what books are you all reading?

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

5 hours ago, matelot said:

Tbh, I think kevinjohnsonmbe comes across as the most sensible member of Arbtalk. I think most people here would put his opinion above yours....

 

It's an illusion! Gary knows better!!

[Mark J]

23 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

If I had the choice of having a beer with you or Tommy Robinson I'd be at the bar with him every time, the alternative holds no appeal whatsoever!

 

You're just lemon that I'd drink you under the table.

[felixthelogchopper]

On 29/08/2017 at 14:32, Mark Bolam said:

I am much sensibler than Kevin.

You are definitely the sensibliest, bigley style.

[Gary Prentice]

Just finished 'Urban Forests- a natural history of trees and people in the American cityscape, by Jill Jonnes.

 

It illustrates how, and why, some of the cities were originally planted, the introduction of Japanese cherries to Washington DC, the loss of American Chestnuts and the decades of breeding to create & reintroduce a blight tolerant species.

 

Also, the affect of DED on the American Elm, Champion Trees in the USA, plant hunting, survivor trees- 9/11 and Oklahoma, the Inception of the Davey Tree Co. 

How iTree began, ALB & EAB - its introduction, the costs of containment and tree loss.

 

Really informative but readable (I read it over 2 days) with something of interest for everyone.

Oh, I forgot, also the history of the discovery of the once thought extinct Dawn Redwood.

[SteveA]

The Running Hare - 'The secret life of farmland'

 

In a nutshell; the author rents a field (Welsh border area) for a year with the aim to plough, grow wheat and study the plants and animals - he does all that (but not in a modern sense) and the result is a stark difference to the neighbouring farm.

 

The book is poetic & educational and (for me) highlights the real cost of cheap food - whilst proving that nature, given a chance can recover in numbers... where we allow it.

 

A positive glint into what is otherwise a pretty bleak state of our natural environment.

 

Cheers, Steve

 

 

 

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

2 hours ago, SteveA said:

The Running Hare - 'The secret life of farmland'

 

In a nutshell; the author rents a field (Welsh border area) for a year with the aim to plough, grow wheat and study the plants and animals - he does all that (but not in a modern sense) and the result is a stark difference to the neighbouring farm.

 

The book is poetic & educational and (for me) highlights the real cost of cheap food - whilst proving that nature, given a chance can recover in numbers... where we allow it.

 

A positive glint into what is otherwise a pretty bleak state of our natural environment.

 

Cheers, Steve

 

 

 

 

Like the sound of that.

 

Anyone else noticed - virtually zero bugs to clean of the windscreen this Summer?  Remember when a long car journey in Summer needed a stop to squeegee the windscreen.... 

[SteveA]

32 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Like the sound of that.

 

Anyone else noticed - virtually zero bugs to clean of the windscreen this Summer?  Remember when a long car journey in Summer needed a stop to squeegee the windscreen.... 

Someone lent me this copy and I was looking forwards to reading it.... it started off well and it's one of those books that makes you want to pick it up to find out what happens next. Unfortunately it's been school summer holidays where parents get pestered every 10 minutes and relaxed opportunities for book reading become rare! (in between mowing the rampant grass at our farm and making compost).

 

I do remember washing a portrait of bugs splattered all over the Ford Escort, Granada and Fiat Supermafiiori (spell check that) back in the 1980's.

We've lost so much, it's shit.

cheers, steve

[Gary Prentice]

14 minutes ago, SteveA said:

We've lost so much, it's shit.

On the positive side, isn't recognition of the loss the first step to change?

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, Gary Prentice said:

On the positive side, isn't recognition of the loss the first step to change?

Maybe in some people, yes.... but from what I can gather the majority of folk stick their heads in the sand and disconnect from the issues.

cheers, steve

 

[Gary Prentice]

3 minutes ago, SteveA said:

Maybe in some people, yes.... but from what I can gather the majority of folk stick their heads in the sand and disconnect from the issues.

cheers, steve

 

https://knepp.co.uk/rewildingkneppvideo/ 

 

The majority of people that disconnect probably don't or wouldn't do anything to influence change anyway, so is that actually important?

 

The link above is from David Humpheries post this morning.

 

I really would recommend the book I posted about this morning too. It's full of people who didn't disconnect and made real changes in America. I can't remember the name, but a seventeen year old student started a movement to plant a million trees in New York. When the US Forest Service wouldn't give him trees that they were going to destroy he contacted the media and ended up with a few thousand saplings. He got a milk company to supply free cartons to grow them on and local schools to do that and plant them. It doesn't need a majority, just a few people with the drive and initiative to make change.

 

I'm in a positive frame of mind today