The quiet work in gardens and local initiatives may seem small in the face of these larger political currents, but it is in these spaces that the seeds of a more hopeful future are quietly being sown.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Reflections on Blondie and Clem Burke
Clem Burke’s passing has brought back a rush of memories, a reminder of a time when music felt like it could genuinely change the world. And in a way, it did.
Creating Your Personal Sanctuary
In difficult times, we all need a refuge, whether physical or mental.
Garden Reboot: Stone Frogs and the Art of Letting Go
The old sheds were beyond saving, and if I’m honest, I’d been putting off the inevitable for far too long.
Dreaming and Greening
This week, my focus has been on the burgeoning life in my garden and the subtle greening happening in my community. It’s a community that faces a stark reality: a mere 3% canopy cover. This leaves our terraced streets vulnerable to sweltering heat in the summer, the concrete and lack of shade creating a desert-likeContinue reading “Dreaming and Greening”
Soul Cooking
A strange craving for vegan sausage casserole last week revealed a culinary oversight: I haven’t owned a proper casserole dish in years. A perfectly acceptable hob-top version fuelled my desire for the real thing – a heavy, dependable cast iron casserole, a cauldron for slow-cooked dishes, infused with love and intention. Yesterday, I found itContinue reading “Soul Cooking”
Northern Nostalgia
It’s a difficult world at the moment. There is a pervasive bleakness that is impossible to deny and it would be easy to sink under the overwhelm and hopelessness that characterises the times in which we find ourselves. What does an individual do in times like these? In our Philosophy in Public Spaces group (youContinue reading “Northern Nostalgia”
Light
Over the past five years I have worked hard to turn my face to the light and to not venture into the darkness.
Umm Kulthum: Enta Omri
Umm Kulthum was born Fāṭima ʾIbrāhīm es-Sayyid el-Beltāǧī on 31 December 1898, or 4 May 1904. Birth registaration was not enforced in Egypt at that time. She died 3rd February 1975. She was a singer, songwriter, and film actress working between the 1920s and the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab al-Shar meaning Star of the East. Umm Kulthum wasContinue reading “Umm Kulthum: Enta Omri”
Buffy Sainte-Marie: It’s My Way
It’s My Way! is the first album by folk singer Buffy Sainte- Marie, released in April 1964 by Vanguard Records. It is a seminal folk album, marking the beginning of an extraordinary career for an extraordinary artist. The album is both scathing and topical, examining the plight of indigenous Americans and critiquing war in the album’sContinue reading “Buffy Sainte-Marie: It’s My Way”
Josie Moon 