Category: sustainable living

Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken (Cornerstone Press, 2023)

Jan 3, 2024

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by

Pen

in Anti-ageing, Chris van Tulleken, david gillespie, health, Jules Clancy food, nutrition, sarah wilson, sustainable living, Ultra-processed food, Why do we all eat stuff that isn’t food and why can’t we stop?

Definitions of Tragedy When I mentioned in my last blog that everyone inevitably suffers tragedy, that’s not quite correct – some people do escape it – because tragedy refers to untimely death. The death of parents, even though it might feel tragic to their children, is not a tragedy (unless those children were really young)…
Thirty Two Words for Field and Sand Talk – Irish and Indigenous wisdom

May 12, 2023

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by

Pen

in arts and health, Australia behind, Blasket islands, Books, capitalism, Common Good, Democracy, Indigenous wisdom, Inequality – Australia, Living creatively, Manchan Magan, mental illness, Nature writing – Irish, rural Ireland, Sand Talk, sustainable living, value of the arts

Connecting with a better world Apart from reading some fantastic books, I’ve been having fun with my new Kick-Start creative writing workshops. They’ve been zipping along with the poetic contributions of talented students, filling the BRAG room on Tuesday nights with laughter and creative verve. BRAG stands for Braidwood Regional Arts Group and you can…
Wide windows and a wet, wet spring – Creativity flowering in Braidwood

Nov 16, 2022

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by

Pen

in art, arts and health, Australian novels, creative cross-fertilisation, creative synergy, creativity, gardening, Inequality, media negativity, optimism, Simplifying, sustainable living

Why garden? Why write? … ‘Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.’ American writer Edith Wharton said that and I think of it often since moving to the country. These days, still in La Nina, our well overflowing and the creek rushing and rising as rain continues to fall, drinking the day can…
Catrina Davies. Homesick: Why I live in a shed

Feb 27, 2022

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by

Pen

in capitalism, Catrina Davies, Common Good, Democracy, Inequality – Australia, sustainable living

Did you know that the average life expectancy of a homeless woman in Britain is forty three? The author of this profound and lyrical book considers herself lucky because she is not one of them, or not yet, because she’s free, not one of the 28 million refugees and asylum seekers ‘hoping for sanctuary in…
A hopeful path forward in a fractured world – Sarah Wilson’s new book

Jan 17, 2021

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by

Pen

in capitalism, Democracy, health, Living creatively, optimism, politics, sarah wilson, Simplifying, sustainable living, value of the arts

An adventurous heart Sarah Wilson’s This One Wild and Precious Life navigates through the problems facing us all right now: coronavirus, climate change, racial inequalities, political and economic polarisation, as well as loneliness, in an accessible, thought-provoking way. The author spent three years pondering these issues and she takes us on her travels over that…
Slowing down – A beautiful book on sustainable living: Mark Boyle’s The Way Home

Jul 10, 2019

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by

Pen

in Blasket islands, capitalism, digital technology, E.F. Schumacher, Mark Boyle, rural Ireland, Simplifying, Small Is Beautiful, sustainable living

The Way Home: Tales from a life without technology. Mark Boyle. (Oneworld Publications, 2019) It’s a surprise to learn that Mark Boyle has a degree in Economics and Marketing. He lives in rural County Galway in a dwelling he built himself. He chooses to live without electricity or running water. He has no car and…

Category: sustainable living

Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken (Cornerstone Press, 2023)

Thirty Two Words for Field and Sand Talk – Irish and Indigenous wisdom

Wide windows and a wet, wet spring – Creativity flowering in Braidwood

Catrina Davies. Homesick: Why I live in a shed

A hopeful path forward in a fractured world – Sarah Wilson’s new book

Slowing down – A beautiful book on sustainable living: Mark Boyle’s The Way Home