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Dumfries and Galloway
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Author Archives: Stephen Shellard
Inauguration Blues …
I was not paying a great deal of attention as President Donald J Trump went through the ceremony of his inauguration. Clearly, it was a great day for Trump’s admirers and the 1,500 felons he pardoned for their complicity in … Continue reading
Posted in Comment
Tagged "Donald Trump", democracy, Donald Trump, George Wallace, joe-biden, news, Politics, Sam Cooke, Social Change, Tech Oligarchs, Trump
1 Comment
A New Year’s Wish for the Blogisphere
And a Sauerkraut Starter For most of us who blog, I suspect, it is a relatively thankless pursuit. WordPress “Stats and Insights” makes it depressingly clear to me that only a small band of people subscribe to my blog and … Continue reading
The Monarchy is Dead …
But We’re Not Quite Sure What to Do About it So far as I am aware the only significant political party which openly opposes the monarchy in current UK politics is Alba and their ambitions are stated in orderly and … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Other Constitutional discussion
Tagged electoral college, history, monarchy, news, Politics, republicanism, royal family
2 Comments
Bogland
Tradition, Memory, and the Future of Peatlands Once upon a time, the burghers of Dumfries would dig and burn peat to keep them warm in the cold of winter. The town had an array of bogs or mosses from which … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Dumfries and Galloway, Environmental
Tagged biodiversity, conservation, environment, peat, peatlands, trees
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Far between sundown’s finish and midnight’s broken toll
I saw a post on Facebook recently, an excoriation of racism. Maybe I thought it a little self-righteous in its sentiment, but I couldn’t think of any comment that wouldn’t itself seem a little self-righteous. I don’t really know the … Continue reading
A National Park for Galloway…
A Chance for Revival or a Risky Gamble? A proposal is afoot to make some part of Galloway – as yet undefined — a national park also to include, perhaps, South Ayrshire. This proposal has sparked increasing debate, with strong … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Dumfries and Galloway, Environmental
Tagged hiking, history, Nature, scotland, travel
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From Cat Food to Clickbait
The Evolution of Irresistible Convenience Food Out in the unsettling world of clickbait, family pets seem to have a special place in the pantheon of what the bored or purposeless internet user finds irresistible. So here’s a story of Macklin … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Environmental
Tagged Cats, diet, food, Food Industry, health, Microbiome, nutrition, Ultra Processed Foods, UPFs
1 Comment
From Apex Predators to the hidden World of Mycorrhiza
I’ve never been much of a bird watcher. I can just about name the birds that turn up at my feeders, which occasionally include some eye-catching specimens. Greater spotted woodpeckers come from the woods nearby for peanuts and there’s also … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Dumfries and Galloway, Environmental
Tagged birds, conservation, Curlews, eagles, environment, fungi, habitat, Nature, ornithology, wildlife
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The Climate Kitchen and the Ghost of Christmas Past
If I had my way, there would be no Christmas music or decorations or lights before mid-December. But I know that ain’t gonna happen and I’ll just have to make the best of what is on offer and hope I never tire of listening to A Fairy Tale of New York. Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Dumfries and Galloway, Environmental
Tagged christmas, Dumfries, environment, scotland, travel
1 Comment
Carruchan 
The Most Beautiful Words
I have occasionally listened to radio discussions in which poets have let slip their partiality for a particular word, usually arising from some resonant quality, something mellifluous in the sound or sounds of which it is composed. I find myself … Continue reading →