tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91700812738619350782012-01-30T15:44:05.947ZHardly a day goes by when I don't get the feeling that there's something to say on matters to do with carbon emissions and the environment. This is the Blog in which I'll sometimes say it to the world. And it would be interesting to see what other people say in response. It'll also be a forum for exchanging ideas on how to tread lightly on the planet and avoid supporting exploitation and corrupt practices. Here we go...Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.comBlogger1311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-23923916783910439232012-01-23T15:22:00.002Z2012-01-23T15:22:38.965Z

So today begins the war for fuel which will (I predict) end up killing us all. Last one left, switch out the light...

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-76982660202533515112011-04-12T08:25:00.001Z2011-04-12T20:53:37.931Z

No again. No no no no no no no no. Did someone say yes? Must be stark raving mad. (I thought I'd just say this again in case anyone had been inclined not to heed my message in 2008. Perhaps in 2011 you might listen more carefully)

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-35498486336878064122010-06-04T09:15:00.002Z2010-06-04T09:27:54.177Z

I'm puzzled and rather irritated by the constant stream of outrage from America, from its president to its ordinary citizens, as though they were not themselves to blame for that fact that some companies are drilling for oil in the seas off the coast of America. I mean, if you want to drive gas-guzzling cars, and fly everywhere from state to state, and use fossil fuels to power your air

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-21648196776345290602010-04-21T08:14:00.002Z2010-04-21T08:17:33.307Z

Our leaders throw away billions (our billions) to "protect us" from non-existent risks ("volcanic ash" "swine flu") that appear to be of their own imagining, and whose effects, even if they were as serious as they wrongly suppose, would be far less damaging than the precautions taken to prevent them, while all the time they are ignoring the elephant in the room.Why not let people, airlines

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-28858831279473663372009-11-22T19:59:00.002Z2009-11-22T20:04:37.486Z

I was pleased yesterday to discover the stairs at the new John Lewis in Cambridge (had them all to myself and was not blocked by those bizarre shoppers who have so much time to waste that they can afford to use it by drifting up and down escalators instead of walking). However, the shop completely fails to put the floor numbers or any store guides on the stairs, so you've no idea where you are or

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-31507428243420182682009-11-15T14:01:00.003Z2009-11-15T14:16:12.315Z

The problem: bicycles with derailleur gear sets don't have proper chain guards. It's easy to get your summer trousers filthy, or your beautiful new pale coloured suede boots. A well-oiled chain and smart leg-wear don't mix easily.The solution: Tear off the leg of an old worn out pair of pyjamas, the leg end of a worn out pair of knee-high socks, the sleeve of an old shirt or sweater, or just any

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-48766766836679735162009-11-13T20:06:00.005Z2009-11-15T14:01:27.510Z

As Christmas approaches, the shops are full of gadgets that you imagine, just for a moment, might be useful until you think about why they can't possibly do anything you couldn't do better yourself. And meanwhile the Universities are being pressed to discover things that have some commercial potential, so that they can prove that having great brains at work is worth the money.What about the

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-6966712045236766932009-06-24T08:02:00.001Z2009-06-24T08:04:21.089Z

This is a very dangerous con, which urgently needs fighting. See here

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-55893317973321068762009-06-21T17:41:00.002Z2009-06-21T17:56:12.020Z

Here's another thing the marketing people persuade us to buy: hair conditioner, or all-in-one shampoo with the conditioner in.Conditioner is a kind of sticky stuff that adheres to the hair and doesn't wash out when you rinse it. It adds bulk to the hair, because it's a kind of gunk, and because it attracts or retains moisture it makes the hair less prone to frizz and a little bit glossy.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-62790810093857925382009-06-20T12:57:00.004Z2009-06-20T20:17:54.454Z

This week in the Times Higher there is a feature on the carbon footprint of Universities.A long way down that article there is an interview with David Sedley (professor of ancient philosophy in Cambridge) who makes some pertinent points about the pressures on academics to travel.In order to achieve promotion, for instance, one needs to show that one has a significant international reputation and

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-17634838944195173942009-05-04T20:01:00.002Z2009-05-04T20:24:06.074Z

It's a while since the series of posts in which I described my collection of bicycles, and things have moved on since then, so I think I should do an update.I now have three bicycles in Cambridge and two in Norwich. In addition there is "Chris's bike" which is a man's bike, so I don't count that as mine.Among these five (or six) remaining bikes is, of course, horrid pink bike. I thought for a bit

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-14283048575888808802009-05-04T17:53:00.003Z2009-05-04T18:26:25.858Z

Here's another mod con we've been conned into: recipes that use chocolate (meaning by that bars of ready made chocolate) in order to flavour something that is supposed to taste of chocolate when it's finished. This is a dotty idea.Of course, if you want chocolate chips in something you need to put bits of chocolate in. If you want a chocolate coating on something, you need to coat it with

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-3799187489022529352009-03-28T17:34:00.006Z2009-05-04T19:49:40.860Z

Are there some things that we have been too readily persuaded that we need, when really the supposed "need" is created by our use of the thing we now think we need? I mean, companies advertise something as though it will make our life better, but actually it makes life no better. Meanwhile we come to think that we can't do without it.The thing is a con, which makes us go on buying the thing that

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-85866653255489036942009-03-26T09:23:00.009Z2009-03-28T08:44:36.585Z

Every road on the main cycle routes across Cambridge has been dug up this winter. In particular, the routes to get from East of the city, or North East, into the city, or to the Sidgwick site, or to the station, or to Trumpington Street/Silver Street, or to the University Library, or to anywhere any civilised person wants to go... all of them have been dug up, all at the same time.When they dig

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-21642076583694721482009-03-22T14:26:00.005Z2009-05-04T19:38:14.636Z

A mailing this week from Lightbulbs Direct (my source of the otherwise unobtainable halogen bulb that I like to have in the uplighter, as well as whatever supplies of traditional light bulbs are still available) confirms that the EU have gone ahead with their threat to ban incandescent light bulbs. Such bulbs (the cloudy sort first) will start to become unobtainable from September (or rather

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-6323464614421355492009-02-07T11:08:00.005Z2009-02-07T11:27:17.953Z

A second issue that my brother has alerted me to is the use of plastic "corks" and screw top bottles for wine.This is something we all need to be more aware of, and try to buy wine that has a real cork and when we go to a restaurant we should ask for wine that has a real cork. I haven't quite worked out how to discover which wines do have the right cork, but perhaps a good wine merchant will be

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-36338138661750928372009-01-26T21:27:00.006Z2009-01-26T21:48:33.079Z

My brother has helpfully reminded me that there are a number of issues I ought to post about on this blog.This one is about Roquefort cheese, which, so they tell me, Diderot described as the King of Cheeses (despite the fact that it stinks and is made by leaving it to moulder in the caves of Roquefort sur Soulzon).The problem here is that the Bush administration slapped a huge increase in tax

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-60188092530471541152009-01-20T22:41:00.003Z2009-01-20T22:44:41.511Z

Here are the scientists saying (roughly) some of the things I was saying in an earlier post about why we ought not to wash too much or take baths and showers too frequently, or use scented stuff in our laundry.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-15894896511507403632009-01-20T21:15:00.004Z2009-01-20T21:56:48.881Z

Here is the standard response when you tell someone that you don't own or run a car:"But how do you do the shopping?"Well, right now, with no children at home, there's so little shopping to do that it's almost never worth going shopping, least of all with a car. But with a family to feed, you'd certainly need to be able to source some supplies.Here's how we do it/used to do it, and then some

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-83316124688429500462008-11-10T22:23:00.003Z2008-11-11T08:46:29.578Z

I came home from Papa Westray on the Northlink ferry from Kirkwall to Aberdeen (very comfortable, overnight with a spacious cabin). That bit was fine.But before that, I did something terrible.I took the plane from Papa Westray to Kirkwall (not the two minute flight to Westray that is in the Guinness book of records, but still a little flight, fifteen minutes of it).Now this was a bad idea for

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-8376074447265071662008-11-03T17:07:00.006Z2008-11-03T17:32:53.031Z

Today I reached the place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea.This is how I got there:First, I took a train from Cambridge to London.Then, I took a sleeper train from London to Edinburgh and another train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen.After staying for a while in Aberdeen, I took a bus to the Northlink ferry terminal.Thence I took a ship from Aberdeen to Kirkwall, and stayed overnight in a

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-57346391481085971562008-10-01T07:51:00.005Z2008-10-01T08:10:45.465Z

As I sit in my study (being on research leave, I'm doing a bit more of this) I watch other lucky people (the gardeners employed to do the shared areas of our courtyard) come and spend their time doing energetic things in the fresh air and the sunshine. Today they have been shooing leaves about with a noisy machine that pretends to be the wind.Now, what more stupid activity could you engage in on

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-42278430616740645912008-09-26T08:33:00.005Z2008-09-26T08:58:43.309Z

It's time for my annual post about English Apples. Alas, things seem to be still just as bad as last year. A week or so back I wandered briefly into M&S Simply Food at the railway station, and it made me so angry that I had to leave in a hurry and I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. For there on the horrible chilly shelves (apart from anything else it's a very uncomfortable experience if

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-22249686035379105982008-08-16T07:33:00.003Z2008-08-16T08:24:33.376Z

This year we decided not to go anywhere far away that required air travel, so we took a few days in Wales. The trick is to set out in the expectation that it will be a gloomy wet week, cold and very windy, with cloud on the hills or even in the valleys. Then if you have even one brief sunny interval, or a momentary clear patch with good views from the top of a mountain, you come home thinking how

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-28151406349426609972008-07-24T21:24:00.006Z2008-07-24T21:30:55.068Z

So, according to the BBC news site, a study has shown the damage that soya does to men's fertility.And the experts say "Oh but it can't be so because men in Asia eat far more soya, and they don't have fertility problems".Yes, but as it's often been pointed out, they don't eat the raw soya that we're fed in our soya products here. They eat fermented soya, which eliminates the female hormone

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-30112239616802302492008-06-01T19:43:00.004Z2008-06-01T20:17:08.606Z

A long while back I mentioned the idea that it's better not to wash too much. The thought is two-fold.First, washing too much is unhealthy, and undermines the natural ways in which our skin and hair keep themselves protected against wear and tear and germs and things.The second thought is that washing too much destroys our natural attractiveness to each other and prevents us from maintaining

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-29964263489699558142008-05-28T21:12:00.002Z2008-05-28T21:16:31.446Z

So we have three problems: (1) Petrol costs a lot; (2) The roads are congested because too many people are driving too many cars to too many places for no good reason; (3) there is a problem with carbon emissions and climate change which could be quite serious.Does it seriously seem to be worthwhile trying to solve these problems by increasing the production of oil so as to bring the price down?

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-27339760146033322412008-05-25T16:41:00.002Z2008-05-25T17:00:08.531Z

A bus routeLiving in town is helpful, but above all, living on a bus route is helpful, because children can learn to use buses quite easily, and if it stops nearby you can go door to door to a lot of places that can't easily be reached by car.Annie used to go to her violin lessons on the other side of Oxford from an early age by herself. It seems as if it was from the age of about 6 or 7 (but I

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-83760497352056246472008-02-29T20:58:00.003Z2008-02-29T21:16:01.438Z

Not being able to spread the butter on your bread till at least April.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-72661785391691595482008-01-19T13:00:00.000Z2008-01-21T12:05:06.189Z

In the old days the best place to buy bacon was the old grocer's shop on Prospect Row. What was his name? Mr Cook? Anyway, he used to serve excellent firm dry bacon which he sliced for you on the spot, and also wonderful ham. That was, I think, the last real grocer's shop in Cambridge and it closed down about three or four years ago.Now, the question is, where can you get bacon? Not the sort that

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-59999522683169945652008-01-19T09:37:00.002Z2008-09-26T09:01:52.967Z

It's nice to know that consumers have woken up to the wonders of English apples, helped at last by the supermarkets. See this news report from the BBC:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7185786.stm

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-47325849135950415722008-01-12T09:17:00.000Z2008-01-12T09:25:26.568Z

This entertaining video gives a glimpse of how we get about in Cambridge. You will see that bicycles are much faster than cars and other motorised transport....

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-81140237167507887612008-01-10T12:49:00.001Z2008-01-10T12:53:16.092Z

NoNo noNo no noThis government doesn't seem to understand what the word "necessary" means. Nothing, no kind of hypothetical necessity whatever, could ever make it "necessary" to add new nuclear power stations. Rather, it seems clear that it is absolutely necessary that we should not do so.And how conceivably could the cost of decommissioning be added in to the costs born by the companies? Those

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-58531336115882693192008-01-09T15:42:00.000Z2008-01-09T15:44:17.358Z

Another good one I got was a bottle of Ecover washing up liquid.This is a really useful present, good for me and good for the environment.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-40205782369972715342007-12-31T08:56:00.001Z2007-12-31T09:02:05.053Z

The best one I received this year was two glass milk bottles to return to the milkman, presented without christmas wrapping but with an optional, re-used, biodegradable paper carrier bag.I suppose a better present in this case would have been for the giver to sign up to have the milkman deliver regularly...

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-12036268457995844282007-12-20T22:27:00.000Z2007-12-20T22:29:37.693Z

Nice people in Norwich who turn off my bike lights (and don't steal them) so even when I accidentally leave them behind on the bike when I park it at the station, and I get back a week later, the batteries are not flat.Hooray for generous kind people like that, whoever you are!

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-55239637850694597022007-12-12T18:56:00.000Z2007-12-12T18:58:27.434Z

I confess...This weekend we're flying to Naples for a wedding...

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-72694049800363299692007-12-12T18:44:00.000Z2007-12-12T18:56:13.233Z

Overheard fleetingly on the way to the station last Monday, the middle of a conversation:"And then she said 'why, I can't even hail a taxi!'". The speaker, on uttering this, was raising her hand above the shoulder, as in hailing taxis.Now I don't know for sure what this conversation, of which I caught such a fleeting moment as I cycled past, was about. But it rang a sort of bell.Why have so many

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-35999929053840915012007-11-08T21:55:00.000Z2007-11-08T22:02:29.852Z

Method 3Don't shake your milk bottle. Carefully remove the foil top.Stand the milk bottle on the kitchen surface.Place a stool next to the surface and stand a jug on the stool. The top of the jug should be lower than the bottom of the milk bottle.Take a length of flexible thin plastic tubing and plunge one end of it down to the bottom of the milk bottle.Suck on the other end of the tubing until

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-84143031342791879332007-11-02T12:22:00.001Z2007-11-02T12:37:50.161Z

Conversation with boy (apparently white, native) at the Liverpool Street Station greengrocers' stall on Tuesday:I to boy: "Have you any English apples?"Boy to me: "English apples? There's no such thing."I to boy (puzzled): "No, I mean have you any ENGLISH apples?"Boy to me: "There's various kinds of apples: Golden delicious, Braeburn, [something]-Reds. We don't have 'english apples'".I to boy, in

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-37909995261683866982007-10-28T14:11:00.000Z2007-10-28T14:17:12.919Z

Here's another method of making your own semi-skimmed milk, easily done if you're making something with hot milk.Pour the milk into a milk pan and warm it over the heat. When it's hot, pour it off gently in such a way that it leaves the skin behind in the pan.The rich creamy residue can be given to the cat, or washed away with the washing up water (though that's a tragic waste of resources, when

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-39017090853927833042007-10-06T15:56:00.000Z2007-10-06T16:11:45.943Z

If it's true that the semi-skimmed milk from the milkman is still homogenised (see discussion here) then the answer seems to be to buy natural full cream milk from the milkie and, if you prefer something skinnier for putting in your tea, make it yourself.Here's one way (how my parents used to do it). You take the foil cap off the bottle without upending it or shaking it. You pour off the first

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-73017181344665236612007-09-18T15:06:00.000Z2007-09-18T17:59:11.208Z

Today I bought an Early Windsor apple, as well as some more Worcester Pearmains, on Norwich market. On Cambridge Farmers' market on Sunday they were offering Worcester Pearmains and Tydeman's Early Worcesters, but I think the Worcester Pearmains are the ones to have.I'm adding a link to a lovely site with pictures of lots of different varieties of English apples, here...

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-50059132061781138992007-09-16T18:07:00.000Z2007-09-27T21:12:11.252Z

For our holiday in Greece this year we spent some idyllic days at a place called Sangarada, on the Pelion peninsular. Sangarada is actually a collection of four villages suspended below the road on a steep hillside several thousand feet above the sea. Wonderful springs of water gush out of the side of the hill and tumble down the steep gullies, which are wooded with dense deciduous woodland and

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-15362913350911400792007-09-08T19:44:00.000Z2007-09-18T17:55:25.342Z

This week's great joy is the arrival of Worcesters!

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-49163456978901248982007-09-08T19:34:00.000Z2007-09-08T19:43:17.975Z

Today I boughtA bundle of dark green towels (a face cloth, two hand towels and a bath towel), still tied up in a tartan ribbon and with the label attached, pure cotton, made in Turkey, very nice.A black silk shirt for Robin, originally Marks and SpencersA rather special woollen shirt traditionally made in Tequile, for myself.Tequile is an island in the Lake Titicaca, where life is still

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-10525970775945091682007-09-08T13:13:00.001Z2007-09-08T13:15:15.561Z

Introducing a new occasional series about the joys of shopping for recycled goods.... Do add your own stories in the comments section

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-7670960168773856722007-09-08T08:09:00.000Z2007-09-08T08:35:00.074Z

A long time since I provided a beetroot recipe, so here's another one we used to do rather frequently in the 1980s.Ingredients:about 2 lbs beetroot (no tops required)water to cover1 1/2 tbsp cornflour1 lemon, rind and juice1 orange, rind and juice2 1/2 tbsp sugar1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp ground cloves1 oz butterNB items 1 to 4 of the method should be done a bit in advance, or you can reheat beetroot

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-36809830761110340942007-09-08T07:42:00.000Z2007-09-08T08:08:01.059Z

Living in the city!One important thing for the car-free family is to live in town, near a station and on a bus route, preferably a bus route that takes you to the station if it's not walking distance.We've always lived on the wrong side of the city for the station. I suspect this isn't accidental, because the prices get higher and the quality of the housing goes down the nearer you are to the

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-81350177103422024812007-08-30T18:14:00.000Z2007-08-30T18:29:26.383Z

I've just used something like 500 kg of CO2 as a passenger on an aeroplane to Athens and back. Oops.Just back from a trip that combined professional work and a holiday, in Greece. The travel was organised by a travel agent in Greece. You sort of think that when the place is four hours away by air, you need to fly because the train travel would be too long and complicated. But I think that's not

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-89968796925871201832007-08-04T20:27:00.000Z2007-08-09T10:08:39.845Z

One of the things that really annoys me is when people buy out-of-season or imported things, at a time when the English equivalent is right there in front of them. We're just going into the English Apple season which is the time when this problem most annoys me.But right now it's strawberries. There I was in Tesco (stupid hateful shop) gazing at an array of Strawberry punnets in front of me,

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-82001461181267920162007-07-26T17:01:00.000Z2007-07-26T17:06:29.476Z

Now I've discovered another alternative to wellingtons. They're called Overboots and they're flexible rubber socks that you put over your shoes. When you aren't wearing them they are a lot less awkward to carry than wellingtons. And you can go to a party in your party shoes: just peel off the overboots when you get there!My father used to have something similar called goloshes, but they were just

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-43245823289299285262007-07-12T19:41:00.000Z2007-07-12T21:26:23.380Z

I spent last weekend at the Joint Session (a major UK philosophical conference with about 250 delegates). It was hosted at a rather unpleasant campus which seemed to bear an uncanny resemblance to the surface of the moon—or particularly the moon as it would look if covered in a maze of rectangular concrete buildings—, on the edge of Bristol, currently known as UWE, though in days gone by it was

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-78796018378808008542007-07-05T18:24:00.000Z2007-07-05T18:28:55.275Z

This week I bought a wonderful pair of wellies. They're pistachio green with pink trimmings and pink and blue spots. Just right for the summer.I've decided to wear them all the time.One huge advantage is that it makes it practical to ride my bike while wearing pale or white trousers, even on a bike with no chain guard, and even in wet conditions.This is a major improvement to the quality of life.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-51868807430069095422007-07-05T18:12:00.001Z2007-07-05T18:23:47.380Z

Does anyone else share my abhorrence for trains which have sealed windows and air conditioning?There are two main problems in my experience.One is that if the heating/air conditioning goes wrong there is nothing whatever anyone can do about it. One of the trains on the Norwich line had a faulty heating system in the winter which was blowing out extra cold air on some of the really cold days, so

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-57252974302000656022007-06-27T17:56:00.000Z2007-06-27T17:57:45.934Z

At the moment it seems to mean getting cold and wet just about every day in June.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-50681002434390133612007-06-19T17:51:00.001Z2007-06-19T17:58:00.061Z

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be in a place in Wales which is at least five miles from any busy road, and between it and the nearest road is a mass of rolling hills. On Sunday morning at 7.30 I went out to hear what the world would be like without cars (there aren't many places in Britain where it is possible to listen to the natural world unpolluted).It was impressive. There was an

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-83368623824375143282007-06-09T17:34:00.001Z2007-06-19T18:05:41.893Z

All that stuff about milk and calcium in the earlier posts was really leading up to a discussion of homogenised milk.The reason for wondering about that was a letter in the Spring issue (229) of the Soil Association magazine called Living Earth. Sally and Keith Hall from Carmarthenshire had written to say "We became concerned about homogenisation after reading an article in Living Earth 219 and

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-68563652715292244022007-05-29T08:55:00.000Z2007-05-29T09:36:41.069Z

There's a long running dispute in our household as to whether it uses more energy to cycle fast than to cycle more slowly.I don't mean does it take more energy for the same amount of time. Obviously cycling faster is harder work, and uses more energy in a short time.The question is this: if you need to go from here to the Sidgwick site, and you could go gently at, say, 10 miles an hour, or very

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-73751288458640909312007-05-28T13:31:00.000Z2007-05-28T13:34:47.883Z

It means that on Bank Holiday Monday you have a choice of either staying at home by the fire all day, or putting on your wellies, waterproof trousers, kagoule, sou'wester and gloves.I chose the former today.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-28844347220077719092007-05-26T13:09:00.000Z2007-05-26T13:58:48.003Z

You'll remember the fuss about a month ago, relating to the cotton bags that were promoted by Sainsbury's to try to persuade people not to use plastic bags. The fuss was about the fact that the bags were made using cheap labour in China, were not organic cotton, nor fairtrade, and had been shipped across the world to the UK. I've kind of had it in mind to say something about it for some

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-73051207523407421752007-05-22T18:21:00.000Z2007-05-22T18:30:26.440Z

Here are clicakable links to the resources Ted Hutchinson mentioned in his comment: The World's Healthiest food Calcium .With regards Vitamin D readers should be aware that 80% of our vitamin d comes from the action of sunlight on our skin.Dietary sources of Vitamin d3 are not good and so it's not surprising that 90% of UK residents have insufficient status in the Winter and 60% remain

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-68548514670587217552007-05-20T15:56:00.000Z2007-05-20T16:41:23.321Z

Richard pointed out (in an e-mail) that I had claimed that there were no very good vegetable sources of calcium, and that the only serious alternative to milk was the fish where you eat the bones and all. What I said there had been based on rather popular and inexact reports on the internet, so I promised to check out some facts.Here (from Denise Mortimore The Complete Illustrated Guide to

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-25449157002757295842007-05-18T11:16:00.000Z2007-05-18T13:47:24.613Z

I think I should have said something about the spectacular results in the local elections in Norwich, because they didn't feature as prominently in news bulletins as they probably should have done.In the recent city council elections in May the Green party gained an extra seat, going up from 9 seats to 10. In itself this is not an enormous difference since Norwich already had more Green party

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-9034200579863815722007-05-16T15:42:00.000Z2007-05-16T16:52:59.307Z

On my way to Norwich this week I picked up a tatty copy of the Eastern Daily Press in the train. On about page three was an exciting article headed "pilot for greener pinta packaging". I immediately assumed it was talking about glass milk bottles but no. "First came the traditional glass milk bottle, then the plastic alternative – and now a Lowestoft supermarket has launched the ‘Green bottle.’"

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-64701524234730009162007-05-14T08:47:00.000Z2007-05-14T08:56:58.252Z

It means taking the children to the station by bike.Here's a picture I took at Cambridge station one evening in the early spring. I don't know who the family was, but hurrah for such families!

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-12917725801810536812007-05-12T10:51:00.000Z2007-05-20T16:40:40.507Z

I realise, after reading some more technical stuff, that what I wrote about the nutritional value of milk yesterday is a little bit misleading. We ought to distinguish more clearly between the importance of vitamin D and the importance of calcium. And, of course, both of these are distinct from the nutritional value of milk in terms of energy and protein (which was part of my point yesterday). So

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-91100621271350368652007-05-11T16:49:00.000Z2007-05-12T15:52:00.522Z

Richard sent me a comment but I'm refusing to publish it because it contains a link to a ghastly piece of rubbishy propaganda by a pseudo-scientist. I'm not sure how that site relates to a revolting piece of pseudo-scientific anti-milk propaganda on a flyer from a Vegan Society, that came with a magazine we received recently—about which I had to write and complain to the relevant organisation

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-17551632262167761812007-05-05T16:55:00.000Z2007-05-07T10:36:51.389Z

This is what our doorstep looks like in the morning.In Norwich one day a week my doorstep looks like this.Five minutes after fetching the milk in from the doorstep this is what my glass of milk on the breakfast table looks like. From the cow to my breakfast, maybe 24 hours? Now that's what I call cold fresh milk. (I suppose it would be even better if I could go and fetch it warm from the cow).I

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-88805095250291582222007-05-05T15:03:00.000Z2007-05-05T15:13:00.434Z

ld As tiger mentioned in a comment on my last post on this theme, one very irritating thing is when you arrive back at your bicycle and find that someone has used the bike basket as a litter bin.Here is one particularly unpleasant example, found in my bike basket on my return to Norwich last Tuesday. Usually Norwich station is a rather civilised place.Now what do you suppose the person thought I

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-87738328479583629892007-04-30T12:59:00.000Z2007-04-30T13:15:25.845Z

For the first time since before the Foot and Mouth year, cattle on the common behind our house (not just on Midsummer Common but on our bit)!This is good news not just because they are beautiful, and make nice noises, but because it means the council will not have to mow with a machine (and the nettles and brambles will be better controlled than with one mowing per year which is what we have been

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-51996694425903307392007-04-27T16:17:00.000Z2007-04-27T16:24:31.759Z

Cycle racks positioned in such a way that you can't access the further ones when the nearer ones are filled up.This has the effect that you can't use the further ones, even if you get there first, because you won't be able to get in in order to get out later.Example, new racks by the front lawn at UEA.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-21782523191703006072007-04-27T16:14:00.000Z2007-04-27T16:16:25.538Z

This week I bought kumquats from Israel. They were reduced for quick sale, but still it remains true that they were from Israel.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-57819296553489343682007-04-24T16:01:00.000Z2007-04-28T13:42:15.040Z

Last time we got as far as carrying a small baby in a sling or in a trailer. Next we need a baby seat for the bicycle.The first is a rear fitting seat, suitable for a child from about 6 months. It has a harness and a high back to support the child, so once the baby can sit up by itself it will be fairly comfortable in here.My children used to fall asleep in the seat on the back of the bike

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-53553461216773534342007-04-22T15:00:00.000Z2007-04-22T15:03:28.814Z

Yesterday I discovered that you're supposed to eat your first English asparagus on St George's day. We had ours yesterday, but that probably reflects the reality of global warming, as I overheard the market stall man saying to another customer.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-73324911511211494342007-04-21T14:45:00.000Z2007-04-22T19:54:33.298Z

Here is how I went to Switzerland for a conference last weekend.First I rode my bicycle to Cambridge Station.Then I took a First Capital Connect train from Cambridge to King's Cross.Then I took two underground trains to get from Kings Cross to Waterloo.Then I took the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord.Then I walked from Gare du Nord to Gare de l'Est. Gare de l'Est is currently under reconstruction,

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-4003738595683439352007-04-21T12:09:00.000Z2007-04-23T08:00:57.861Z

Here at last is the best beetroot recipe ever. This dish we learnt to love at the British School in Athens.I have saved it till now because it belongs to the season when bunched beetroot are on the market, fresh with their green tops included. This time has now come, thanks to global warming.There is a tale to the effect that it was to get beetroot with their tops on, for the purpose of this

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-6485971383131544272007-04-07T17:18:00.000Z2007-04-10T09:09:06.355Z

It's been a bad fortnight for throwing things away.I decided to scrap my old washing machine at Norwich, after something broke free and it danced around the kitchen so wildly that, before I could get to it, it had shattered the catch on the door and broken itself open. Fortunately I got there shortly before it had a chance to throw out what remained of its water all over the floor. It was an old

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-67664991606014942442007-03-24T17:41:00.000Z2007-03-24T18:07:00.627Z

Acting on a tip from a friend recently I've just checked on the web about the use of vinegar in place of fabric conditioner. It seems to be a widely recognised truth that you can put distilled white vinegar in the fabric conditioner drawer and it will make your towels, nappies etc soft, and without damaging their absorbency (which is what happens with commercial fabric conditioners).I would try

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-86619179656524483722007-03-23T13:36:00.000Z2007-03-23T16:54:06.398Z

I apologise for the long silence which was due to being ill (the flu) and then being so behind with my work (and so weak after being ill) that I haven't had any time left for time-wasting activities like the Blogs.It seemed appropriate after being ill to make some remarks on illness. This time it's about how to blow your nose in an environmentally friendly way.At Norwich I used to have a box of 3

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-60852027665828133842007-03-10T21:36:00.000Z2007-03-10T22:16:06.995Z

Yesterday after choir Tricia happened to remark on the fact that she'd been on the internet to find out the cost of going to Norwich at half term for a day with young Lizzie, for a shopping spree. On the internet the lowest price quoted was something like £30:00 (Cambridge to Norwich return) and they almost decided against going, or scrapping the train and going by car.But in a fit of

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-76446426335491852432007-03-08T23:13:00.000Z2007-03-08T23:16:56.938Z

Today someone on Radio Norfolk estimated that the cost of running a car (which she'd just decided to give up) was £3,000 a year. This was for an old, nothing special, second hand car in which depreciation is not too dramatic.I rather suspect it must actually be a lot more than that.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-68808416763870781022007-03-03T09:46:00.000Z2007-03-03T09:58:15.145Z

Further to my last post, about what you do with baby when you've left your bike and trailer (or bike with child seat) at a cycle park. Good news for parents in Cambridge is the Park Street Cycle Park pushchair scheme, where you can leave your bike for free and borrow a pushchair instead, to go round town.I have a sort of feeling my children would have refused to get into a strange pushchair. But

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-8739360578298952032007-03-01T11:12:00.000Z2007-03-01T11:20:10.875Z

It means feeling a certain smug satisfaction, nay glee, at the 'misfortune' of the poor motorists who filled up with "go-slow" fuel at various supermarket service stations in the UK this week...

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-76708129219979906032007-02-28T17:54:00.000Z2007-02-28T18:14:00.425Z

Besides a pram, we used to find a baby sling useful.Before the baby can sit up there's no way of carrying it on a bicycle, but you can strap it to your body and ride a bicycle with the baby held firmly to your front. The sling needs to be one that holds the baby's wobbly head in position, and won't drop baby out as you whizz round corners.I think nowadays people sometimes use one of those

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-12412414725061166552007-02-27T14:39:00.000Z2007-05-07T10:46:55.153Z

Results of anti-soya chocolate investigations shows the following ranking.First prize to Traidcraft Organic Swiss Made Chocolate. The Cappuccino variety is heavenly, despite containing some vegetable oils. Other varieties sampled so far are also delicious: the milk chocolate version has nothing but wholesome ingredients.These chocolate bars contain no emulsifier at all.Runners up:Plamil Organics

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-16948850287020844572007-02-26T21:57:00.000Z2007-02-28T18:20:12.635Z

I've been doing some experiments with my electricity consumption in Norwich. For two weeks (one cold and one mild) I kept the heater in the living room on all the time instead of on a time switch. I used 266 units of electricity in the cold week and 198 in the mild week. Last week, which was mild, I had it on the time switch. I used 119 units.This suggests that it is more economical to have it on

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-44062617538883348542007-02-26T13:42:00.000Z2007-02-26T14:35:50.731Z

Speed HumpsExample: the new work on the Avenues in Norwich.Where there used to be a bicycle lane there is now no bicycle lane, but rather a series of terrible humps and a 20 mph speed limit, which is a volatile combination that causes the motor traffic to be a serious nuisance to bicycles, and bikes to be a serious hazard to motors.Here, for instance, in the space of three minutes are some of the

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-12727742077671018172007-02-24T12:55:00.000Z2007-02-24T13:10:19.827Z

Good news that Tescos are moving goods by train (so I discovered from a leaflet they sent round recently). It's a bit hard to discover any details on their web site, other than a press release from May last year. There's also a report in the Guardian from the same time which claims that Asda do so too and have been doing so for longer. It also looks as though Tesco were talking only about

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-85924374481049815642007-02-24T12:30:00.000Z2007-02-24T13:09:17.832Z

I tried to go to the Urban Farm Shop to buy cooking apples today and found that it has shut down. Alas.Reflections on why it was not a success: one would be its opening hours. It opened too late in the morning. For instance, on a Saturday morning, you couldn't go there first, to buy whatever was obtainable there, and then finish your shopping at the market or the supermarket. But it didn't make

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-63610097530526111372007-02-22T09:43:00.000Z2007-03-10T22:42:48.574Z

Parking £3.20 all day.This is what it says on a large sign facing the railway just outside Norwich station.It's obviously addressed to people travelling on the train. I assumed initially that this must be to allow commuters who catch the train from Norwich to see that they could park their car near the station for the day and then take the train (to London, say). It now occurs to me that it might

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-64114593885728838792007-02-17T14:31:00.000Z2007-02-17T15:15:49.214Z

I'm not 100% sure this is the recipe we usually use (and the professor, who might know for sure, is out as usual). But it's from a book that is 100% reliable and it's not too complicated. It also seems to me to be familiar, unlike others I found in the many useless, fussy and complicated books that clutter up the kitchen shelf.This recipe is from Clare Walker and Gill Coleman, The Home

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-73415181969528051152007-02-17T11:29:00.000Z2007-02-17T12:20:28.254Z

Putting in a cycle lane but making no provision to discourage motorists from parking in it, even at times of day when children need to ride to school. (Example, Gilbert Road in Cambridge, shown in this picture).Road signs that assume that the only road users are motorists. This includes signs that say that a road is a dead end, when in fact it is a through route for cyclists, or indeed a

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-30000416016742498032007-02-16T18:38:00.000Z2007-02-16T19:39:34.264Z

What I bought in Tescos today and where I should have bought them...Organic cider in a box (like a wine box, only cider). Not sure where you could get this: perhaps a proper wine shop.Bananas, reduced for quick sale. These should have been Fairtrade but weren't. I could have got them from the market, not necessarily at reduced price. But if I hadn't bought them, probably Tescos would end up

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-43331236362100518222007-02-16T17:34:00.000Z2007-02-16T18:32:26.918Z

Besides the pram and the toddler seat, by the time the baby is about five months old you need a back rest for the pram (couldn't find a picture of one of these) and a baby harness.The back rest for the pram is a kind of board with three pieces, which fold round and clip together to make a triangle. This goes in behind the baby when the baby is sitting up (but when the baby needs to sleep you take

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-58523324873741491192007-02-16T16:56:00.000Z2007-02-16T17:07:59.657Z

Foolishly I went to Tescos this afternoon (Shock Horror!!).Lots of families had evidently decided that since it was the last day of half term, and quite a nice day, one should have an outing with the children. Tescos on the Newmarket Road was a popular destination.The crowds were unbelievable. The children were dawdling round the aisles and peering into freezer boxes. Most of the adult world

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-90086877236788897572007-02-14T13:39:00.000Z2007-02-14T13:40:42.030Z

It means having to turn your waterproof trousers inside out to dry when you get to work.

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-66858034161099330342007-02-13T19:44:00.000Z2007-02-14T15:30:27.498Z

First, a pram.It should have large wheels, so as to be comfortable to push for long distances and not bumpy on rough pavements or difficult at kerbs. It should have decent springs. It should have a sizable basket below for carrying large quantities of shopping and other clobber.A pram like this will also take a child seat for the toddler, so that two children can be transported, and all that

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-53897950992220043062007-02-12T17:21:00.000Z2007-02-12T17:21:09.941Z

Another thing that was mentioned on Radio Norfolk was the wonderful smell that a baby has— natural baby smell, so to speak.Do you suppose we are naturally wired up to respond well to the smell of a baby? Or is it imprinting from our early years? Or is that the same thing?And does nature give baby a special smell so that that happens? And if so, doesn't that also fit with the more general idea

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9170081273861935078.post-76030040181141090052007-02-10T20:10:00.000Z2007-02-14T13:47:19.353Z

Sometime last week the breakfast show on Radio Norfolk indulged in a bit of reflection on what are the nicest smells and the ones that make you say "ah" when someone reminds you. Listeners were invited to phone in. A number of "ah" smells were mentioned, including (some I remember) the smell of lighting a match, the smell of rain on hot tarmac, the smell of newly mown grass, and the smell of pigs

Catherine Rowetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15356313351798903675noreply@blogger.com4