RIP Brittany (May a Lesson be Learned)

So, the inevitable news has come out today. Much as I wished it not to be the case, it seems that prescription drugs may have had a part to play in the premature death of the beautiful actress Brittany Murphy - a personal favourite of mine.

She may not have been the most well-known, adored or awarded actress, but she was diverse, beautiful, and pretty damn cool. Clueless was a cultural phenomenon of its time, the same can be be said about 8-Mile (apparently Eminem requested her personally), and - being a dance music fan - her vocal collaboration with Paul Oakenfold on Faster Kill Pussycat worked really well: not at all cheesy or predictable; it really gave her another edge.

I'm not the biggest fan of all things Americana, to say the least; much less the whole 'Hollywood' charade. I feel that a country as wealthy and powerful as the US has a certain responsibility to the rest of us, to lead by example. The apparent self-obsessed culture, intensified in 'glamourous' Hollywood circles, just doesn't sit right with me - it's unhealthy and it makes me feel uncomfortable. There are far more pressing issues to be thinking about (and spending all those dollars on) than how low your BMI can go, or which wrinkle-fillers last longest.

I hope that America has had a loud wake-up call to its unethical (and unnecessary) medical practices this year. It's ironic that the immense 'fame' that drives stars such as Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Brittany Murphy to use drugs in the first place, can also be used for good - to highlight the issues and improve the system.

Thank God for the NHS. Thank God for Obama and his healthcare overhaul bill. RIP Brittany.

Let It Snow

Being a self-confessed nature-nut, and meteorological fanatic, I totally appreciate the delicate balance of the changing seasons and the differing weather conditions they bring; especially in a highly changeable temperate climate like ours. We're lucky, really, to witness scorching hot summers AND freezing winters. Yes, really. But despite all my good intentions, I do prefer the feel of warm sunshine on my skin to the cold air; and I HATE the rain: it's just so damn miserable. 

But snow is different. Snow is a bloody good reason for it to be cold, and makes it all worthwhile (for me). It's a rare treat, that is beautiful to look at - whether you live in a picturesque village, like me, or not - and seems to bring out the child in everyone, not to mention creating a bond between strangers: who stop to discuss and admire the freak weather conditions in the street/shop/wherever. But this is the rose-tinted, romantic view, just like that of our 'long, hot summers'. In reality, of course, it's quite different. 

I woke up the other morning to a quiet, calm, and magical snow-covered world - much earlier than our usual February/March dusting. I had every intention of making a snowman (and blogging him, of course), but by the time I was up and warmly dressed, the sun was out and the snow melting, fast, along with my inclination. Over the course of the next day or two the cold weather remained, and the patches of snow left hardened and crystallised. Not so attractive. This morning brought patches of dangerous black ice, more freezing wind, then rain, then sleet, then great flakes of snow. I didn't dare hope it would settle again, not with the ground so wet, but it did. The world was once again covered in a soft, white blanket, full of promise and wonder... until it stopped snowing and started sleeting, then raining. 

The result? Our most common snow condition: slush. Grey, wet, no fun at all, and here to stay for a few more days. Very festive. 

Snap Happy

I'd just like to point out that most of the photos uploaded on here are taken with my phone. Fair enough, it's a decent 8.1 megapixel camera, but still no match for the real thing.
Unfortunately some 'orrible pikey gypsy stole all of our things in Spain this summer, for the Benicassim music festival in ... Benicassim. Despite the ensuing insurance payout, I've not so far managed to replace my trusty Olympus compact - partly because I am also looking to upgrade to a digital SLR, which costs (and I haven't got a real job). So I do my best with the phone, and The Wizard's standard Nikon Coolpix. Therefore, apologies for the quality of some; but you can imagine the genius that would be revealed through a more sophisticated lens...

A camera (of any sort) is high on my Christmas wish-list, and the only guess I had at my present from the Wiz; but I've since found out from a close friend that this is not what I shall be unwrapping on Christmas day. Damn my interfering questioning, that always threatens to ruin the surprise of Christmas/birthday presents! I just can't help myself! And now I'm even more concerned with that shape under the tree! 

Legless

Duvet cover by Primark; pyjamas by Gap:

The Foot's on the Other Foot

5.30am, Christmas Day, 2008: The Wizard is curled up on the sofa in his mum's front room. I am at this point nursing a hangover that can only have been sent by the devil himself. With a very limited amount of sleep under my belt I attempt to unwrap presents that I can barely even focus on.

As I make my way through the usual pile of socks, underwear and sweets, my young brother begins to snigger. Now, usually I would take this as a sign that something was afoot, but due to the fragile nature of my poor little head I overlooked this and continued to unwrap. I came to the penultimate present, small in size. 'Probably another bag of sweets', I thought. Oh, how I couldn't have been further from the truth! 

As I peeled back the layers of paper, I soon found sitting on my lap the most common of Christmas gifts: a goose's foot. Webbed, wet and grey, complete with tendons hanging from the end. My brother was doubled over in hysterics; the joke was lost on me. I was far too hungover to appreciate the comedy value of receiving a fowl foot for Christmas.

So this year the foot is on the other foot! This Christmas morn my young brother shall peel back the layers of wrapping on his very own animals foot - a pig's trotter. Available from your local butcher for around 50 pence...

 

Winter Wonderland

Another article published on www.wideworldmag.co.uk - I'm on the front page this time!

This is a list feature of 10 snow-bound activities you can do right here in the UK - including skiing, snowboarding, dog-sledding, bobsleigh and ice swimming. Better for the economy than jetting off abroad; better for the environment.
And perfectly timed to coincide with next week's weather forecasts. (Snow? In the south of England? In December? Bring it on!)

Read it here: http://www.wideworldmag.co.uk/features/winter-wonderland-uk

Baby's First Christmas

mFinished the last of my Christmas shopping today with Lorna, Gemma and baby Thomas. I ended up last-minute late-night shopping with the Wizard last night, as we both got let down by friends for other plans, so I got a lot of my shopping out of the way then as I wasn't sure how Thomas would cope today; but he was great! Fast asleep all day, only waking up twice to be fed. What a life!
He's going to be a good little boy I can tell. He's a really happy baby and doesn't really cry much - when he does it's more of a squeak than a scream. He knows when he's hungry, and he's hungry right on cue, so it's great that Gemma can plan things around that.
No wonder he was asleep all day wearing this cosy reindeer outfit. I want one.

Pre-Historic

My 'Jurassic Coast' article has just been published on www.wideworldmag.co.uk; all about our very own Devon and Dorset coastline - a UNESCO world heritage site and very important stockpile of historical evidence. I'm really proud of this one; it took me the best part of a day to write, after speaking to various paleontologists and historians, and it was well worth it.

Read it here: http://www.wideworldmag.co.uk/features/the-dinosaur-coast

Basically the reason this 95-mile stretch of our coastline is so important is because 185 million years of rock layers are available here, spanning the entire Mesozoic era. In other important paleontological areas, such as South America, one must travel sometimes hundreds of miles to reach the next rock layer. Because the British Isles are tipping towards the East, as the Atlantic continues to expand, older layers of rock are pushing up along this western shore all the time, and then also being eroded by the widening English Channel, exposing priceless exhibits which hold the key to the Earth's 4.5 billion-year past.

I found this tool really beneficial in getting my head around the huge timescale we are looking at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologic_time_scale

It is interesting to note that during the Jurassic period, the Earth was much warmer. There were no ice caps whatsoever, and atmospheric carbon was at 5 times today's levels. Interesting when trying to attribute a measly 50 years of human industrial action to climate change, huh? Disatrous consequences for the human race perhaps, but I'm sure the planet will survive and evolve as it has for 4.5 billion years...

Climate Demo - The Wave

I've literally just got back from the middle of the 50,000 strong crowd in London today; creating 'The Wave' in support of measures to reduce human-influenced climate change, being discussed at the Copenhagen talks next week.

I'm still fired up. It was something I've never experienced before, and the atmosphere was immense.

For all the bad press the climate change data has received this week, the overall trend is strongly aimed at a hotter, more volatile and pressing future. Whether that's human-related or not, now is the time to take a step back and review at our consumer habits. We need to think fairly and sustainably for the long term success of our unique and diverse world.
That's what I think.

Watch out for the The Wave on the news later, and find out more here:

www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

www.the-wave.org.uk

Check out the rest of my photos at:

www.flickr.com/photos/pinchypinchy/