Happy 2017. Well, we can hope, can't we?

Happy New Year, friends—

There's another one past.

We're getting the hang

Of this living, at last.

We're still making plans,

We still have our dreams,

And the hope that this world's

Not as bad as it seems.

There's a calendar full

Of blank, empty days

To fill with good things,

Or to fritter away.

Like an unwritten page

Or a new book, unread,

We're not really sure yet

Of what lies ahead.

So we'll travel in hope,

With our friends and our kin,

Hoping we'll all

Fit another year in.





copyright 2016 Tracey Meredith

Chistmas Commeth On Apace. And Other Stuff.

 So, here we are, a mere 3 more days until the big C (and I had to check the calendar to confirm that), and it's the one nice day within the assortment of fog, rain and gales that are on their way. Some of the P&J's presents have arrived (though, of course, none of the ones on his list), some of them delivered so early, my OH was able to intercept them before he went to work, enabling me to enjoy the luxury of an unhurried lie in.
 The dog has been for her check up and screening at the vet's. She is "looking good for her age" (which is more that you could say about me), her teeth are "remarkable", and we now await the results of blood tests for liver and kidney function. £127, mind, but given how few problems we've had with her over the 13 years we've had her, I don't begrudge her that, as we head towards the end of her time with us. If there is something brewing, I want to catch it before it becomes something traumatic. We're looking for quality, not quantity.
 No doubt she'll be wanting to join me in the garden this afternoon, as I try to hack back the brambles growing from my neighbour's garden, and last years growth of the shrubs. I've already told my neighbour, when I win the lottery, we're having a gardener. He just laughed.
 There is stuff to do, before the new term begins, and I want to be on top of it this time- certainly with getting the seeds planted early, and the garlic in. Sometime this week, I have to start filling the new raised beds, which means the tedious job of sieving the litter out of my compost (some ear-hole, whom we shall not mention, decided to empty the vacuum cleaner into the compost bin. Those of you with families- you know the sort of things that go up the hoover.) The greenhouse needs clearing out and re-organising, so there is more room for growing. It's just as well the days are starting to draw out now!
 Hanging over all this is a black cloud. Well, maybe not black. Greyish. Definitely greyish. My husband's imminent retirement from a job he's been in since he was 17. He's had enough and we have both agreed it is better he gets out before his health goes, and he's still able to work. Something that doesn't involve 2 to 4 hours a day, just getting to work and back will be a start. But he does have to get a job. Our finances can't absorb a £10k drop in finances. And that's my grey cloud. Will he be able to find something? I'm worried that he won't. Or will be too picky. Or too nervous. After all, he's been in the same job for over 30 years. It's a big change that's coming, and very scary. For both of us.
 He retires mid February, and he assures me he will get his CV together and visit the local employment agencies (I think he quite likes the idea of temping, and I have to say, I think it's a good option). But I've not seen any evidence of it yet. And I'm worrying. Not least because I've been saving for years to refurbish my 1970s kitchen- or at least the floor- and I can see that disappearing. However, if he does land a job, we might actually be better off, especially if he's not travelling- or not as far. And who knows, he may even have more time and energy, and our lives will be transformed. Maybe. I'll let you know around February. In the meantime, cheer up. Christmas will soon be over and you won't have to worry about it for another year. It's a shame the same can't be said for for Trump. Or Brexit. Or global warming. Or...

The difficulties in Going Green, even if you want to.

  I was reading an article a few days ago- it may have been in the Guardian, or possibly a Greenpeace post on Facebook- about the amount of unnecessary packaging there is of our goods; how, even though the damage plastics are doing to our environment is widely agreed upon, we're still not getting rid of the stuff.

The "tax" on plastic bags, the banning of micro-beads by some supermarkets, is really only a small drop in the ocean, an ocean that is still increasingly filling with our discarded rubbish. The problem is, while I may not have to worry for much longer whether the toothpaste in my local supermarket contains micro-beads, my toothpaste still comes in a plastic tube. I am also finding it increasingly difficult to buy vegetable oil or vinegars in a glass bottle, and I'm only given the option of a paper bag if I'm buying mushrooms.
  Cleaning fluids that claim to be environmentally friendly are, nevertheless, in plastic bottles, and I've only once come across a company whose plastic bottles are labelled as being made from recycled plastic. I recently read that less than 10% of the plastic we generate is recycled, which, if true, is a depressing figure.
  Not all packaging needs to be plastic- I buy vegan spicy burgers from Quorn. They come in a simple cardboard box. My son has Quorn's (non-vegan) Dippers. They come in a plastic bag that can't be recycled. Why?

  If governments can interfere when it comes to plastic bags, why can't they put pressure on companies to also kick the plastic in other ways? A tax on products wrapped in plastic or made from non-recycled plastic, perhaps?
  Could we not have the greengrocery part of supermarkets offering entirely packaging free goods, like independent greengrocers do, and paper bags (remember them?), if bags are really needed.
  Supermarkets themselves could be the driving force behind this change, requiring their suppliers to pack their products in an environmentally friendly way. And if a plastic container is the only option, can we bring it back and get it refilled?
  The emphasis on cleaning up the environment shouldn't just be about recycling our rubbish, it should also be about not producing it in the first place; not only could that result in a cleaner environment, it could result in savings for local councils and their tax payers, as less would have to be disposed of.
  So, here I am, a willing Green, but unable to be as green as I'd like. I appreciate that some solutions will take time, as will changing people's habits, but there are some things that could be done to enable me to chose the green option. For example, companies could advise on their packaging how much, if any of it, is made from recycled plastic, or glass, or paper. Supermarkets could offer paper bags, or encourage their customers to bring their own reusable cotton bags- saving the supermarkets money, savings they could pass on to their customers.

Realistically, the only way things are going to happen apace, is if we, as customers, drive it- and that means sometimes paying a little extra for the company that uses recycled products in its packaging, and ditching the products that come wrapped in plastic, for those in paper or card. Or maybe even ditching some products entirely. We can contact those companies we love, but are letting us down, we can contact our representatives in government and ask them- what are you doing about this?

 Huge swathes of our oceans are dying, and what with all the doom and gloom about our environment, the tendency is to think it is all beyond our control, that we can do nothing about it, or that too much is being asked of us. But the truth is, we can all do something. Make changes to your habits. Small changes. Don't put your carrots in a plastic bag. Don't buy the shrink wrapped broccoli. Stop buying bottled water. Forgo that (throwaway) cup of coffee on your way to work. Small changes. Though, don't let me talk you out of making big changes. Small changes made by all of us, amount to a big change that wouldn't happen otherwise. It's doing something. And that's important. Because doing nothing isn't an option any more.


 UPDATE Recent article in the Guardian- 
what some businesses are doing to help towards a plastic-free environment