Monthly Archives: August 2016

Borders railway reopened

Last year the Borders railway reopened and last Sunday I took my first trip on it.  Its always nice when a Beeching cut is undone.  The line which originally connected to Carlisle was closed in 1969.  Police had to guard … Continue reading

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Aussie town planning to go off grid

The small town of Tyalgum is planning to go off grid.  Tyalgum is planning to get 100% of its energy from renewable sources and then unplug from the grid.  There are number of reasons why the towns’ (villages’?) inhabitants want … Continue reading

Posted in Community energy, Renewables, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

In praise of pulses

Having grown up in Madagascar, I have plenty of time for pulses. You could buy a dozen varieties on the local markets, all lined up in baskets and sold by the tin-full. There was a wide range of colours and … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – Olympic cycling

Can team GB’s Olympic cycling success change the UK’s cycling culture and raise its pitifully low rates of cycling?  Team GB has had a huge degree of Olympic cycling success which makes me proud, but can this success lead to … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – OFGEM and energy prices

With a big fanfare OFGEM announced its support for the Competition and Market Authorities changes to reduce energy prices.  The stand out headline was that the poorest were going to be protected.  This sounded great until you listened a bit … Continue reading

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Netherlands -what is the mark of a civilised nation? Part 2

What is the mark of a civilised nation? And is cycling a factor? I was asking myself these questions as we did a holiday tour of the Netherlands. The positives are; the Netherlands is obviously a very cohesive society. I … Continue reading

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