Updated 22 May 2024 from Liverpool
Working part time on the treasure hunt company. We’re in 16 cities now and it’s still interesting and challenging. Still love working with my business partner and great friend Ian. It pays the bills while giving lots of flexibility so I really can’t complain.
Cherishing my precious remaining Thursdays with our daughter who’ll go to school in September. Most weeks we get out on our new electric-bike. I try to have us spend as much time in forests and nature as possible which she loves too. She’s very sharp and makes me laugh a lot. She’s really into sewers(!), black holes and robots. Result!
I’ve been managing retrofitting our house and we’re getting a heat pump this June. We’ll disconnect the gas and be 100% electric by autumn. We wanted to do it properly so we’ve done lots of other work first. I’ve got pretty into heat pumps and I’m looking at how I can help others to get off gas too. It’s taken a lot of head-space to get this far but we’re really happy with our cozy draught-free little house with its great air quality and gorgeous new windows. The thought of going fossil-fuel-free fills me with glee.
I’m still deeply, urgently concerned about the climate crisis. I counter the negative feelings by keeping active and I’m looking for the next project. Perhaps community energy (e.g. solar panels on schools), something to do with the Mersey Tidal Barrage, or maybe helping others to retrofit their homes. I joined the board of People Powered Retrofit in November and I’m trying to figure out how I can be useful to them.
I don’t intend to get arrested with Just Stop Oil again but I’m doing bits of support where I can. Picking people up from police stations, putting up folks who’re due in court etc. They are truly the kindest, most conscientious group of people I know. I feel lucky to have a community that “gets it” about climate, in a world that often seems oblivious.
Lisa and I are happily looking around for some land in the Peak District to re-forest. We’d like to rewild the land AND be able to occasionally camp there. We’re talking to the planners and I’m not sure it’ll be allowed, but we’re working on it. Reading Wilding at the moment, it’s surprisingly riveting.