elle est…

Well, just a quickie from me, as I’ve no time to write in detail but am regurgitating some news – but very important news, close to my heart.

The Guardian is currently running a series of interesting articles on eating meat; how farm animals are treated etc. Here are the links, the first two on why not to eat meat and the second two on the fate of animals and fish being reared in awful conditions for the food industry. These really are worth reading!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/dec/24/goodbye-noughties-vegetarianism-meat

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/20/jonathan-safran-foer-eating-animals

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/22/jonathan-safran-foer-factory-farming

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/23/jonathan-safran-foer-fish-farming

I don’t agree with Neel Mukherjee, the author of the first article, that the reason of ‘eating cuddly animals is horrible’ is not a good enough argument to be vegetarian! Why not?

Actually, I think it is. Eating another live creature, no matter if beautiful or ugly, is abhorrent to me and is the main reason why I am vegetarian! There truly is little difference when I imagine the texture of animal flesh or human flesh – hence I have never missed eating meat. It just doesn’t cross my mind as an option. You might as well ask me to eat you.

Mukherjee does come up with the following good argument though, which sums up another reason I don’t eat meat or fish.

‘(…) because we are the most powerful animals in the animal kingdom, because all animals are at our mercy and we can choose to do whatever we want with them, it is our moral duty not to decimate, factory farm and eat them. It is an argument of such majesty and generosity that its force is almost emotional’.

The other three articles based on Foer’s book are very interesting indeed and I’m going to make a serious attempt at becoming a Vegan as the next step as a result (not that he advocates this or anything). This is a tricky one – as Western food doesn’t cater too well for Vegans – just try finding some lunch or dinner in a restaurant that isn’t just a salad…..

I shall let you know how I do but am officially and very publicly pledging to be a Vegan – well, right after I’ve finished the lovely Hotel Chocolat chocolates that my aunt gave me this weekend….I’m sure they have milk in them… but I can’t throw them away! Argh – my first moral Vegan dilemma – which I shall solve by bringing them to work and offering them to colleagues. Yes, yes, I will just be sharing the guilt around a bit.

Seriously – this is a real challenge; you wouldn’t think it is as I’m a veggie and don’t miss meat or fish at all. Giving up eggs, milk, butter and most of all cheese (weep….) is going to be extremely hard indeed. However, knowing that dairy cows are kept lactating, calves taken away, turned into dog meat at the end of their life – really only makes me a hypocrite, i.e. I won’t eat meat but am still implicit in their suffering.

Of course, I can’t avoid being party to all sorts of suffering in this world. Whatever I do or buy involves someone, somewhere having to pay the price for me. That can’t be changed at all but if I can try and reduce my impact that can surely only be a good thing. It won’t be simple, it won’t be easy and I will probably make lots of mistakes along the way. I will fall off the wagon plenty of times (or in the words of Spinal Tap ‘be run over by the wagon’) but Veganism should be manageable.

I shall let you all know how it goes!

This is getting seriously silly… by that, I mean the lack of any mental space to write. My few blog followers (hello Grampy!) are getting rather bored, I expect.

Life is serving up lots of strange things at the moment and I’m just dealing with them, one at a time – rather like a tennis player faced with one of those ball machines; just desperately trying to bat them away from me as quickly as possible.

The world is so much more strange than I thought it would be… I always thought I would know everything once I was grown up; thought adults knew it all. Now I realise, that all we adults do, is to behave just like 16 year olds but dress it up a bit more grown-up. We are all just as messed up and confused as when we were teenagers but now it is even more uncool to admit it than ever before.

That thought is strangely comforting. I asked my Grandma that once, when she was 83, and was amazed that she told me she still felt like 16 too – that that feeling never really goes away. She was the most amazing, loving and competent person out there, with the highest standards and morals you can imagine. So, if Nanny felt like that – I’m not too worried if I do, because it clearly isn’t detrimental.

Next time you look at Brown or Obama – realise that they will also often feel like they are still just 16, their bodies ageing around them like for all the rest of us. So, why on earth do we expect them to solve any of the problems we face.

The Guardian featured the Sundance Film Festival entries http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/feb/01/sundance-film-festival-awards and one of them caught my attention.

Winter’s Bone based on the book by Daniel Woodrell.http://sundance.bside.com/2010/films/wintersbone_sundance2010

There’s a sad part to this; which is that Borders has shut down all of it’s UK stores (and probably making all their staff redundant). I didn’t know about this at all until I was in Bournemouth over Christmas and they were having a closing down sale. It’s a shame Borders is going and I do hope all the Borders employees find work elsewhere.

In the closing down sale I got five books for £1. One of these turns out to be a bit of a winner I found out the other day, as it is Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell. I just liked the style of writing on leafing through it and to be very honest, there were not many good books left on the pile anyway, so this one looked one of the better ones.

This coincidence of having this book and then reading the excellent reviews for the film – mean it has overruled my reading lethargy and I shall be reading this one…starting now…

Honour demands that I post something up here – it has been nearly two weeks since the last posting…

Especially that I now have internet at home again. Cranky dial up, pay as you go internet but that is quite suitable for my cranky old laptop (not to mention for my cranky old brain). Sadly, my dream of a sleek iphone has had to be shelved. I thought my upgrade was this year but due to being not only cranky but increasingly forgetful; I forgot that I had signed a two year contract to get a really cheap deal last year … so, little iphone, next year, my precious, you shall be mine….dribble, cackle, lurch….

Until then, stone-age methods will have to suffice. Bizarrely the connection keeps on telling me I’m offline – but still let’s me access the internet…it’s as confused about life as I am. Not that it matters really as I am suffering a complete and utter lack of creative thought (not that there was very much of that going before hand).

I would never have believed this possible but since Christmas; I haven’t read a book or written anything. Well, I’m crawling my way through Dawkins’s wonderful ‘The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution’ but that is science and I’m a convert anyway, and having read similar things and other books by the great man, it’s not hard work.

The problem lies with narrative storylines – I just can’t face following someone else’s story, problems, pain or anguish in a book or film at the moment. I just can’t take anymore on board – there’s no other way of phrasing it.

Needless to say – this is horrible and frustrating and deeply, deeply worrying. I’m a life long speed reader and compulsive book worm. This is like a heroin addict saying they can’t stand heroin anymore or a football fan being off his football…

Friends have reassured me that this phase will pass… I do so hope they are right because, life is not worth living without the urge to read and write…a part of myself feels amputated and I want it back…

Anyway, on a lighter note, all my chores are done on time now and my flat is spotless – even the dreaded filing has been done. So, there are some positive sides to this after all but you know what they say about boring women and clean homes. Although, I think that is a bit wrong, as you can be fascinating and have a clean home – just not a spotless home, that takes a slightly special kind of mind…

Here is the evolution of a woman, as photographed in my flat yesterday:

Still loves flowers, still has to do boring chores like ironing but now can read great works like Dawkins’s on evolution…

Hurrah, for female education and liberation!

Yeeessss, I know, not much of an effort on my behalf to post anything written by myself at the moment…this will improve when I get some time to write…

However, showcasing fantastic articles and ideas will hopefully get them to a wider audience.

One thing to do this year – join the co-operative Bank. I’ve been with them for years and they are fantastic. Whilst you are about it become a co-operative member and get cash back for anything you buy off the co-operative group.

The Guardian has a great article today: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/19/what-done-banker-bonuses

For more information on the co-operative bank: http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/servlet/Satellite/1193206375355,CFSweb/Page/Bank

The predicted ‘big thaw’ has started in Manchester – well, it’s more of a minor melt really…but let’s not spoil the fun for the newspapers, who seem to take great joy in exaggerated reporting these days. ‘Britain covered by snow blizzards’ was one funny headline – actually, only one tiny part of Britain was affected by real snow blizzards, the rest just had varying amounts of snow fall!

Either way, Manchester has returned to the customary squelchy wet and muddy weather but, you know, wet and muddy is fine, it’s predictable. I must sit down and write about my theory about the connection between temperament and temperature because there really is a connection. Anyway, my lunch break won’t stretch to that today.

After all, most of you, are apparently most interested in my pretty pictures, so here is one. It is Antony Gormley’s ‘Sound II’ (for more information on the cathedral http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk and for Antony Gormley (www.antonygormley.com); which I managed to see whilst staying in Winchester just after Christmas.

Our two families had gathered in Winchester in honour of celebrating the recent marriage of my sister and her husband. I did my MA in Winchester at the Textile Conservation Centre (TCC) many moons ago; so I know this little town very well and am exceedingly fond of it. The TCC was shut incidentally, as the University of Southampton decided it wasn’t cost effective (or some short sighted decision to that effect anyway). There is now apparently no dedicated degree course to train textile conservators left in the UK. What this means for the future of British Textile Collections remains to be seen. Saying that, what happens to all British historical collections during the current recession and funding reviews will be most interesting… However, heritage organizations are very used to operating on a shoe string  – so although a shorter shoe string will pose a problem; the creative thinking, thrift awareness and enthusiasm and love for the job is already present and will slightly temper the problem.

Anyway, back to the beautiful town of Winchester… We all stayed at the Wykeham Arms (http://www.fullershotels.com/rte.asp?id=129); which I can highly recommend. It is a lovely old pub with very comfortable, cosy and clean rooms. The pub itself is eclectically furnished and serves great food. It is extremely popular with the locals (always a good sign) and canine friendly (at some points there seemed to be nearly as many quadrupeds propping up the bar – or rather curled up under it).

We all had a marvelous time, catching up and exploring Winchester together. After a lovely long lunch we all strolled around the cathedral close; ice rink; and went into the cathedral. By sheer luck and kindness of the church ‘staff’ (I’m unfamiliar with the correct title of the men in long frocks – vergers perhaps?); we were allowed to visit the crypt, where ‘Sound II’ is on display. Tiptoeing through the darkened and nearly empty cathedral; climbing down into the softly lit crypt to enjoy this piece of art in situ; was a very special experience indeed.

Do visit Winchester and the cathedral if you get the chance – it’s a lovely place and delightful in any weather!