Weekend hello
Here's yesterday's Friday Five, all about things green:
1. Where is the most beautiful nature in your area?
Well, in a big city there's no such thing as real nature. What's there is hemmed in, usually affected by human intervention to a very significant extent. I'm lucky to live near a river (the Wandle), and the bigger spaces of Wimbledon Common. There's also a couple of parks in Morden, one of which I visited this week. It's mainly a manicured landscape designed for semi-country houses from when this area was London outskirts for rich people, rather than London outskirts for commuters. Before that it was outside town and suitable for manufacturing, using the river in various channels, all of them basically artificial. And now, some of the riverlands are being reflooded, turned into wetlands, bringing wildlife back to the suburbs.
2. Does your household grow some of its own food?
Nope. I have no outside space at all. I grew up with a garden which grew some herbs, some seasonal fruit (apples and figs are still going), and potatoes/Jerusalem artichokes when my parents were younger and more enthused. But we've never been significant growers - my family comes from smallholding in East Anglia and knows exactly how hard and poor that life is.
3. Do you recycle or repurpose a lot, a little, or somewhere in between?
I recycle as much as I can (or reuse in the case of glass); my borough is now pretty good for recycling. What I'm less good at is no food waste - that's got a lot worse in lockdown because I feel like I need to have extra in, in case of being quarantined/locked down. I could relax that till I have to go back to commuting, but it's a habit now.
4. What do you think the most endangered part of the Earth is?
If the Earth is endangered (which it is), then it's all endangered. The remaining rainforest, from Brazil to Borneo, is an obvious worry. But I'm also terrified about the temperature rise in the Arctic lately. That's hideous.
5. What is the single best way for an individual to help the environment?
Do less. Travel less. Eat less (not less than you need, but don't keep all the extras like I do). Buy less, and use it up. And, obviously, don't have kids. But honestly? It's a terrifying prescription for the future of humanity and I don't live like that, not really.
Meanwhile, two days of meme. Tomorrow is monthly diary day so I shall be posting on another subject :-)
11 What would be included in your ideal breakfast?
I'm not hugely a breakfast person. A really nice croissant, some good tea, and I'm happy. I do go nuts in German hotels, where the breakfast buffets are insane and involve things I'd consider to be lunch really, but that is a very specific situation where they are usually the best food you'll get that day.
12 How do you decide about meals in your family? Who does the shopping?
My family is me, so I do, all of that. I'd probably do it anyway, meal-planning being a hobby of mine. One of my favourite things to do at Christmas is send my parents a list of what I'll cook for them, share the shopping for that, and then spend a week or so cooking a whole mix of stuff. I'm shopping for them too at the moment, though they are buying from outdoor stalls now. There's still a fair amount of supermarket stuff to be bought. It's keeping me fitter than I might otherwise be.
13 What’s the notification tone on your phone for calls? Texts?
14 Would you rather know how you’re going to die or when you’re going to die?
15 How many cups of water have you drunk today?
16 When you were graduating from school, what did you think your life would look like at your age now? Does it match?
17 Do you prefer pie or cake?
18 When you eat out alone, where do you like to go?
19 Are you more of a “work hard” or “play hard” kind of person?
20 Do you think morality and ethics are absolute or situational?
21 Would you rather relax in a hot tub or a sauna?
22 Do you have a living will or other documentation of an end-of-life care plan?
23 When was the last time you went dancing?
24 Have you ever re-gifted a gift that was given to you?
25 What’s one thing you’ve been procrastinating on that you could take care of today?
26 Would you rather live in a house or an apartment?
27 Do you have a favorite mixed drink or cocktail?
28 What is your favorite word right this minute?
29 What clubs, groups, or teams were you in while in high school/upper grades?
30 What’s a good museum nearest to where you live?
31 If you had to choose one or the other, would you rather live where it’s hot all the time or cold all the time?
1. Where is the most beautiful nature in your area?
Well, in a big city there's no such thing as real nature. What's there is hemmed in, usually affected by human intervention to a very significant extent. I'm lucky to live near a river (the Wandle), and the bigger spaces of Wimbledon Common. There's also a couple of parks in Morden, one of which I visited this week. It's mainly a manicured landscape designed for semi-country houses from when this area was London outskirts for rich people, rather than London outskirts for commuters. Before that it was outside town and suitable for manufacturing, using the river in various channels, all of them basically artificial. And now, some of the riverlands are being reflooded, turned into wetlands, bringing wildlife back to the suburbs.
2. Does your household grow some of its own food?
Nope. I have no outside space at all. I grew up with a garden which grew some herbs, some seasonal fruit (apples and figs are still going), and potatoes/Jerusalem artichokes when my parents were younger and more enthused. But we've never been significant growers - my family comes from smallholding in East Anglia and knows exactly how hard and poor that life is.
3. Do you recycle or repurpose a lot, a little, or somewhere in between?
I recycle as much as I can (or reuse in the case of glass); my borough is now pretty good for recycling. What I'm less good at is no food waste - that's got a lot worse in lockdown because I feel like I need to have extra in, in case of being quarantined/locked down. I could relax that till I have to go back to commuting, but it's a habit now.
4. What do you think the most endangered part of the Earth is?
If the Earth is endangered (which it is), then it's all endangered. The remaining rainforest, from Brazil to Borneo, is an obvious worry. But I'm also terrified about the temperature rise in the Arctic lately. That's hideous.
5. What is the single best way for an individual to help the environment?
Do less. Travel less. Eat less (not less than you need, but don't keep all the extras like I do). Buy less, and use it up. And, obviously, don't have kids. But honestly? It's a terrifying prescription for the future of humanity and I don't live like that, not really.
Meanwhile, two days of meme. Tomorrow is monthly diary day so I shall be posting on another subject :-)
11 What would be included in your ideal breakfast?
I'm not hugely a breakfast person. A really nice croissant, some good tea, and I'm happy. I do go nuts in German hotels, where the breakfast buffets are insane and involve things I'd consider to be lunch really, but that is a very specific situation where they are usually the best food you'll get that day.
12 How do you decide about meals in your family? Who does the shopping?
My family is me, so I do, all of that. I'd probably do it anyway, meal-planning being a hobby of mine. One of my favourite things to do at Christmas is send my parents a list of what I'll cook for them, share the shopping for that, and then spend a week or so cooking a whole mix of stuff. I'm shopping for them too at the moment, though they are buying from outdoor stalls now. There's still a fair amount of supermarket stuff to be bought. It's keeping me fitter than I might otherwise be.
13 What’s the notification tone on your phone for calls? Texts?
14 Would you rather know how you’re going to die or when you’re going to die?
15 How many cups of water have you drunk today?
16 When you were graduating from school, what did you think your life would look like at your age now? Does it match?
17 Do you prefer pie or cake?
18 When you eat out alone, where do you like to go?
19 Are you more of a “work hard” or “play hard” kind of person?
20 Do you think morality and ethics are absolute or situational?
21 Would you rather relax in a hot tub or a sauna?
22 Do you have a living will or other documentation of an end-of-life care plan?
23 When was the last time you went dancing?
24 Have you ever re-gifted a gift that was given to you?
25 What’s one thing you’ve been procrastinating on that you could take care of today?
26 Would you rather live in a house or an apartment?
27 Do you have a favorite mixed drink or cocktail?
28 What is your favorite word right this minute?
29 What clubs, groups, or teams were you in while in high school/upper grades?
30 What’s a good museum nearest to where you live?
31 If you had to choose one or the other, would you rather live where it’s hot all the time or cold all the time?