excellent and strong; well lit, well composed and professionally produced — quite remarkable considering it was all done on the hoof, at speed and with the ever-present danger of the long arm of “security”.

A long disused Mail Rail train parked in an abandoned station which is still lit
and with a working digital clock which says 0424.
From www.placehacking.co.uk


To get a better idea of what these guys do — whether you call it “place hacking” or just “urban exploration” — there is a documented visit to the now disused Post Office railway (Mail Rail) over at www.placehacking.co.uk/2011/04/24/security-breach-london-mail-rail/ from which a handful of photographs in this book are taken.
This is a book for those that like to know what’s beneath their feet, how cities hang together, what “the authorities” don’t want us to see or to indulge in some vicarious dare-devil excitement. Yes, I like a bit of all of those, but I also appreciate the photography and indeed some of the (especially Victorian) architecture — see for instance the photographs early in the book of Finsbury Park Reservoir. This is stuff which is hidden from sight, but deserves to be seen and appreciated for both its beauty and its engineering.
Having said that, when you look at the haphazard state of some of the cabling, and the dilapidated state of many of the tunnels themselves, one really does start to wonder how anything functions at all!
So yes, this is a book for the geek and the vicarious explorer. A book to dip into to appreciate the photography, the beauty and the engineering. As such it is almost endlessly fascinating and it is only the lack of text which prevents it from getting a full five stars.
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆

environment, links, ramblings

Coming up in November

Here’s my selection of events, celebrations and customs that are happening during November.
[Reminder: These listings contain an eclectic mix of anniversaries, historical events, red letter days and upcoming “awareness events”, mostly UK-centric. My rules for the inclusion of awareness events are that they must not be medical, nor aimed specifically at children, nor too obviously purely commercial; and they must have a useful website.]
1 to 30 November
National Novel Writing Month. Can you write a novel in a month? That’s the challenge for all the budding authors out there. The idea is to write your 50,000 words in just thirty days. More information, hints, tips and events over at http://nanowrimo.org/.
1 November
London (Regent Street) Veteran Car Concours. If you’re in central London on this day you’ll find many of the cars taking part in the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run on display in Regent Street. And some may even be limbering up around the West End. So take your camera and keep your eyes open. Basic evnet information at www.classicshowsuk.co.uk/classic-car-show-event-information/classic-car-show-by-date.asp?id=515.


2 November
London-Brighton Veteran Car Run. This is reportedly to be the longest running car event in the world and ranks as one of Britain’s biggest motoring spectacles. It attracts entrants from around the world, all eager to take part on the first Sunday in November. Only cars built before 1 January 1905 are eligible to take part so this is a fine spectacle of early automobile engineering. More details at www.vccofgb.co.uk/lontobri/.
5 November
Guy Fawkes Day when the UK celebrates the defeat of terrorism by the foiling of Guido Fawkes’ 1605 plot to blow up King James I along with the whole of Parliament. The celebration is traditionally marked with bonfires and fireworks, much to the annoyance of most of our pets. Many places have their own special Guy Fawkes celebrations, including Tar Barrel rolling at Ottery St Mary, Devon and Lewes Bonfire Night in East Sussex.
8 November
Lord Mayor’s Show. Held on the second Saturday in November, this is the pageant to accompany the inauguration of the new Lord Mayor of the City of London. Along with the usual plethora of floats there are military bands and pikemen in gaudy medieval dress.
9 November
Remembrance Day. The UK’s annual commemoration of those lost not just in WWI and WWII but in all wars.
11 November
Martinmas, the Feast of St Martin of Tours, is a time for feasting celebrations — much like American Thanksgiving — and in many places another bonfire festival. Traditionally at this time the autumn wheat seeding was completed and there was the annual slaughter of fattened cattle and swine which could not be kept through the winter. Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm labourers would seek new posts.
29 November to 7 December
National Tree Week is the UK’s largest tree celebration and launches the start of the winter tree planting season. It is also a great chance for communities to do something positive for their local treescape. Full details at www.treecouncil.org.uk/Take-Part/National-Tree-Week.
30 November
On this day in 1934 the Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to exceed 100 mph.