Wednesday 29 December 2021

The Skies of 2021

 



The sky is probably one of my all-time favourite things to photograph. It is rarely the same two days in a row (of course minus these white skied, dark days we're in right now) and is completely magical in the colours and patterns it can produce. 
Below are the many photos I've collected of the sky over 2021 during my daily photo project.
Included are rainbows and full moons, crazy sunsets and sunrises, an eclipse and plenty of birds. I hope you enjoy them. 

Check out The Skies of 2020 here!


January






February





March





April



May


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July



August





September







October




November





December






Until next time...

Wednesday 22 December 2021

10 Ways to Save the Planet that Cost You Nothing

 



As the new year approaches please take a second to consider our planet and the dire mess we have made it. Earth is ill and we all need to act now and do our part to help slow the process of climate change. While wildfires rage and storms tear apart our homes, some countries have homes underwater due to floods and others live in periods of widespread drought. Multiple species of animals are becoming extinct each week, sea levels are rising and the world we know is disappearing.

Some do more than others but there is something everyone can do to reduce their carbon footprint and help to save our planet, even at no cost to you. To be fair, many of the items on this list will save you money...


Conserve Water by Not Flushing!
I think on this subject you are either a hard for or against, but hear me out. You know what is coming, 'if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down'. Seriously. A toilet uses about 6 litres of water per flush, so consider how many times you pop to the loo every day and night, then consider the number of people in your home. That is a heck load of water just going down the drain. 
It will do you no harm to leave it a couple of visits before flushing!

On the subject of water conservation, there are plenty of simple things you can do to stop wasting water: 
- Turn the tap off when you're brushing your teeth.
- Fill up a tub with water to rinse your dishes in after washing them instead of having the tap run.
- Have cooler, shorter showers.
- Install a water butt outside to collect rainwater for use during gardening.


Use a Water Filter
Rather than buy countless plastic bottles of water, make your tap water healthier to drink by using a water filter. There are many options that do not require disposable plastic filters but even a normal Brita filter causes a lot less waste than water bottles. 

Stop Standby
Turn off all switches that are not in use at the wall! From TV sets, games consoles and printers to phone chargers, baby monitors and lights all still have electricity running through them even when not in use if you do not switch off at the wall or unplug them. It not only costs you extra money but wastes energy unnecessarily. 

Wrap Up!
Instead of having the heating on full blast, non-stop throughout the winter and sitting in a t-shirt, just pop on a hoodie or jumper and cosy up under a blanket while sitting on the sofa so as not to contribute to excess fossil fuel use. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to have solar power!

Eco Mode
Eco mode is available on a variety of devices now, though in particular, I am talking about your washing machine. Either hit that eco button or use a cooler temperature and in turn cut your CO2 emissions. 

Air It Out
While we are talking laundry, ditch the dryer! For the majority of the year, most of the country should be able to take advantage of the wonderful wind and let your washing blow in the breeze to dry. We don't own a tumble drier at all, so obviously in winter when we are unable to use our washing line or on particularly rainy days mid-year we have clothes airers that can be set up inside. Also in winter, drape things on heaters to get a two for one deal when the heating is on - warming the house and drying the clothes!

Recycle!
Surely this is the most obvious, simple, easy thing on this list. Almost all homes in the UK have a recycling bin so it should be something most people could partake in. Sadly, not all recyclable materials can go in the general council recycling bin. However, you can visit the https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB website to find drop off locations for a whole host of other recyclables including but not limited to; crisp packets, bread bags, medicine packets and contact lenses. 
Additionally, make use of clothing, glass, battery and more, recycling receptacles at supermarkets and check your council website for information regarding recycling villages where larger waste can be taken. 

Donate
So many household items end up in the bin when they could be donated and reused or sold by someone else. Old towels and blankets that are clean and still functional can be used by animals shelters, toys, games and books could be given to hospitals and care homes, clothes and furniture would be accepted by charities helping people starting out in a new home, perhaps getting off the street or escaping a bad family situation. 
Always give a quick google to see where your unwanted things could find a better home or donate to charity shops that can raise funds for their respective charities through those donations. 

Make Do and Mend
Sew up that hole, repaint that cabinet and get creative. Turn old things into new things giving them new life and stopping them from ending up in landfills. Learning skills like sewing, crocheting, knitting, woodworking and other DIY skills are great to have and put to use to fix broken items or bring them up to date or your taste!

End Food Waste
Only buy what you need. Check your fridge and cupboard often and cook meals to use up things going off. Freeze things that can be frozen and won't be used in time. Start home composting cut-offs and waste. 



Until next time....

Wednesday 15 December 2021

Running 828 Miles From My Living Room

 

As other people contemplate and dread another 'lockdown' here in the UK due to the pandemic, I am still in my original lockdown from February 2020. Of course, there are the odd things I miss like walks and museums but overall I have been perfectly happy to stay safely at home.
During that time, however, I have been anything but bored and filled my time with my usual household tasks, taking care of our 10 animals, blog and photo work, reading, completing a couple of online courses and oh running 828 miles around the Ring Road of Iceland all from my living room!

Starting on the 21st of February 2021, over 282 days I completed 200 runs totalling 828 miles and crossed the finish line on November 30th 2021. 
During that time I also took part in multiple other smaller runs in aid of different animal-related charities which then made this medal my 7th of the year! As of writing this I have also completed one more 25k and hope that the 8th medal will arrive before the end of the year. 

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I did this particular run through The Conqueror Virtual Challenges which I also used back in January to complete the Hadrian's Wall 90 mile hike - which you can read more about here ' My 90 Mile Hike at Home ' and here ' Fundraising During A Pandemic. '
The reason I chose to do another challenge with this company is that I love the fact I can follow my route on the map and even see where I am by falling into street view, as well as get postcards throughout my journey and best of all contribute to planting trees when I hit each 20% milestone!







So why do I do these challenges? It gives me motivation and something to do, it helps me to have a reason to work out and keep fit which in turn has helped my chronic pain and best of all provides an opportunity to raise money. 
In January/February during my 90-mile hike I managed to raise £250 that I donated to a wonderful animal shelter I support in Serbia, Vukjac Shelter. At Vukjac they have to work against many adverse conditions to provide care to over 1000 animals, primarily dogs, and the remarkable man who runs the shelter never turns a dog away. 
On top of everything, this year has also been incredibly difficult for the shelter as a local right-wing political group, Leviathan Movement, posing as an animal rights group threatened the shelter when they had apparently 'investigated' them and they circulated a fake video and rumours accusing Dejan of animal cruelty. In turn, Dejan was jailed, the shelter was ceased during which time the dogs did not receive their required care and Vukjac Shelter's donation channels were taken over. 
Thankfully, Dejan was released and the shelter returned to the caring hands of those who have always looked after them but the drops in fundraising have been detrimental. 

Because of all that I set up another fundraising page in the hopes to provide some small amount of support. I don't know many people, haven't really any friends and don't like to push too much so this fundraising attempt has failed miserably! I plan to leave the page up for another month or so and once it ends I will add my personal donation and then send it over to the shelter.
If you would like to contribute to a great cause, you can find my Just Giving page here:
828 Miles for Vukjac Shelter

To learn more about the shelter please read this post My 90 Mile Hike at Home and this one too Fundraising During A Pandemic

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I wanted to share the rest of my medals too so below are:
Hadrian's Wall 90miles
Predator Series Hawk 20k (Half Marathon)
Blue Cross Rescue Run 26.2 miles (Marathon)
Virginia McKenna's 90th birthday Born Free 5k
Predator Series Black Dog 20k
Animals in War 11k 

Until next time...