Life on Fire Dear friends, Spare a thought for the people of the Reykjanes peninsular in Iceland, as the anticipated eruption has finally come to pass. You may be wondering why some volcanos are cone shaped, some explode, some have loads of gas, and some, like in this part of Iceland, just seem to crack open the earth in great fissures. The…
High Water Dear friends, The level of the Thames begins to fall, as a vast volume of storm water moves through and away from our area. Some recording stations have monitored levels almost a metre above the normal peak. Flood plain fields are awash, and riverside properties in Wallingford have flooded. Only the bird life rejoices, as their aquatic habitat is suddenly…
Happy New Year Dear friends, Whether you celebrate much on New Year’s Eve, or go to bed early with a good book and a cup of cocoa, there remains, always, the feeling of a corner being turned, at least for a while. The old diary is put away, sometimes with a look through, and the realisation that, despite everything that has happened,…
Coffee, Carols, and the Christmas List Dear friends, Checkendon church is hosting a community coffee (and mince pie) morning this coming Saturday from 10.30am in Checkendon Village Hall. Do pop in for a free coffee and mince pie. Its a great chance to catch up with your neighbours, and take a few moments in the maelstrom. There’ll be a model railway, a…
The Pike A younger version of myself grins out of a photo on a screensaver. I’m leaning in an attempt at nonchalance against a cairn of stones. Behind me in the near distance shattered rocks and scarcity of vegetation reveal that we are at some altitude. In the far distance, down below, a lake and a habitation, and further mountains and hills.…
Not far to the North…. Dear friends I am constantly impressed by how Iceland handles the fact it is living on top of a volcano. Or, rather, a whole heap of volcanoes. They have a vast web of detectors and instruments, measuring things like earthquakes, and crustal deformation. Satellites, lasers and many teams of scientists are keeping an eye on all the…
Wholly War Dear friends, At the other end of the village two neighbours hate each other. One has grown a high hedge, and lives comfortably. He manages his resources and businesses well, and turns a good profit from his farm and small enterprises. The other neighbour has little money and his house is too small for his very large family, which he…
Hey Alexa ! Dear friends Whether we like it or not, AI (“Artificial Intelligence”) is already all around us and here to stay. It is on your phone, making suggestions for the next word you might need as you type a text or message. It is on your computer, underneath the “voice to text” function that learns not only how you speak…
Our summer fades Dear friends, The record breaking blast of heat, which turned the outdoor chillies red, and kept the blackberries, courgettes and tomatoes in full production, is, to some relief, draining away. Harvest celebrations are on the horizon, and the change of season is properly here. Autumn will not be resisted. The fierce heat has shocked some trees into shedding their…
Built to last Dear friends, The ancient city at Caesarea – on the mediterranean coastline in Israel – is not only a scenic place to visit, with its Roman aqueduct, Crusader walls, and long sandy beach. It is famous for several historical reasons. One of these being that it was one of the first archaeological sites to confirm that Pontius Pilate was…