Spring at last

Yes, it’s the vernal equinox today, it begins at 11:02 in the UK. The picture is of Dartmouth golf course at the top of Sandwell Valley. Half of Sandwell Valley is golf courses for private members. That is a huge amount of land for the exclusive use of the privileged few. It’s good for mental health to get out there and experience nature. It is something we need to preserve and value.

Tomorrow is the budget when I have no doubt the privileged few will do well and the poorest members of society will become even poorer. We could all become poachers if there was more wildlife in Sandwell Valley and less privileged spaces. I have seen  geese but I’ve yet to see rabbits or hares. I wonder if there are fish in Forge Mill lake? Sandwell Valley farm could grow vegetables for the poor rather than messing around with vehicle shows. They could have pick your own fruit days in the summer.

I read lots of ideas from the economists this morning about how the economy could be fixed. They all want growth. I would like to see sustainability. We can’t sustain a nation that travels as much as we do, that has as many children as we do, that wastes as much as we do and has as much privilege as we do.  The rich have to accept a better life, a nation with less poverty, with less crime, with less pollution and a better environment. They will have to pay the price of having a better life, it means using fewer resources and wasting less. It means less travel, fewer holidays and less racing around the country to sporting events. It means using technology to communicate more, rather than face to face meetings. It means employing local people rather than advertising for ‘the best’ in Europe or the cheapest in the world. It means less ‘outsourcing’ and more localisation. It means less centralisation and more computerisation.

Most people want to be fashionable. Many of the people with more money than sense look at the photo-shopped pictures in the glossy magazines and copy the anorexic looks of the super-models. Then there are the fashionable young people who make heads turn by embracing Avant garde styles that appear to come from nowhere. If you want to see these Avant garde styles, wander around your local university campus. I remember when I was in college I was always impressed by the students of the college of fashion and design; they were the trend setters. Newly qualified students also have good ideas and so I’m going to plug one idea. It’s not really a new idea, it’s only printed tee shirts, but these are for the Avant garde gamers who really want to stand out and look cool. Check out the Gametee website to find out more. I noticed that models on that website are wearing scarfs, they are still very much part of street fashion. It’s still a bit cold for tee shirts, so I’ll wear my knitted hoody and a scarf with my new trilby hat and look very Avant garde. I know, I’m getting too old for such nonsense, but I don’t care…

The news this week is of a new Royal charter to control the press, but it could affect my blog too. I do make comments on the news and I do use guest bloggers. The need, was to control global news corporations, not blogs  or even parish magazines. This deal was hammered out in Ed Miliband’s apartment, apparently. He’s the guy who thinks he could organise something in a brewery. We are not convinced, which is why we have public schoolboys  running the country.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the Thursday thrifty blog. Let me know if you’ve spotted a bargain. Please use the comments box to share your thoughts…

Related articles

• How scientists decide when spring has sprung (science.nbcnews.com)
• The Vernal Equinox (sharnenterprisesinc.wordpress.com)
• Spring Equinox Arrives Tomorrow, But Where Is The Warm Weather? (wjla.com)
• Avant-Garde Tribalism Editorials – The Fatal Impact Metal Fashion Story Embraces Edgy Accessories (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
• Nearing the vernal equinox (susanwennerstrom.com)

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