Small Mercy

News (BBC Radio 4) that the last battery hen has been freed uplifted briefly, a small mercy in a world of injustice. She will end her days as a hen should, free to roam, and live outside. Hens are still generally kept in cages, albeit larger ones with a few comforts. In many other European countries they are still kept in wire cages with no room to move, and die of exhaustion when they can lay no more. Of course one must not ignore the economic reasons for this. Many producers simply cannot afford to make the required changes, the amount they are paid for their eggs being insufficient to allow this.

Supermarkets and the 'consumer' are no doubt to blame for this, often preferring to import and buy cheaper eggs from elsewhere. Eggs are considered to be cheap, as are poultry, pork and many other kinds of produce. They should be valued more and we should be prepared to pay more for them, in the knowledge that the creatures we are asking to work for us or we are consuming can at least live with some comfort and dignity. I will never forget the look of despair and hopelessness in the eyes of pigs kept indoors in a battery style system with only concrete for a vista and hardly any room to move. I felt really ashamed. Pigs are happy creatures, and this shows when they are kept in plenty of space and the ability to go wild (rather like children) outdoors. I still like eating them, though, and perhaps all this concern for their welfare is only hypocrisy on my part.

In any case the moral is: find out how and where it is made and buy the best you can afford, preferably from a local producer.

The New Curriculum

School books ?

I read recently that someone gaining an A grade at A Level today would have achieved a D a number of years ago. There has been much debate surrounding the phenomenon of grade inflation in recent times, and it does seem to have become easier to stand out in exams today than it used to be in the past. This is not surprising, given the improvement in teaching standards (or perhaps more precisely the concentration on teaching for results), the plethora of resources available to pupils to research their subjects, specialised coaching and a myriad other things never available to students in times gone by. All we had when I was at school were the text books such as they were and any other background matter one could dig out in a library or come by with an enquiring mind. Well done to all those who can achieve excellent grades in today's A Levels; they will need all the help they can get when they start looking for a job or finding a place in university.

Rather than fearing this debasement of grading, I am more concerned by the subjects taught in schools - or rather the subjects not taught, or taught sufficiently or with enough force. Is any time given to James Lovelock's work and inventions, or even Charles Darwin, beyond a cursory mention ? Evolution and its true meaning and significance ? The Gaia theory ? Or the Medean hypothesis ? Or the inexorable rise of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, or the origin and evolution of life, the soil and their future ? Are humans placed in their context - one species among many, gifted with intelligence and self reflection perhaps, but no more equal or worthy than earthworms or plants. What books are studied other than the same tired 'classics' ? In this country, we are not exposed to a wide range of knowledge during our education and many subjects are ignored unless one makes a conscious decision to study them. Hence generations of young people (and I was one a long time ago) who have little knowledge of science, history and many other areas of learning, ill prepared for the grave challenges facing our world.

I myself, after stumbling beginnings many years ago when I dabbled in protests and being at least mildly radical and vaguely realising that all was not well with the world have finally seen the light as it were. I have at long last rejected the silly notions that economic growth ad infinitum is either possible or desirable, and the notion that humans are somehow on the Earth but not of the Earth, divorced from the natural world. I have read the works of Lovelock and made the effort to understand Darwin, learned about the soil, the biology of plants, been impressed by Tim Flannery, been a subscriber to the Ecologist, grow food, don't fly any more etc. I want desperately to learn more about this planet and our duty to it. But how many people are exposed to these wonders and given this same hunger for knowledge unless they have had the good fortune to have come across, say, Lovelock in the course of their reading. Very few I would say.

Everyone should be given the chance to learn about our planet. Youngsters should be given the opportunity to travel to the poles and to the tropics and to the different habitats of our own country, to see and feel for themselves, to realise that science is liberating. Education can save us and all the species we share the world with. A New Curriculum is needed to do this in which the works of the great scientists and ecologists are to the fore; a massive investment in education. What is not needed is 'academies' financed through PPP extortion schemes, grade inflation, league tables and the division of children into those who can access a good (i.e. in this country private) education and those who can not. Before you vote again ask your prospective candidate if he or she or their party are prepared to do the right thing; and take a keen interest in what your children are being taught in school. If they are not being taught about the real world, make sure you fill in the blanks yourself. There is hope.

A Christmassy Post

Mostly foraged from the wood !

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to put the decorations up and think of presents if you can afford them and what to drink to keep the chill out. Personally I can't stand mulled wine, so I take refuge in the wines of southern France - Les Vignerons d'Estézargues' different cuvées or Domaine des Chênes Rivesaltes Tuilé for example.

The Earth has finally gone to sleep after a few cold, wet days so there is no need to feel guilty for not being in the garden. There are already signs of next year's harvest - broad beans, onions and garlic are all peeping out. Something to look forward to; now that the area has been cleared of invasive perennial plants, getting things started next February and March will be a pleasure.

I will no doubt be writing on other subjects soon, but I wish anyone who reads this a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year. I hope you can be with your family and friends. In any case enjoy the time, reflect on the year gone by and on the one to come. With any luck, good fortune and happiness will come running up to you and hold you in a solid embrace.

Pre-Mature

This was very frightening. Goose pimples and hair standing up on the back of the neck frightening. If you have any idea what phtalates and bisphenol A are, then you will no doubt already be aware of the disquieting effects of these substances.

Just picture this scene: a young girl, only six years old who is starting her puberty; her breasts are starting to swell and she is developing pilosity in all the places which in a young child should be pristine and baby-smooth. Her schoolmates have begun to notice. She has no idea what is happening to her and her parents are at their wits' end. Tests and examinations by specialists follow and reveal that her body prematurely initiated the changes usually associated with puberty (at the usual age of puberty) and if this is not halted by a series of regular injections for a number of years, may cause her to stop growing altogether. Further investigations reveal that various substances present in plastics and, through migration, in cosmetics, food and drink may be responsible for this disruption of the endocrinian system. Far from being a rare phenomenon it is becoming more and more common. It affects girls - sometimes as young as 4 years - more than boys, although they are also concerned. The consequences of premature puberty in girls and infertility in boys can hardly be exaggerated. Experiments carried out in a closed lake on a species of small fish (unfortunately I cannot remember the name) particularly sensitive to this class of chemical showed that within 3 years no fish were left because they were unable to reproduce.

We have all heard stories about the harmful effects of chemicals, but this report on Envoyé Spécial (an investigative programme on France 2 Television shown on TV5 last Friday) was truly horrific. There was the added and significant fact that the little girl and her parents lived near vineyards. Now you may or may not know that French vineyards are among the most avid users of chemicals of all sorts - sprayed on vines to control fungal, insect and other pests - in potentially dangerous cocktails with unknown effects. There have been many instances over the years of vineyard workers dying young of mysterious illnesses, often associated with the use or misuse of these chemicals over the years. Not much publicity is ever given to these deaths and few are keen to investigate, such is the power and influence of the proponents of 'conventional' or 'traditional' agriculture and viticulture. When I lived in Kent, surrounded by wheat and salad growers I often noticed the whiff of chemicals in the air when various sprays were applied in the fields. I now feel rather safer here in the great metropolis, although there is much to worried about here as well (perhaps for another time). What other hitherto unknown effects are stalking us as a consequence of the use of these substances ?

All of the above lead me to favour, even more than I already do, growing my own food as much as possible, seeking out wines made using organic or biodynamic practices, although not yet throwing out all plastic food containers (as one mother in the France 2 report did). Even if you care little for the environment, our fellow creatures of the Earth, Gaia or any other tree-hugging you should take heed of this and try to change what you eat and do, for your own sake, and for the sake of your children.

Bird Brains

Crow soaking a piece of dry bread in a puddle

Listened to the fascinating BBC Radio 4 series 'The Life Scientific' on what it is like to be a scientist, the subject of which this week was Nicky Clayton and her research into the evolution of intelligence in birds - particularly corvids. I felt a particular affinity with this scientist's work as I have often seen birds manifesting intelligence in many situations - admittedly mostly to do with obtaining food.

The photo here shows a crow dipping a piece of dry bread in a puddle to make it soft enough to eat. Another crow looks on, hoping for his share of the bread.

Intelligence and cooperation: not just human traits.

Woodland and a Peregrine

Local wood in Autumn

I love to walk in the woods. There is nothing more re-creational than a few moments spent taking in the beauty of this habitat. There is a particular atmosphere in these English woodlands, many of which are relatively ancient, having been preserved by a mixture of chance and the imperatives of royal hunts. A few commons also remain, untouched by the Enclosures, open to those who know them. I would bet that most people in this area don't know these woods and are ignorant of their beauty. Is this a surprise ? Probably not. I read recently that most children in London never go to green spaces during the year. What a great pity, and how indicative of their parents' and teachers' lack of concern for their wellbeing, beyond what they are 'taught' and the latest gadget or fad.

The air was still and the pitter patter of water droplets could be heard falling onto the leaf litter, even the individual falling of leaves could be perceived. The chit chat of long-tailed tits came down from the canopy, the raucous conversation of the crows and the nimble progress of a grey squirrel from branch to branch. All could be discerned above the clamour and clanging of human activity in the nearby factories and the squeaking of the passing train. Here indeed was a haven of peace, where small creatures live unconcerned by the city, as they have always done.

I moved on up the path and over the footbridge across the railway. The area is more open; the wood, reduced to a strip now, continues to the east along the golf course; a path goes south along the tracks, and to the left of it is the expanse of land once taken up by sludge beds, now left to nature. I take this path and stop when I see the outline of a bird on a treetop and watch for a few moments. A sparrow hawk rests awhile before striking off to continue its search for prey. I resume my progress, passing under the high voltage electricity pylons, sizzling in the humid autumnal air. High above I glimpse the outline of another bird soaring high above, gliding before beating its wings three or four times. The unmistakable form of a peregrine. A marvellous sight, made all the more memorable because it is in the middle of this metropolis, but unseen by most of the thousands of people roundabout. My little secret. The heart is uplifted. The day is made.

True Value

How much is a Ladybird ?

Who can put a price on Art or Nature ? What price a species wiped out by humans through greed or stupidity or usually both ?

Look at paintings such as the many versions of the Card Players or the representations of apples by Paul Cézanne or innumerable works by Claude Monet or Pablo Picasso or any of the other great painters of the 19th and 20th centuries. These works are beyond monetary value; whether they are in public or private collections they belong, in some sense, to all humans, such is their profound emotional presence. Having seen the recent BBC programme in the Storyville series about the Barnes collection - 'valued' at $25 billion, I have my reservations about putting a price on things, and about those who do so for their own mercantile motives. Some things are simply too precious and valuable to be judged in terms of some currency or other. It is common knowledge that money can all of a sudden become worthless, but throughout the short history of humanity, value still remains. From the earliest stone tools, to the first representations of animals or humans, to the cave paintings at Lascaux to the most exuberant Matisse, some of the things made by humans are the most loving, joyful, masterful creations of the Tribal Monkey.

Who can dispute this profound emotionality who has approached the Guernica by Pablo Picasso in the Reina Sofia in Madrid. It's presence is brooding and felt even when it is out of sight - probably because you are treated to some of the artist's sketches and drawings in preparation for the painting as you draw near. When you actually see it it is rather like a blow to the stomach such is the wave of emotion which fills you and overwhelms you. What is the value of this painting ? If it were to be sold, who could afford it ? Spain might be tempted in its hour of economic need. Its sale could make a dent in the deficit no doubt, but whether a price could be put on it is uncertain.

One thing on which a price has been put but which is not valued is energy and energy production. We have been brought up to believe that energy, be it electricity or petrol or gas or coal is freely available in unlimited quantities and can be bought cheaply, so cheaply in fact that it matters not how much we use or waste. Modern societies are founded on the fact that vast quantities of energy on a scale unimaginable to our ancestors who were limited to mainly wind, wood and animal power are immediately available to us for transport, manufacturing, home heating etc. Now that is probably less so now than it was only a few years ago mainly because speculators have driven up the price of oil, but it must be said that the price of fossil energy particularly bears no relation to how precious and finite a resource it is. Air transport in particular pays no premium of any kind on its use of energy. Nor does the price take account of the damage to the earth system done by large scale emissions of carbon dioxide and the risks that this implies for the future stability of our climate,  and the availability of food and water for the multitudes of humans now present on this planet.

Would it not be better to price energy fairly and enable people to use less of it and more efficiently in a society which is good at using small amounts of energy from mainly renewable resources to produce prosperity and stability ? The means, financial and technological, already exist for us to achieve this. What is lacking is the will to do so. Our governments must act to produce the conditions for this to happen. Oil companies would do well to divert their vast resources into energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. We as individuals should look at the little things we can do to make our own lives more efficient, less wasteful, more at peace with existence. What is the cost of a species lost through our fault or more precisely negligence. What price can you put on a Ladybird or a Great Auk, an Otter or a Peregrine ?

Who Are you ?

Yes. It's like the Who track. And it's a very good question which we all ask ourselves at one time or another. It is also a very difficult question to answer, as the answer will change over time. There is no central core of being which is immutable and will be forever the same, which we can produce like some identity document. Who we are depends on where and when we are, who we are with and may be different at different times, even times of the day. It was reading Harry Eyres' column in the FT which made me think back to who or what I was.

Who was I many years ago when I was a young dog, to coin a phrase ? I thought there would be no need to learn to drive a car for various reasons, among them was the development of public transport and the scarcity of hydrocarbons. How mistaken was this assumption ! I did not feel the need for owning too much property: in fact I could pretty much pack all my belongings into one bag and take off at almost a moment's notice; the heaviest and most prized item being a Brother portable typewriter on which I taught myself to type and tapped out all my university dissertations along with miscellaneous scraps of poetry. I aspired only to being and seeing with a cold though observant eye and perhaps writing about what was seen. I used to think I might be a photographer but could never scrape together enough cash to get some decent kit. Cash was king at the time: you had no ability raise money through credit for anything. You had what you had. I never thought you could own a house or land or acquire these things. I did drift along, not achieving very much, not really knowing what I was here for.

I met a very old friend some time ago whom I had not seen for many years. She was surprised I was not in fact a photographer. She was convinced I would be one. This made me think about why I had not, and about how and why I had been doing what I had been doing for so many years. I had become ensnared by the illusion that you could work hard at some job and find personal and financial rewards enough to then have time to do all those things...Of course you do not find reward in working at some job, even though you may have a few baubles like a very nice car and a nice house and no particular worries about the end of the month coming long after the money has run out. You also find that your brain has become atrophied and sterile and incapable of thought or creation. You find that you cannot consume for ever more. You find that you borrow money against all your instincts to buy a house even though all you want is a bit of land with a small dwelling and a large garden, you get cars and mobile phones and computers and all those things which are good but tinged with evil, and which are but distractions from...From what ? Could it be philosophy, poetry, the contentment of being ? You feel, you think, that you are trapped. And then comes liberation.

You find one day that the corporate world no longer needs you, even after all you have done for them over the years. You give up the car because you have to. You spend time in the garden, planning which vegetables you will put in etc. You draw diagrams of your plot and its various areas given over to herbs, wild flowers, fruit, potatoes etc You suddenly think that it is two years since you boarded a plane on some boring business trip. It all does wonders for your carbon footprint. But somehow it doesn't feel right because you are not enjoying it; because you somehow think that those who have remained in the rat race are having more fun. You somehow feel guilty for having been made redundant and not being able to get a job because let's face it, you are that age. You are over the hill. The problem is you, not the economy, not the banks, not the spineless career politicians. But is it ? You have probably simply changed, that is all; and all things considered you may be much better for it. A better human being.

Unimaginable

Could be more productive !

Much has been made of the arrival of the 7 billionth human. This is a very large number indeed: 7 to the power of 9; 7 followed by 9 zeros. Counting one person every second it would take over 200 years to complete the count. It is an unimaginable number; an overwhelming number of people, most of whom are children; all of whom will need to be able to have enough food, enough fresh water, enough power to cook and to light the darkness, to be educated, to find work to support themselves, to enjoy life, to go on holiday - to do all the things we like to do and not have a second thought about it.

Given the struggle it is to produce enough vegetables from an allotment for two people, the challenge of feeding this multitude is unfathomable. Of course this little garden of 125 m2 is hardly very productive. We do not spend too much time working on it. We  know that if some crop fails or the weather is not great we can go to the shop and buy food. We still have money to do this. We could produce a lot more from our plot if we really put our minds to it. But feeding 7 billion ?! What a daunting task, particularly if people are to be fed like Europeans or North Americans. Is it possible ? Who can say ? It probably is, but at what price for the natural world and all the other creatures we share the Earth with...We will need to get our thinking caps on to achieve this without destroying the natural environment.

What can be done on a personal level ? Have less children here in our very rich countries is one very easy thing to do, given the voracious drain on resources our offspring represent. I have been lucky enough to father one child, who is grown up now; but I will not have any more - to the initial dismay of my girlfriend who would have liked to have one or more. But is is simply not fair on those who are trying to bring up children in poor countries with no resources and not fair on the Earth. So I have renounced all child making. You could also change your diet; have meat only at weekends; eat more locally produced food. It's not difficult and not painful and your health will be the better for it. These are first steps: you could then look at using less energy, insulating your house, walking or cycling more. There are many things that can be done, few of which cost anything, all of which are linked to changing behaviour. They do not involve giving up freedom or our democratic principles. They are a matter of choice and the choice is ours.

Wind or Hot Air

Photovoltaic cells top left at our house 

Read an article in the Financial Times weekend edition about electricity generation from wind power and nuclear subsidies, keeping lights on etc. That offshore wind is horrendously expensive to build and unreliable is well known. Of course our government is allowing our beloved power companies to spend vast amounts on this so it must be worthwhile after all. This article was good at condemning this misuse of resources but also breathtakingly absurd because it called for the construction of nuclear power to be subsidised instead, forgetting that it already would be if any private companies could bother to build any plants. However they will never do so because they realise that no subsidy could ever be high enough for them to make money considering the risks involved and the extremely long time they would last. They would much prefer taxpayers to finance all of this construction, safety, de commissioning etc; all they want is to sell us the electricity at inflated prices. Nuclear energy is safe enough, only as long as no one makes a mistake, there are no floods, earthquakes, terrorists etc.

The author chose to ignore completely that the cheapest and most effective way to keep the lights on etc is not to use energy in the first place. He indignantly announces that electricity in Denmark for example is 4 times more expensive than here because of the proportion of renewable energy in it but forgets conveniently that the average new house in Denmark in 1983 was already as efficient as 2002 new build standards in the UK. Builders here will happily state that it is impossible to build a well insulated efficient home for a reasonable price, preferring to use building methods unchanged since the reign of Victoria. If they took the trouble to look at modern construction techniques they might realise buildings could be made many times as energy efficient for little extra cost. Our energy crisis might be solved almost at a stroke, particularly if government committed enough funding along the lines of a Marshall Plan for energy efficiency. The economy would boom while buildings were retrofitted and people would never again die of cold in badly built houses in our relatively mild winters.

Nor do energy companies rejoice in the fact that people who generate their own electricity or use less of it (or less gas or heating oil etc) are less dependent on them and will not be swelling their subsidy gorged coffers. These big companies do not like this and nor do I suspect do our governing classes who would much prefer to see people depending on their chums in finance, energy etc who in turn donate large sums to their parties. There is more hot air in wind power than meets the eye. I would urge people to free themselves from energy tyranny or vote for governments who would make this happen.

The Fruit in the Wine

This Autumn's Quinces

It fascinates me that so many different fruit aromas and tastes should be present in wine. After all, it is merely grape juice fermented, perhaps with added sugar and a bit of oak flavouring, but there is so much more in the best wines, that is, wines made of grapes grown in the right place by people who take great care of what they do. Fruity aromas in white wines are extremely diverse - citrus, apple, quince, peach, apricot, pineapple, mango, passion fruit, becoming more and more tropical depending on the grape or the degree of exposure to strong sunlight and high temperatures. This is possible because of the complex chemistry of wine, which combines hundreds of different compounds in a myriad ways to give the heady  nose of the very best wines. The grape variety itself contributes a sort of signature but can express itself in a multitude of different ways. Very often the concentration of the compound or compounds producing the effect is only a few microgrammes per litre ! This is why wine is so fascinating. It has potentially the ability to be unique - of its place, of its maker, of its season...It is for this reason that as much as possible one should seek out the original and not the generic.

Of course there is more than fruit in the wine. Other aromas and tastes can evolve just as miraculously and range from the herbal, to the floral, mineral, animal etc, often evolving as the wine matures and ages.  This diversity is not confined to white wines; red and rosé and sweet or botrytised wines have their own flavour and aroma profiles and a myriad of combinations of these. There is simply too much to mention unless you write a book about it - and not to worry these books already exist.

To my mind the best thing is to simply enjoy.

The Great Debasement

It seems that with a lot of things nowadays you get less and less good stuff and more dross which you do not want. Take the BBC for example. The BBC symbolises or used to symbolise all that was good and solid and permanent about the world. Many moons ago it would have been possible to have nearly an hour of viewing for every hour of television. The only interruptions were the credits and between-programme announcements. Pretty good value. Watch any programme now and you will find that it invariably starts late because we are treated to tiresome in-house 'advertising' for other tedious programmes on other Beeb channels with the sound turned up full blast for good measure in case you didn't hear. Once you've got through all this, both at the beginning and end of the programme you want to view, you find you've only had 50 minutes instead of an hour. I am convinced that they are currently working toward 45 minutes so that their actual content matches other 'commercial' channels. The cost of a programme to us is thus increased by about a quarter, for absolutely no extra value.

Everywhere we turn it seems that there is more and more 'content' and less and less meaning. This is one of the disadvantages of instant mass communication by anyone and everyone, including me. Is it a bad thing ? Possibly. We are overwhelmed by so-called 'information' which in fact is simply noise, and loud at that, when we should be seeking out meaning, information that will help us live our lives, be happier, healthier, wiser. James Lovelock proposes that all essential human knowledge should be gathered together in one place - perhaps even in one book, as a repository of wisdom for the remnants of humanity trying to preserve civilisation in the event of catastrophic climate change. What a book this might be. But what to put in it ? Should it be limited to science and technology, or should it also contain all the great works of human literature ? Should it also remind the survivors of how many species their unconscious actions have wiped out, showing them in all their great beauty ?

Difficult questions and no answers. Some would say that the Internet already serves Lovelock's purpose. I suppose it does, up to a point, but it is too dependent on fragile electronics and data storage systems. Better as a Great Book, I think.

Dependence

Why should I talk of 'dependence' ? As modern 21st century individuals, we should be anything but dependent. We should crave independence and individuality and stand apart, being ourselves etc. and not depend on anyone or anything.

I could in jest mention that this computer is running on electricity produced by burning a by-product of the death of countless organisms many aeons ago. The delicious bottle of Savagnin (Domaine Tissot - 2008 Jura Arbois - Traminer) I tasted over the weekend was fermented and produced to a large extent by countless yeast cells as well as the excellent work of the winemaker. The wine is aromatic and fresh with notes of citrus and quince with a touch of honey. It is a miracle of nature, this time with winemaker help.

More seriously, the air we breathe, the water we drink, in fact everything we need to live has come from somewhere and been produced by a natural process of some sort, so efficiently and elegantly that we hardly notice it. All we are doing in our modern world is exploiting the resources that the Earth has placed at our disposal with no regard to how this has come to pass or whether this exploitation can continue unabated.

We are reminded from time to time of the ultimate precarity of our position when some drought or other 'natural disaster' threatens us, but the thought soon passes and we resume our usual routine.

I can only thank the vine and the yeast and the sun and the rain and Mireille & André Tissot for the wine and for their light touch on the Earth and in the winery. We can be sure that as long as the sun shines and the Earth can bear it there will be wines like these, with a little help from the vigneron.

Cheers!

Autumn

Misty evening after rain

That 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' is now nearly upon us. The grapes are ripening, or have already ripened in many areas and winemakers are looking forward to a clean harvest unmarred by rain, and to making good wine. I have not posted for a while, as inspiration was lacking and mundane affairs have been occupying my days. This misty, rainy evening has put me in mind of Keats' Ode to Autumn which is a most delicious celebration of all the good things the Earth gives us. We have not bought a vegetable for many weeks and still have produce to harvest and produce which will come in later this autumn, and seeds to sow. For the cycle will continue as it always has, and we will be anticipating the 'songs of Spring' in a little while.

Swifts

Swifts against the clouds

I love to hear the shrill cries of swifts in the summer. It is familiar and recurring and serves to remind us of the great cycle of nature, its mystery and wonder. So when they become rarer or are not heard at all what are we to make of it ? Is it that the swifts have gone elsewhere in search of their prey, or that they have not made it from their winter stations ? Whatever the reason it is a worry. What is the world coming to ? Can anything be done ?

So many questions and not many answers. If for some reason we, as a species, are at fault it is unlikely that we will be able to repair the damage we have done because we can have no real idea of how we did it in the first place. The great changes to the atmosphere and in fact to the whole ecosystem which we have unknowingly set in train are now irreversible and must play out. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are now inexorably heading towards twice the preindustrial level. The writing, as they say, is on the wall.

Even if humanity were to disappear overnight, our legacy would not be a pristine Earth but a planet undergoing great, perhaps fatal changes to many species and environments. The seas would continue to warm up and acidify, the great ice masses of Greenland would launch fleets of glaciers into the ocean and finally melt altogether, the great expanses of permafrost towards the northern poles would no longer be icy but would turn to bog, releasing large amounts of methane into the atmosphere, dry regions would become ever drier turning eventually to desert, and a vast warming and drying would grip the Earth. Lovelock's scenario of a small band of habitable regions around the northern hemisphere's temperate regions would come to pass. The British isles would be a refuge for those creatures needing the relatively benign temperatures to survive. Some regions might perhaps revert to the vast jungles of 50 million years ago, gigantic trees thriving on the increased CO2 concentrations with new species evolving to live there.

The likelihood is that humanity will not disappear overnight. There will be more and more of us on the Earth for many years to come desperate to live like us here in 'developed' countries, desperate for fuel, food and any other necessary resource. There will not be enough coal or oil in the world, for ever more will be needed; there will be enough food but at what price to the natural environment (not only for other creatures but for us as well) ? Will life again become 'nasty brutish and short' and numbers of humans be reduced by the consequences of this.

Let us enjoy the swifts while we can.

The Seaside

Beacon at entrance to Ramsgate harbour

We took a short break last weekend and went to East Kent where we used to live. It is strange how you miss the sea, but only realise it when you come back to it and the laden sea air fills your nostrils. Yesssss, the seaaaaa ! Bright sunshine made the trip a very pleasant one, as well as catching up with friends and neighbours. The purity of the light was also a memorable feature not often experienced here in London. I had forgotten how beautiful a blue sky looks and remembered how the light of this area had struck me when I first came to it at the end of the last century (it feels like such a long time ago). Dreams of vineyards with healthy grapes ripening in the sun.

I didn't spot any vineyards in the immediate area apart from Barnsole which has been there for some years. I am sure there will be more at some time. I know of one or two places which would make good sites.

Things are not all rosy in the area though. The bookshop in Sandwich is closing down, according to the owner as a direct consequence of the closure of a major employer in the area. Preparations for the Open cannot hide the slightly depressed air hanging over the place. Other familiar shops and businesses elsewhere are no longer to be seen. The seafronts are looking slightly more run-down than I remember. Lots of For Sale signs everywhere and not many viewings or sales.

Augustus Pugin's house The Grange in Ramsgate

Pugin's house still looking magnificent thanks to the Landmark Trust. It is well worth a visit. I understand why this is his ideal house. I would be mine, too.

The time passed all to quickly. We didn't have time to see if there were any lapwings or young swans or marsh harriers or to see if there were any orchids still in flower in the usual places (probably too late), or walk along the beach at Pegwell Bay or Sandwich Bay. We must return soon.

The Ideal Vineyard

Perhaps not the best place to plant vines

The ideal vineyard ? Not easy to answer. It would depend on whether an existing vineyard is available or whether the vineyard could be planted from scratch. Some might be tempted to go for a first growth domain in Bordeaux or a mythical Burgundian, Italian, German etc property, and they would not be wrong. These places are the great vineyards of the world and have been recognised as such for centuries at least. So depending on whether you are a Burgundy or a Bordeaux fan the difficulty resides in choosing the best or favourite property. As wine is intensely personal and a matter of taste there would be many ideal vineyards, unless you could ask every wine lover in the word to vote on their ideal. It might be more interesting to look at how one could create an ideal vineyard from nothing and what could be done to achieve the very best results.

What might be needed ? Mountains, hills and slopes. They are picturesque and help drain the vines (they don't like getting their feet wet) and ripen them, as well as protecting them from frost (the cold air rolls down the hill). Soil of course, but this might be any type as long it has plenty of organic matter diverse vegetation and many little creepy crawlies in it. I have a fondness for granite, schist, basalt but any geology as long as it is complex would be ideal. Large pudding stones are tempting, but if you're looking to have a nice slope you will be disappointed as these are alluvial features only found where rivers once ran. Only lime or clay might not produce the complex results I would like. In any case the wine jury is out on whether the soil alone has much influence on the final product. The results are based on the combination of all the factors involved. I would probably steer clear of excessive lime as this has drawbacks in relation to rootstock selection (not sure if I would have grafted vines at all) and vine nutrition.

As to the latitude and the varieties I would choose a cooler (or higher in altitude) rather than a warmer area and choose varieties just able to ripen there.

There is an spot I know just beneath a towering cliff where I would fancy planting syrah and viognier individually staked and creating my own Hermitage or Château Grillet, or perhaps grenache as bush vines. Who knows how good or bad the wines might be. Fantasy vineyard.

Seedlings

Thinking back I can remember that I have always had some interest in plants and how they grow. As a youngster I used to remove the seeds from tomatoes, grapes and melons and plant them in small pots to try to get them to grow. It was difficult to get the grape and melon to germinate in the damp northern clime of Belfast, but tomatoes were happy to oblige and grew but never ripened. At that time people did not grow much in their gardens beyond potatoes (yes, that's Ireland for you) and a few cabbages or lettuces. Melons and grapes appeared very mysterious, at least to me, and so any sign of life from them was a joyous time. I used to prune my mother's rose bushes and sprayed them against aphids (something I would never do now). Roses were the pride of most gardens then and much care was lavished on them - bone meal fertiliser etc, which no other plant was worthy of.

I have also a keen memory of being at one of the big houses of the local gentry with my mother on some kind of business (definitely not a social visit) and being shown the vines in a large glasshouse. Grapes hung temptingly from them. I had never seen grapes on the actual plant before and remember being astounded by the sight of these large climbers heavy with fruit. I don't believe I saw a grape vine again until I went to France many years later. But I was definitely impressed.

Turnips Two Ways

Shoulder of lamb with gratin of turnips and roasted turnips

As promised, some news of how the turnips went. Deliciously as a gratin with double cream, onion and thyme; and also roasted with onion, garlic, thyme and two soupspoons of honey.

Turnips and early flowering

The first Turnips of the season

You don't see many turnips in the shops these days. As with many once common foods they are more likely to feature on the menus of Michelin starred restaurants as purées, than on the plates of the ordinary citizen. It is said that before the introduction of potatoes turnips were once a very important food, providing good carbohydrates fairly early in the season. I shall try them in a gratin this weekend with a shoulder of lamb (our weekly meat-fix) - and will report on the result. These particular turnips found themselves cooked in a couscous, and very good they were too. The wine was a rosé from the Côte Roannaise - L'Enjoleur 2009 from Domaine Robert Sérol.

The turnip may not be inspiring or fashionable but it is a versatile root (a friend suggested roasting them with a honey glaze) and worthy of our attention, just like many other neglected vegetables and wild foods. It is wise to be familiar with them.

A quick aside to comment on the early flowering of vines this year - before Wimbledon, no less ! A long growing and ripening season in prospect for English and Welsh growers. As usual there has been a lot of comment in the press about exceptionally good harvests and brilliant English wines this year. But as the saying goes, there is many a slip twixt cup and lip.

Edo Ergo Sum

Lamb's lettuce, Spinach and Nasturtium flower  salad

I eat therefore I am. I am what I eat. And what I drink. Commentators often refer to the culture of the grape versus the culture of the barley; or  potato v pasta or rice v the rest of the world. Rice wine against whisk(e)y. We seem to like to define ourselves by what we eat; we set ourselves apart and commune with each other in partaking of the food of our country or culture. Terms of abuse often make reference to food allegedly consumed by those we dislike - the Frogs, Cabbage eaters, spud lovers etc. How would one define me, an eater of rabbit food as shown above ? Some sort of food snob or sandal wearing hippy (all above grown by your servant in his garden) ? And what was drunk with this: a Pouilly-sur-Loire 2009 made of grapes from century-old Chasselas vines (Serge Dagueneau et Filles) ? Now that really is foody.

I think I am trying to say that few relationships are more intimate than those we maintain with food. It shapes us both physically and culturally, and to obtain it we have shaped the Earth to to get her to produce what we want, be it in a small garden or in a vast monoculture of wheat, or endless grassland for our domestic animals. Our so called civilisations have always depended on a ready supply of food and have withered and died when it ran out, usually because of some natural 'pest', or exhaustion of the soil.

It has been said that excessive talk of food is the sign of a decadent society destined to be consumed by some impending disaster, that lunch is for wimps. Those who have no choice, eat to sustain themselves, and are not fussy about what is eaten.  My ancestors lived on potatoes but never eulogised about them. But many of them starved when the crop failed. They could have turned to the sea or the hedgerows for nourishment but failed to do this. I could be accused here of making the let them eat cake comment attributed to Marie-Antoinette. I simply make the point that diversity of supply is important. I am not certain that a willingness to talk of food is decadent or frivolous.

Is it not showing respect for food and how it is come by to talk of it ? It is not showing respect for Nature to celebrate her diversity and the multifarious way in which she nourishes us, and also to be realistic about where our food should come from in the future ? It can no longer be considered in terms of vast quantities of 'staples' which nourish humanity. In the future we will be grateful for extremely diverse foods from all available sources, in our fields, gardens, hedgerows and forests. We may not be able to get our fix of fat and sugar as readily as in the past but we will be healthier and put less pressure on the land and on the creatures we must share it with. We will I suspect much happier for it.

Fantasy Vinelands

I often wonder when passing through suitable landscapes what sort of wines might be produced there, or if there are small isolated parcels of vines what they might be able to achieve. In countries like France there are many areas where vines were once widely planted but are now absent or very sparse and I am given to imagining the resurrection of a great terroir. Often you will catch a glimpse of vines in hedgerows, climbing up trees as they do in the 'wild'; they will sometimes be recognisable cultivars but sometimes they will be wild plants, perhaps rootstocks growing unburdened in the countryside.

Vine growing by the roadside

There are some potentially great sites to be discovered. If you ask around you will sometimes find out that vines were planted there pre-phylloxera, or before the rural exodus, and wine was indeed made. Nobody can remember what this wine was like or whether it was any good, but it might have been. That idea has a particular attraction. You can't be proved wrong, unless some intrepid individual takes the plunge, plants a vineyard and sees for him or her self what the results are like.

The great vine lands of England have yet to be discovered, and again there are some intriguing sites. Some day a truly great wine will be made here perhaps benefiting from the effects of climate change. But where this will be is anyone's guess. I would imagine that well exposed former hop gardens would be good candidates for producing high quality ripe grapes. Herbert Hall at Marden Vineyard in Kent, run by Nick Hall comes to mind sited as it is on a well exposed, well drained site. First release of sparkling wine from this estate should be this month. Something to look forward to.

Future Frights

What does the future hold for us and the Earth as a functioning system ? One can be optimistic or pessimistic. In fact there are two forms of pessimism: the glass half empty kind and the sort where there is no water in the glass at all.

I find myself sometimes feeling uneasy about what might come. At other times I am glad to live in a country such as this which usually does nothing extremely dangerous or life-threatening and appears mild-mannered at all times, and will sustain us for ever, more or less without fail. It is not however being so mild mannered at the moment, reminding us that water in the form of rain is not something to be taken for granted.

What frights might befall us ? Rationing of energy and other resources (food, water and everything else) and the corresponding reduction of personal liberties. After all if you can't have fuel or energy your movements will be limited physically. But they will also be limited by governments who will have the task of keeping large populations fed and watered without a total breakdown. There may well be possible restrictions on reproduction. A war footing will be the norm. Will it be sustainable ? Possibly in temperate countries such as this which escape the worst of climate change and manage to limit their populations. Elsewhere, who knows ?  Needless to say the elites will be even more elite, having access to all the energy and other resources they require. Perhaps all government will be privatised and only accessible to those with the required financial resources. The rest may be sustained, but no more.

The Earth and the humans who inhabit it are resilient, though. Remember when rivers like the Thames or the Rhine were dead, used as open sewers ? The scene is very different today. I would not want to do much bathing in the Rhine or even the Thames, but fish and other form of life now thrive there because we have realised collectively that we have poisoned these water courses and take action to reverse this. Nature has done the rest, without hesitation. We should really be thankful for the irrepressibility of life.

Natural

An organic vineyard in Spring

Can a wine be natural ? For that matter can a vine or a vineyard be natural ? Neither are really.

Grapes on their own or even grape juice on its own would rarely if ever produce something resembling wine without human intervention. The propensity of grape juice is to turn to vinegar if one is not very careful, and this is what happened no doubt in the past. First discovery, vinegar. And very useful it is too. Then one day a certain yeast got to work on the must and produced a fascinating alcoholic drink. The water became wine. The human winemaker has been seeking to reproduce and refine this process for thousands of years now, by and large successfully. The natural part of this process is the action of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae selected for its ability to ferment reliably, stand up to relatively high alcohol and temperatures (thereby out competing other yeasts for access to the sugary juice) and provide some protection for the finished liquid as a by process. How natural is that ? Reasonably so, as long as that is all that happens and no other additives are used, except patience and letting the wine be.

The vineyard itself looks like nothing other than a very large garden. In modern times the vines themselves have become clones grafted on to various rootstocks provided by vine varieties conferring pest and disease resistance to the vine roots. Choice of grape variety and rootstock are all important for the success of the vineyard, and this does not happen by chance or over eons of evolution. The varieties found in most vineyards have been selected by growers because of their particular qualities, the rootstocks used to combat pests such as Phylloxera devastatrix or excesses and deficiencies of the soil. Typical problems of monoculture. Hence the need to foster biodiversity in all its forms in the vineyard and to ensure the soil can support healthy plants able to defend themselves. If not beware pests of all kinds and the doors are opened to chemistry in all its forms to provide protection.

There is not much that is natural in any part of the process of making a bottle of wine but lightness of touch and logical organic principles (in fact the oldest forms of non-chemical agriculture) can bring us closer to that mythical beast, a natural wine, the elixir of the Earth. Drink the Earth and drink to the Earth.

Weeds

Spent some time in the garden today weeding. Of course weeds are not weeds. They are just plants some human being doesn't want growing in a particular place. My problem was that my onions were being crowded by various species of indigenous plants so I wanted to give them a bit of space. The indigenous plants ended up on the compost and they will find their way back into the soil in few months time.

Of course some 'weeds' such as those in the photo I sowed on purpose to provide flowers and ground cover.  All in all I welcome plants wherever they may grow but sometimes they need to be moved so I can grow something I like or need. I suppose the idea is to remove what you need to remove and make sure the rest of the plant population is composed of plants you like, or non-invasive annuals.

I think of vineyards with bare soil under the vines and wonder how much herbicide was used to achieve such a result. I have never seen anyone weeding under vines. Most organic producers will plough a strip on either side to keep invasive plants in check. I have though weeded a vineyard once at Marden (Herbert Hall run by Nick Hall): removed a lot of very vigorous fat hen from around some very young vines which were being bullied. A truly organic approach to vineyard management, just elbow grease. Reminds me of Domaine des Côtes de la Molière in the Beaujolais where the owners idea of vineyard management is to wield a hoe. There are others I could mention.

Plants are there because they want to be there even if they are 'weeds'. We should learn to live with them.

Light and Water

I happened to catch the sun shining through a vine leaf (a bright green new leaf) and thought that this is the basis of all we are and ever will be. We should give thanks to those organisms billions of years ago who evolved photosynthesis in the first place and transformed the Earth into a place fit for life and who through their cooperation and evolution have given us all the living beauty around us today. They have also given us ourselves and for this too we should be thankful.

Light and water. Water is the other basic thing without which we would be as nothing.

Today it has rained for the first time in almost three months and how glad the plants are to see it. So am I, as this means I will not have to water my seedlings and young plants today. The best water comes from the sky of course. Irrigation is one of those wonderful human inventions which may provide spectacular results for a short time but which will end in salty tears.

Which brings me via this circuitous route to a recent talk given by Australian winemaker Ron Laughton at the Natural Wine Fair. Simply stated: if you have to irrigate then you are in the wrong place. Ron talked about biodynamics and sustainability in a very sensible, pragmatic and clear way using implacable logic.

If we wish to continue on this Earth we must take heed and work with natural resources, not simply take them. We will be surprised by the results as I was delighted by Ron's Jasper Hill wines. True Australian wine with a sense of place expressed elegantly and precisely.

My very first blog

This is my very first blog and my very first post on it.


So down to business.

The garden element: metaphorical in the sense of Voltaire's injunction to 'cultiver son jardin' (cultivate one's garden) that is to know one's self and perfect it whenever possible, and literal in the sense of cultivating; that is, digging, forking, sowing, planting and generally tending to one's very real garden. Metaphorical in the sense that the garden is the microcosm and the symbol of man's relationship with the earth, the Earth and Gaia, and his dependence on them (literally).

The vine element: metaphorical in the sense that this plant symbolise's man's transformation of the natural into something super-natural - grapes into wine and spirit; and literal as a fascinating plant which is present in practically all literature and about which more has no doubt been written than any other plant (although this is just a supposition).


There it is. I have set out more or less what this blog will be about and hope it will make sense. But will it be gardening and wine ? Or philosophy and ecology ? No doubt this will become clearer when I have posted a few times and have myself a clearer understanding of where I am going.