Posterity

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Posterity

I've always wondered what I'd be able to leave behind me for posterity.

As a child, I'd fantasies that I'd somehow save the whole world.  At about age 7 or so I found a little clay 'talisman' at a flea market which I believed was magic and it was going to power my world-saving endeavour in some mystical way.  I still have it, to this day.

As a teen I fantasised that I was going to become a world famous author and live a life of luxury off the proceeds of my series of best-selling fantasy novels.  Actually, I was convinced of it.

I loved to lose myself in the fantasy fiction of the likes of CS Lewis and Tolkien, then later also Stephen Donaldson, Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E Feist and Guy Gavreil Kay.

When I tried my hand at writing fiction back then, I did seem to have a knack for it; at least I believe I did.  I even wrote probably as much as 3 or so chapters on more than one occasion in my later teens/early twenties.  Sadly, they were all written using the old computers of various ex-boyfriends and have therefore long since been lost in the break ups.

Even sadder still, I don't think I have the knack any longer.  The last fiction I wrote was 3 chapters of a fan fiction, which I was admittedly very pleased with, in style. But I've not been able to come up with more ideas to carry on with it even if I could find the time, energy and impulse.  And, no offense to other fanfic writers, I'm not of the opinion that this genre (if that's the correct word) is a serious one, personally.  I'm aware the Fifty Shades series probably made the author a good amount of money, but I feel that was very much a fluke.

I've also entertained visions of publishing a best-selling coffee table book of photography.  But realistically I'd need to win the lotto first in order to fund the equipment and retraining, and to have enough time to be a photographer!

❔ So, with those 'prospects' behind me, what route is left for me to leave behind any sort of legacy to posterity?

Well, this blog is a little bit of posterity I hope, as I keep hearing that when you put something out on the interwebs it's out there forever.  In fact I'm feeling rather like my last post, on Nature and my role in reversing climate change, along with the associated list of suggested actions, is likely bit of a magnum opus.  I'm rather pleased with it -- please go check it out, if you haven't already!

I was feeling flush at the end of last month (having received some rare overtime pay from hours worked during the rollout of phase 1 of Covid-19 vaccination programs, locally).  So, I thought of naming a star, in case all else fails (and one for my husband).

However, just a little research revealed (as I should've known) that naming a star companies are just gimmicky novelty gifts services, with no real meaning (as the International Astronomical Union doesn't recognise those star names).

🌹 I heard you can name a rose, but I surmise that this might well be the same as naming a star.

I heard about this scheme where you can volunteer to 'adopt' a grave (in London) and see to it's upkeep.  But how to ensure someone 'adopts' yours after you and your relatives are gone, if you're not wealthy enough to leave a financial legacy to see that it happens?  Their website also features a build a legacy section, but the site seems very infrequently updated so I fear it could be one which is set to peter out, ultimately.

❔ So, what can I do?  Divorce my husband, marry a very rich older man and use his money to finance my new career as a fiction writer/famous photographer?!  (I've promised I'll keep my hubby on as a bit on the side!)

As someone with a belief in reincarnation, perhaps I shouldn't worry about this -- but my belief in reincarnation is rather specific, having to do with the fact that everything's made up of energy.  So it doesn't necessarily provide quite the level of comfort I'm looking for, here.  (I may post about it, for R, if I can articulate the concepts sufficiently well (but don't hold your breath).)

As a nature lover (and someone concerned about climate change), I should definitely plant some trees, &/or dedicate some woodland/a grove to someone.  (In fact, since writing this paragraph I paid for one, in Sylvan Wood in Yorkshire -- see below.)  But what else?

Please, if you've any suggestions for me, let me know in the comments.  (But you should know I'm a pacifist, so absolutely no suggestions of assassinations of political figures, or the like -- tempting to fling milkshake at one, however.  I'll refrain, though, as that's still assault and I'm basically law-abiding.  And besides, it's wasteful.)

I don't want to spout an overused acronym which rhymes (sort of) with yoyo.  But, after Covid-19 and locked-down 2020-21, I figure you don't always know how short life could potentially be.

Photo credits (all images from Unsplash other than yoyo, which was www.freepik.com, by brgfx):

Plaque by Michael Jovic; pendant by Monica Saavedra; typewriter by RetroSupply; books by Laura Kapfer; ? trees by Evan Dennis; camera by Tiard Schulz; laptop by Anete Lūsiņa; starry sky by Phil Botha; emoji by Markus Winkler; scenic cemetery by Madeleine Maguire; recycle symbol by Sigmund; sapling by Austin D; milkshake by Sandie Clarke; yoyo by brgfx; scrabble tiles by Brett Jorgan; benches by Yukitaka Iha, Yan L and Seema Bansal respectively.

Tree dedication certificate: from Make It Wild.

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Unseen, but not forgotten

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Unseen, but not forgotten - on the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

I wanted to pay tribute in some small way with a post in honour of the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett.  The title is not a very good pun, or play on words (certainly not rivalling any of Sir Terry's own word-smithing).  But I'm obliquely referring to Sir Pratchett's Discworld.  With its twin cities of Ankh and Morpork, its magical Ramtop mountains and most specifically its Unseen University.  (Get it, now?)

I discovered the Discworld series of books either late in my 1st or early in my 2nd year of university, I believe.  And I've been a firm, never wavering fan ever since.

The series has been like a companion, a friend made at uni with whom I occasionally lose touch for a bit; but who I'll never allow too much time to pass, before seeking them out again.

I fondly recall long, lazy spring / summer days spent sprawling on the grass in the sunny park with a paperback.  I'd be buried in and utterly absorbed by my latest book of the series.  (Often while I should've been doing something else, like studying or coursework!)

As author Patrick Ness says in this Guardian item (good item actually, well worth a quick read):

"My comfort read

Discworld by Terry Pratchett. I am always at some point through the cycle ... They’re not only gloriously funny, they’re humane in a way that makes you actually feel seen and forgiven, with all your faults. He was a one-off, Sir Terry."

(https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/14/patrick-ness-terry-pratchett-makes-you-feel-seen-and-forgiven)

I, too, am almost always at some point through the Discworld series.  Sometimes I too put down the last one when finished and then pick up the first again.  Other times, I mix things up by reading them in 'sets' (of my own defining).  For example, I might read all the Ramtop witches ones together, or all the Unseen University wizards, or all the Ankh Morpork city watch.  Or, all the Death stories.

And then there are just a few which represent a dilemma, such as Equal Rites.  Does it come under the heading of the witches, or the wizards?

📖 I'm unable to narrow down my favourite book to just one, so I've 2.  Reaper Man and Night Watch.

The former is classic Discworld and also
really evokes, for me, my favourite season of the year, the autumn.  I've taken to reading it every autumn (along with  Hogfather every December).  Reaper Man focuses on a protagonist who is my favourite Discworld character: Death (as you might guess from the title).

The Death of the Discworld is not quite the dark spectre you might imagine, especially in this story.  He is in many ways more humane than many humans.  And a cat-lover, so it's little wonder he's my favourite character.

The latter story, Night Watch, is in many ways more frightening by far, believe it or not, than a book with Death as the main character.  😱

Night Watch has more maturity than much of the earlier Discworld stuff (without wishing to disparage the earlier books in any way).  It heavily features political machinations & intrigue, and touches on issues of abuses of power & authority.  And of what it takes to have the courage & integrity to stand up in the face of a corrupted system. But it still has the signature Terry Pratchett humour and page-turner readability.

Other favourite characters of mine besides Death are:  Archchancellor of Unseen University Mustrum Ridcully; the UU librarian who is (latterly) an orang-utan; history monk Lu Tze; The Luggage; and finally two of the younger Ramtop witches Magrat and Agnes/Perdita (yes, this is where the inspiration for my handle of PerditaPickle comes from).

If you're new to the Discworld series, I personally recommend starting from the beginning with The Colour of Magic.  Or you could get away with starting with the 2nd book, The Light Fantastic.  A lot of folks don't feel it's necessary to start there, and it's not.  But I feel that you get a good grounding in the Discworld from these first two novels in the series.

These first two are largely straight up parodies (or parody-homages, you might say) of the fantasy fiction genre.  But there's something really Lovecraftian about the magical situation of the Disc with its ever present Dungeon Dimensions.  And these two first stories really illustrate this.  So for me, this is the place to start.

If, however, you try The Colour of Magic or The Light Fantastic and don't feel you're getting on with them, please don't give up on Discworld.  These two books, while fun and good background for the Disc, they're admittedly somewhat less 'meaty' than the later novels.  Therefore, if that's your experience, then instead go straight to any of the following:

• Equal Rites (as mentioned, this is both a witches story and also a wizards one)
  
• Mort (a story with Death in)
  
• Sourcery (a wizards book)
• Wyrd Sisters (a witches tale, in which cultural references, liberally utilised by Pratchett, really start to become key features)
• Guards! Guards! (a city watch romp, with a dragon in it)

I feel sure any fantasy fiction fan should get something out of any -or all- of the above.  🐉

From there you can go almost anywhere in the series you like.  For me, however, I would recommend reading them in order.  Again, you don't have to.  You can get away with reading most of them as stand-alone stories.  But by reading them in chronological order, not only do you get introduced to all the main characters as they appear, but you can really get a sense of the development of the Discworld series.  And of the development of the Disc itself, with its march toward a version of an industrial revolution.

If, however, you find you don't really resonate with one of the stories then, again, don't give up.  But just pass over that one this time around.  Pick up the next, instead; you may very likely find that the next set of characters does provide a tickle to your funny bone.

If Pyramids doesn't speak to you, try Faust Eric;  if Eric doesn't then try Moving Pictures or Small Gods.  If those stories still don't draw you in, try any of the next 14 books.  Still not converted to a Discworld fan?  Before giving up, try The Truth, Night Watch or Monstrous Regiment.  Or, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky or Wintersmith (you do really need to read Wintersmith before I Shall Wear Midnight).

The Truth, Night Watch and and Monstrous Regiment have a smidge more maturity, as mentioned in relation to Night Watch earlier.  The latter three as well, (four if you include I Shall Wear Midnight) featuring a character called Tiffany Aching.  They're set on the Disc, but have something of a different tone (though retaining much humour, largely provided by the comical Nac Mac Feegle clan).  By I Shall Wear Midnight there are some elements which are borderline dark.  No, make that straight-up dark in places.

Alternatively, if you're familiar with the series already &/or don't fancy my suggested reading order above, do an internet search for 'Discworld reading order' and you'll get a selection of hits with differing suggestions.  💻

🔢 You may wonder how the likes of myself and Patrick Ness can re-read something this many times without tiring of it (besides trying out different reading orders periodically).

Well, not only is the writing style so compelling, with frequent nuggets of just supremely artful word-crafting.  Not only that, but almost every time you re-read one you notice something else.  It may be the way something is expressed, that catches your imagination this time around when it didn't the last.

Or it may be one of the many, many cultural references with which you weren't previously familiar.  There's a feeling of 'jackpot' when you ultimately spot one which you'd never noticed before.  Like when I finally figured out what the Ankh Morpork city watch motto in Guards! Guards! actually reads (not what Sargeant Colon claims it reads).

I must actually confess, at the time of writing I've yet to read the last book in the series, The Shepherd's Crown.  I do this often with TV series I really enjoy.  I get to within one or sometimes two episodes of the last, and I end up taking a massive long hiatus, sometimes of years.  (Then I need to re-watch the whole thing before I can see how it ends.)

I think this quirk is a neurotic thing.  There's a chance I may never read The Shepherd's Crown (or, not for a long time).  I feel sure I'll enjoy it as much as all the rest.  But take account of my enormous fondness for Discworld, the huge place it's had in my life, Sir Pratchett's untimely passing and my neurosis.  Because of this combination of factors, I'm not sure whether I can bring myself to finish.  In fact, my eyes are actually filling with tears as I write this.  (I'm just an ol' soppy really!)

Anyway, I hope I've tempted a few
people to experience the Discworld for themselves, or to revisit it if it's been a while.  It's wonderful escapism.  And believe it or not, it's not just for fantasy fiction fans; I'm certain you can get something out of it if you're a literary type, too.  Oh, and if you're pagan.  Try any of the following in particular, and I think you might see what I mean:

• Wyrd Sisters
• Witches Abroad
• Lords and Ladies
  And even Masquerade, for a bit of pop-culture, too.
  

Image credits (all photos from Unsplash):

Turtle by Kris Mikael Krister;  eagle image, from www.terrypratchettbooks.com (artwork, I believe, possibly, by Paul Kidby);  university building by Bharath Reddy;  cosy blanket by Jon Tyson;  park by Jan Canty;  book image, also from www.terrypratchettbooks.com;  (witch hat was a gift from my spouse);  raven/crow by Valentin Petkov;  cat by Alexander Possingham;  lantern by Marko Blažević;  orang utan by Erik-Jan Leusink;  domed building by Muzammil Soorma;  chest by Daniel Tuttle;  library by j zamora;  elephants x 4 by Geran de Klerk (quadrupled by me using Paint);  books by Jaredd Craig;  pyramids by Leonardo Ramos;  dark place by Jez Timms;  sunset tower by Daniel Olah;  Globe Theatre by Hulki Okan Tabbak (sepia tone added by me);  crown by Pro Church Media;  tower by Nathan Dumlao;  and faded London by Benjamin Davies (faded by me using Photos on Windows, please see here for original).

Bonus tree photos:  Jan Canty;  and Muzammil Soorma.

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Intermission

 

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air-head.

Intermission

Possible forthcoming topics (though I make no promises)

Q	Questing for fantasy
R	Reincarnation -- my theory
S	Searching for a cure-all  [was going to be titled Snake Oil, but thought better of it]
T	Travel
U	'Unseen, but not forgotten'  -  this is actually being uploaded  out of sequence, on 25 May 2021.

A note about 'subscribing' to or following this blog:-

Blogger have taken away/are taking away the feature to follow a blog via email.  Therefore, if you'd like to follow this blog there are a couple of ways I can suggest:

1) The 'Reading list'

If you've a Google account (or more specifically a Blogger account), you can add this blog to your 'Reading list' and check back periodically for updates (you don't have to have a blog to have a reading list).  It's my aim to post roughly fortnightly the majority of the time, but there may be times when it is more or less frequent.

2) Via the comments

If you're content to share an email address with me in the comments, please do so and I'll compile a list of people who'd like to be notified when I upload.  Unfortunately, the comment may initially be publicly visible, I'm not yet certain (I have it set up so that I need to approve comments, but yet to see it in action).  So you may need to be prepared that your email address might be seen by others if you choose to provide your email address this way.

I'll do my utmost to keep the ultimate list secured and will not share your email address with anyone else (nor sell it, never ever!).  But I cannot guarantee that someone else who's potentially spotted it in the comments won't do so.  If you'd like me to delete your comment once I've seen it and noted down your email address, please say so in your comment (but please note it could be a period of weeks in between you posting it and me doing so).

Finally...

I'm still currently trying to generate extra publicity for this GoFundMe campaign; please visit the site, read about & share it (and consider donating) -- thank you, very much, on behalf of the fundraiser.

And I'm now also trying to promote this Social Fund campaign.  Again, please visit the site, read and consider donating if you can.  Thank you, again, on behalf of this fundraiser.

Photo credits: Markus Spiske on Unsplash (notebook); Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash (pencil); Google/Blogger (screenshot); Markus Winkler (list); Steve Johnson (cash).

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European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.

Nature, and my role in reversing climate change

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Nature and my role in reversing
climate change

I've described myself as a nature-worshipper from quite an early age, though I can't pinpoint exactly when.  It's just always been within me, somehow.

I grew up in an idyllic little town, living right on the edge of some fairly extensive meadows and a little network of streams and rivers.  So us kids spent large portions of our lives, especially our summers, in the fresh air engaged in wholesome outdoor pursuits (mostly wholesome, anyways).

My special place was some woodland to the north of town where I used to take our doggo on long walks.  And I once spent the day sunbathing stretched out comfortably on the trunk of a fallen tree in a meadow, while the dog had a wonderful time in the long grasses.  (I cried, later, when I found they'd sawn the tree up into bits to remove it.)

Absolutely golden memories, which I'm lucky to have and which I treasure.

I composed a (sort of) haiqua about that fallen tree:-

Peaceful tree

In meadow sunshine

Though many years felled

Soothes the spirit still

As I got older and went off to university I still loved to spend time in the outdoors.  I recall each spring sitting in the sun watching the squirrels chasing one another round and round tree trunks in their courtship dance (usually while I was supposed to be doing something else).  When the trees bloomed each year I loved to shove some stems of cherry blossom in my hair!  (Yes, I'm that type of person -- and I've also been known to hug trees!)  I once spent a fine summer's day lodged in the forked branches of a tree reading a book of second hand poetry I'd picked up that morning, snoozing, sipping pop and snacking on a loaf of fresh, crusty bread from the bakery!

Again, golden memories.

After graduation, I spent years trying to gain employment somewhere like The Wildlife Trust, but unfortunately that didn't work out.

(I'll always be glad of the years I did spend working for Oxfam, though -- some may have their criticisms of that organisation, but I learned a lot).

I didn't only use those natural spaces for my own needs; I recognised a need to give back to nature from a pretty young age as well.

I recall drawing "save the whales" and "save the ozone layer"/"combat the greenhouse effect" & similar all over all my notebooks and numerous items of apparel (this was before the internet and hashtags were a thing), along with the CND symbol in school.  ☮️  I insisted that my whole family cease to purchase CFC propelled aerosols.  I've had a variety of boycotts -some of which are still going to this day- against a number of companies, since my early teens.

Later in my teens I held letter writing campaigns to companies, such as the 'big 5' energy companies (nowadays there are many more than those 5 or so -- happily, some of them are at least somewhat  committed to providing green energy).  I wrote to my local newspaper, too.  My mum still talks about the time I went off to take the dog for a walk and returned hours later with bags full of litter I'd picked up while out there in the woods, and the subsequent letter I wrote to the local paper.

My mum and I campaigned for years, protesting planning permission for housing estates on some of local the green belt.  We held the developers off for a long time (not just us, of course, there were other local people too -- "the people united can never be divided!")  Those developers have since gone ahead and obtained some land from at least one local farmer and now, with the addition of numerous additional housing estates, the town is growing and growing, for better or worse.  As are most other towns and cities, at least in my part of the country.

If I'd known of a local Greenpeace group when I was growing up, I'd have joined it (or at least hung around them all; but, as I say, it was before the days of the internet).  In uni I branched out a bit into the realms of social justice causes, too.

I'm ashamed to say I've only recently learned that the two causes are interconnected, because the negative effects of climate change always impact the poorest and most disadvantaged communities, first and foremost.

If you're reading my blog then there's a good chance that you're someone who's concerned, maybe even alarmed (like me, and Greta), about climate change.  So I don't propose to go on about all the reasons climate change is a threat and why it needs to be reversed (as much and as fast as possible).  There are plenty of websites you can visit to find out that info, if you're not already familiar with it.

But I'd like to provide (as a linked Google doc, below) a list of some of the things we can do as individuals, which can help.  We may not all be able to go on protest marches every weekend, or have wealth we can invest in ethical & green stocks, or be the CEO of some huge corporation/a head of state with the power to implement policies which can positively impact the climate.  Obviously.  These things all need to happen, for sure; but what if (like me) you're not in a position where you've any real influence over those things...?

Well, then the things in the list are at least actions you can take, from your armchair (like me!)  Share the Google doc (and other relevant articles) with friends, family and colleagues -- try to do (or encourage others to) a little something every day or so, or just each week or so (whatever you can manage) and it all mounts up, for the better.

Some of my favourites are the Ecosia search engine and The Rainforest Site, along with the Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace sites.

Please see the Google doc, below, for the full list.

💭 Please also share your ideas in the comments here, to add to the list, too.  The more the merrier, and the bigger the better! 💭

🠊 Our roles in reversing climate change 🠈

Photo credits (all photos from Unsplash):  forest by Kunal Shinde;  town in valley by Luca Pozzoli;  fallen tree by Thomas Allsop;  cherry blossom by Yustinus Subiakto;  (Wildlife Trust, Oxfam and Save the Whales logos);  wind turbines by Thomas Reaubourg;  meadow by Dave Lowe;  'community' graffiti by Mike Erskine;  climate change placard by Markus Spiske (logo is Extinction Rebellion's);  'planet burns' placard by Ethan Wilkinson (again, logo is XR's);  armchair by Hjalte Gregersen; grass by Markus Spiske.

All logos shown are the intellectual property of the organisations in question, and I recognise the -no doubt- trademarked status of all of these -- they are shown here under fair usage, and in the interests of promoting the organisations in question.  If you are the owner of one of the IP logos shown in this post or the associated Google doc and you wish it to be removed, please get in contact with me via the comments section and I'll take care of it as soon as I see your comment (but please note it could take some weeks).  Thank you.

Cookies/data
European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.