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Blimey oh riley

The ducks have had a hard time of it in Slaithwaite!

As winter bites, it becomes trickier to save energy, the prospect of driving rather than taking public transport and of turning on/up the heating rather than leaving it off seem the only options. As I talk to the older people in our community however they provide real tips for being more eco friendly..... they go to the library or go out for coffee when it's cold, they cook a big casserole up during the day when they are in so that they are heating the kitchen, they stay in one or two rooms and turn off the radiators in the rest of the house. I have to admit we are doing most of this in our house already.... it's the way I was brought up, if you were cold you were told to put on another jumper, and it wasn't unknown for us to be wandering around inside wearing hats and fingerless gloves. I'm not suggesting we all do this, but lots of houses I go into are stinking hot.

It has to be said, there is nothing to make the inside warmer than a good bracing walk outside in the cold....... spend an hour outside getting some good exercise and you won't need the heating on for a good while when you get back!!! Triple whammy - bit of exercise, lower energy bills and better for the environment.

The Art of Happy Attitude

When I came out of my house this morning I was greeted by a neighbour with

"hmmmm pretty grim day today," I'm sure she was refering to the weather, but the comment was all encompassing.
"Last year it was freezing by this time of year," I replied with a smile "and it's dry."
"Looks like it will rain soon," was the retort......

Whilst we don't always have a choice in the weather or the situation we find ourselves in, we do have a choice in our response. Choosing a positive response to the first stimulus of the day has a knock on effect for the rest of the day and beyond.

This seems, on the one hand, to be basic and obvious and, on the other, it is something which we pay very little attention to and consequently forget to do when going about our daily business. So often, we follow our usual, habitual "gut" response when a bit of thought and a different "way" might serve us (and those around us) much better.

Taking the time (about a second) to actively choose between your habitual response and an alternative is something you might like to consider. You never know, it might make all the difference to your day.

A post election pondering....

I'm being urged by friends of the earth to make Nick Clegg aware of the need to keep his Green Credentials entact whatever pact he should embark upon and I'm wondering if I'm not better off just doing all I can to make sure he keeps to the core Lib Dem policy of a referrendum on PR since this will surely in and of itself return a much greener parliament.......

Voting dilemas

It seems it's all about tactics in this election, and perhaps if we all tactically vote right then we might get to vote for who we want (and not waste a vote) next time. In our neck of the woods it's getting very complicated since the split vote against the conservatives is a very real (and imo scary) possibility.

My hubby and I had one of our monthly conversations the other day about chucking out the tele and for once I was against, saying that I really want to keep it to watch the election results coming in. If nothing else, this election has an exciting element of unpredictability to it..... and that in itself may get the electorate a bit more interested in politics or at the very least in voting. Perhaps the chenanigans of the expenses scandal, the recession and the Copenhagen debacle may have a positive longer term outcome somehow. Let's hope so.

Never work another day.....

“Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” Confucius...551 to 479 BC

I just found an interesting blogger Wayne Kehl; interesting for what he has to say, particularly about the above quote and because he lives in Prince George, British Columbia - a place I've always had a yen to visit since working in Vancouver 7 or 8 years ago. Anyhow, the quote and article resonated with me from an environmental angle since so much about becoming more environmentally aware puts us back in touch with our essence, with the earth and with being in tune with ourselves and everything around us. I am currently searching for my next "job", and since having children I am doing it in a different way from ever before. I am looking for something which enthuses me and doing my utmost to turn it into something which I get paid for. I hesitate to call it work, since I will remain enthusiastic and really enjoy what I do. So far, I'm enjoying myself, and not getting paid much.... things will change on that front. The way forward for us and our environment is both exciting and challenging; out of it all though I am confident that we will find better, more satisfying lives where we are passionate about what we do.

The Journey

I've just discovered this inspiring website..... The Journey. I particularly liked the Eastside Roots flic. Hope you find something here to inspire ;-)