tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54410692012-02-16T20:17:45.201ZClimbing, Peak Oil, Ely Transition Initiative and anything else that grabs my attention.martinnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-28186782502859562872011-12-27T09:03:00.001Z2011-12-27T09:03:24.692Z

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-69667008118625696332009-08-01T16:15:00.000+01:002009-08-01T16:16:24.169+01:00

I really want to write more.  The problem lies in what to write.  No, no, that is wrong, the problem lies in:not writingself-censorshipnot knowing what to writea lack of confidence in my ability to writePhew, wrote it!

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-57665351375121735382009-07-28T10:17:00.003+01:002009-07-28T10:33:35.231+01:00

Starting to take more regular visits to the allotment recently. A huge amount of work needs doing but I'm more than happy just plodding along doing a bit at a time.The 'bit' in question is mainly weeding. This also means disturbing ant nests, not much I can do about this really other than apologise for the inconvenience.Funny how certain songs fixate in the mind while weeding. A few days ago

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-86520866479766857862009-07-27T14:01:00.004+01:002009-07-27T14:04:03.211+01:00

I'm spending much of today trying my best to pay attention to what is going on in 'feel space'. Shinzen Young describes 'feel' as 'Any body sensation that seems to be emotional in nature'.So what I'm attempting to do is notice how I'm feeling. Actually, to use Shinzen's method properly, I'm noting 'feel' when I feel something.Why am I doing this?I hate it how I sometimes react badly ('

martinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-70473682160903315182009-07-25T18:13:00.001+01:002009-07-25T18:13:13.510+01:00

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-44856103085036272452009-07-25T17:40:00.001+01:002009-07-25T17:40:51.882+01:00

The is the Metta / Loving Kindness meditation I've adapted from the version in Stephen Levine's 'A Gradual Awakening'.1. Breathe in warmth, Breathe out patience2 . Reflect on a person who somehow caused you pain, say ‘I forgive you’Reflect on a person who somehow you have given pain, say silently ‘…I ask your forgiveness’3. Now allow yourself to be forgiven.  Say ‘I forgive you’.  ‘I forgive

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-12885649795515003302009-07-24T22:07:00.005+01:002009-07-24T22:13:23.155+01:00

I've realised that I really need to introduce some Mettā (usually translated in the West as "loving-kindness") into my practice.Why metta?I want to work on my edges, they need softening, I need softening. I'm feeling rigid, brittle, quick to snap, to break. Metta will (hopefully) encourage some gentleness. Metta implies a deep opening, an allowing, acceptance, gratitude and forgiveness.My

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-13220569101906357912009-05-10T21:26:00.006+01:002009-05-10T21:38:25.146+01:00

As much as can, I sit in the mornings. If possible, I'll also sit in the evening. So, this is the sequence:Focus on rest - 10 minutesFocus in (feel, image, talk: FIT) - 10 minutesFocus out (sight, sound, touch) SST) - 10 minutesFocus on rest - 5 minutesPDFs describing all these are on Shinzen's siteI'll report back here.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-86050518302834281942009-03-29T07:38:00.004+01:002009-03-29T07:50:45.351+01:00

I recently came across the meditation and mindfulness teachings of Shinzen Young. I'm impressed with his 'Easy Rest' method which I tried out this morning for the first time.With 'Easy Rest', one directs one's attention between sensing/relaxing the body and watching for 'blank' states in the mind's eye.I sat for 15 minutes and quickly entered a deep state of relaxation in my body, my mind was

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-46743124125860092202009-03-21T21:18:00.004Z2009-03-21T21:26:09.913Z

Last Saturday night we took a cab from Ely over to Little Downham to see local heroes, Cashback, play a wild gig at the Anchor pub.Cashback play Johnny Cash songs and the man in black would have loved the band. They played with passion and soul, the joint rocked!Large amounts of Greene King were drunk, people danced on tables, rock 'n' roll in the Fens, you really can't do better.We stumbled out

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-87304277014942493322009-03-13T06:34:00.010Z2009-03-20T06:58:03.938Z

Last Saturday 7th March, 50 people from 12 East Anglian Transition cities, towns and villages met to talk, plan, network and celebrate.The towns represented were:EcclesBungayCambridgeDereham DissDownham Market and villagesElyIpswichKing's LynnNorwichMundesleyWoodbridgeView a map of East Anglian Transition TownsFor the morning session we used Open Space technology and quickly set up an agenda with

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-4866686086737972442009-03-01T19:13:00.004Z2009-03-05T20:56:30.032Z

Jo and I went to see the ever wonderful Rebecca Hollweg and Andy Hamill at the CB2 basement in Cambridge.The intimate venue was perfect for Rebecca's voice, she played a good selection of new and old numbers including my particular favourites 'June Babies' and 'Dancing in the Kitchen'Go check them out if you get the chance!

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-85223359627265995882009-02-11T06:57:00.007Z2009-02-11T07:15:25.038Z

My use of Public libraries has passed through three distinct phases: childhood, adolescence and middle age.ChildhoodAs a child, Saturdays usually involved a trip to Swiss Cottage library in Camden with my sister and father. I don't remember much of those trips, except for a sense of the building's spacious, curvy, modernist design .Later on we moved a few miles across Camden to Kentish Town.

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-2612353921618084812009-02-07T15:13:00.002Z2009-02-07T15:21:26.926Z

I've been tweeting now for two months or so and it's been a great experience.  My only moan is I now have twice the amount of interesting leads to interesting things on the web...and not enough time to look at it all.What to do about this?  I'm not quite sure yet, maybe nothing.  Perhaps it's all about prioritising what is really important and letting the rest go.What I would like to do is write

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-37141212873725171392009-01-04T09:44:00.003Z2009-01-04T09:52:57.685Z

I've started running again (can't stand that word 'jogging').  Each morning, after a cup of tea, I venture out into the frosty Fen morning and run.Running is great for thinking, it facilitates problem solving.  When running, my mind can empty out, leaving it free to coalesce around a question (or answer) I may have posed while tying my laces.how should I approach this difficulty?what should take

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-47535279573363262212009-01-03T07:48:00.004Z2009-01-03T07:55:52.921Z

My seven year old, Harry, was given an acoustic guitar on Christmas Day. A few days later we visited his old friend Tom-Joe who is the proud owner of a drum kit.It didn't take long for the boys to start-up one hell of a fine jam session as caught expertly on the clip below.A Jones-Stummer team for a new generation?

martinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-6219110352998328672008-12-29T18:56:00.004Z2008-12-29T19:08:14.121Z

One of my aims for 2009 is to move towards a largely vegetarian diet, the ultimate idea is to have meat only once or twice a month, at the most.So, in January I'll make the first steps towards this aim by eating vegetarian food only for 80% of my meals (that's lunch and supper - I rarely ever have meat for breakfast, unless seriously hungover).  80% veggie means I can have meat in three meals per

martinnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-63966982405749982502008-12-24T12:50:00.003Z2008-12-24T13:00:57.083Z

Great looking video (via Sound of Sirens) from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on food security. Just imagine if DEFRA did something similar!

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-47743823068429410642008-12-07T12:14:00.003Z2008-12-07T12:21:46.805Z

IssuesWhat kind of soil do we have at the allotment and back garden?What kind of rotation should we plan for?What kind of crops are best for preserving?List of plants to growBrassicasbroccoli (purple sprouting)kalerocketAlliaceaeonionsleeksgarlicSolanaceaspudstomatoesApiaceaecarrotsceleryChenopodiacea spinachAsteraceaelettucesHerbsvariousShamanic exploration toolspsilocybin (ho, ho, ho)

martinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-9603243752153099692008-12-03T21:48:00.000Z2008-12-03T21:49:29.546Z

Jeffrey Lewis - A History of Rough Trade Records...and god bless Jeffrey Lewis!

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-85564128530011914582008-12-02T22:10:00.003Z2008-12-02T22:16:47.000Z

Skateboarding is a concrete critique of urbanism. This is decisively, and beautifully, demonstrated in the finest skate video ever made:Burn that Tony Hawks DVD baby, this is Skating!

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-81886112675344356102008-11-19T06:40:00.007Z2008-11-19T07:03:28.506Z

As an absolute beginner, my approach to local food production (ok, my garden and allotment!) is somewhat here and there...but that's fine.Like most things of any value the basic idea of growing food is simplicity itself but it can get very complicated if you're that way inclined.As far as I can see there are four areas that need consideration:Planning, observing, note-taking, learningSowing,

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-20416920544562519272008-11-17T06:50:00.006Z2008-11-17T22:23:45.245Z

Spent a drizzily Sunday morning on the allotment digging, weeding and put down 20 bulbs of garlic.This adds to the 10 bulbs already planted at home which means 30 bulbs of garlic for the Spring, hurrah! One can not have too much garlic I say.I really enjoyed the hour and a half of getting muddy and wet, really, I did, honestly. On my arrival home I spread muck through out the house and had a

martinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-9039567323732860402008-09-25T20:40:00.004+01:002008-09-25T20:58:27.031+01:00

This was the title of a presentation given by Jeff Rubin, an economist from CIBC World Markets at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (USA) conference taking place right now in the states.According to the Oil Drum, Rubin showed a slide comparing the cost of shipping a 40 foot container from China to the US.A few years ago, the cost would have been $3,000. It now costs $10,000. If oil rises

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-35167764987123382982008-09-25T12:54:00.003+01:002008-09-25T13:17:05.205+01:00

Matt Simmons, Richard Heinberg and John Hemming MP were on the World at One this lunchtime talking about Peak Oil. They all gave an excellent performance, getting to the point very, very quickly.It was good to hear a British MP talking clearly and bullishly on the issue, the UK government is in denial (with predictions of sometime in 2030 for the peak in production) over peak oil and this is

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-83437807336535388422008-09-04T22:36:00.006+01:002008-09-04T22:48:51.289+01:00

Jo and I watched the Joy Divison film 'Control' last night.  It's an excellent film, enjoyable from many perspectives, very nostalgic, moving, troubled and beaufifully shot by Anton Corbijn.The only downside is I found myself feeling frustrated that I could have seen this band a dozen times or so times in London, and yet I didn't actually start to like them until after the death of Ian Curtis...

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-81052037437884063922008-08-28T20:39:00.002+01:002008-08-28T20:46:40.556+01:00

From ASPO (The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas):The battle against climate change must not take precedence over the need to guarantee energy security, UK Industry Minister John Hutton was quoted as saying today, remarks that signal an apparent policy change. The government has often said climate change is the biggest threat facing the world."Of course we've got to tackle climate

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-39883758328571415852008-08-28T18:20:00.006+01:002008-08-28T18:44:45.365+01:00

Just finished reading 'Not on the label' by Felicity Lawrence, it's an excellent start for anyone wanting the low-down on the food industry in this country (and anywhere else in the West I'd imagine).One quote that jumped out at me from the section on bagged salad leaves was:"Time was when we ate lettuces in summer and, following out northern European seasons, switched to root vegetables and

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-4500757048844001512008-08-25T14:41:00.004+01:002008-08-25T14:55:46.424+01:00

I've been re-reading Mind at Ease by Traleg Kyabgon Rinponche, one of the best books I've read on Buddhism, Mahamudra and meditation. The book has awoken a deep need in myself to begin meditating again on a regular bases.So much crap turns over in my mind, it drives me down and I feel depression lurking. Meditation, I feel, can help with this...learning again how to clear all that junk out,

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-41857165668858578382008-08-21T00:21:00.004+01:002008-08-21T00:41:55.560+01:00

Just come back from seeing The End of Suburbia at a friend's house. We're planning to show this film at a public meeting in Ely this autumn.The film is about how Peak Oil spells the end of this aspect of the American dream. The concept of suburbs was based on cheap oil, the ability to drive to and from your place of work, shopping centres, entertainment. All of this now threatened by the

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-17870084467612444072008-08-19T20:30:00.001+01:002008-08-19T20:34:39.993+01:00

Heh, heh, heh

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-4438210771471358592008-08-15T21:22:00.005+01:002008-08-15T21:49:44.859+01:00

I just listened to this week's The Investigation on Radio 4. Described as 'Simon Cox investigates the truth behind rising oil prices' it was a major disappointment.Cox spends half an hour looking for the culprit behind rising prices. The usual suspects are trundled out for view, i.e: oil producers and futures speculators, all the time ignoring the elephant of Peak Oil standing in the middle of

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-38254038373741104092008-08-12T18:03:00.004+01:002008-08-12T18:20:15.902+01:00

And presenting...my first home made bread in ohhhh....decades. ...and oh boy was it good! Well, Jo and Harry thought so and the loaf was polished off in 24 hours. This is a 'no-knead' loaf, no need to knead! Hurrah. I found the recipe via Miss B Heavens wildy amusing video blog.We ate a good part of the loaf with my almost-as-excellent Spanish tortilla. What a simple joy to make and bake a

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-11411252522491982882008-08-10T11:21:00.001+01:002008-08-10T11:32:15.840+01:00

Terrible news!  It all started in France. Harry enjoyed sitting in our friend's car with his pal. His pal's dad had a bunch of CDs, one of which was Queen's 'Greatest Hits'. So...last night, Harry walks into the living room bellowing out ''We are the champions, no time for losers" and then "Another one bites the dust".  Horror of horrors, enough to make even the Great Cthulhu weep. What a

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-86521844685117353972008-08-09T20:46:00.002+01:002008-08-09T20:55:38.932+01:00

I think it is really important to understand that Peak Oil is not about oil 'running out' (which, of course it will do one day, eventually). Rather, as the good folk at the Oil Drum like to put it it: "It’s the size of the tap, not the size of the tank." Gail Tverberg states the case with clarity and precision: "On a worldwide basis, the phenomenon of peak oil can be thought of as a crisis in

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-75060088815017398782008-08-08T21:04:00.004+01:002008-08-08T21:12:48.997+01:00

The first thing I did on my return from holidays was check-in on my holy chilli plant (kindly watered by our neighbours - thanks!).And doesn't he look handsome!Lots and lots of lush chilli peppers, what a bonanza. And what is that I see shyly peaking thorough the foliage?Yes! Some red chillis, at long last...And finally a look at the ones I left on the window sill to dry out...not long until

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-40000751311280997722008-08-05T21:34:00.003+01:002008-08-05T21:43:55.941+01:00

Hiyah all, well I'm back home, though not yet in Ely.At present I'm in the lovely village of South Petherton in Somerset. The village is thriving and includes a local butcher, fishmonger and grocers shop. The village also boasts a transition initiative, what a place! It is great to be in a somewhere where local produce is so plentiful, the whole place feels alive...The holiday in Brittany and

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-84633803447333992352008-07-23T08:07:00.003+01:002008-07-23T08:21:01.452+01:00

We're all off to our holidays today.Drive to Portsmouth, up Pompey!Ferry to San Malo, where we stay in a youth hostel for two nights. Check out the sights, go the climbing wall (of course!), inspect San Malo's granite cliffs, eat sausages and drink wineDrive to Treguier, meet up with various friends, stay in someone else's house for a week, climb on any rocks lying about, eat sausages and drink

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-59292566684204377812008-07-19T07:32:00.008+01:002008-07-19T07:40:42.150+01:00

Haven't got much time this morning, off to the Castle to climb with Harry.last night's mini-meeting of Ely Sustainable City / Transition Ely (whatever we're called) was inspiring, fun and very creativeI saw blackberries on sale in Waitrose, packed in plastic, driven 100 miles plus across the country from Kent. Hey folks! Blackberries are FREE and grow all around Ely, open your eyes, go pick,

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-76734237306805259432008-07-16T23:54:00.004+01:002008-07-17T00:23:08.467+01:00

Spent a few hours on the allotment today. Talked to some of the guys up there, full of good advice and...food! We came away with three lovely lettuces, three artichokes and a huge onion.It was a fine day as well, almost summer...well, almost I said.Oh yes, I bought a chilli plant at the weekend from the farmer's market in Ely.The chillies are not that hot as yet. Some are starting to turn

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-52246880997196801582008-07-16T23:06:00.004+01:002008-07-16T23:19:40.686+01:00

This must be a common experience for owners of MP3 players. You have the thing on random shuffle and somehow, just somehow, not always...but every now and again...the damn thing knows exactly what to play!This afternoon, I'm happily cooking a lush pasta sauce and every track it plays to me is 100% perfect, not two or three songs in a row but a golden dozen, all beautiful and perfect.Now, I can't

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-83812526017015438432008-07-14T22:28:00.003+01:002008-07-14T22:33:50.548+01:00

Too sleepy to comment on both these right now.I'll let the ever excellent Oil Drum tell us about Gordon Brown's 'post-oil energy economies' speech.And over to the Commons for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil report on 'Peak Oil & International Development'. I'll have to download this and read it on the train to work, as I said above, I'm very sleepy and need...to...go...to...

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-21520074758988432812008-07-12T20:53:00.003+01:002008-07-12T21:02:20.321+01:00

My old pal Richard sent me a photo of a share I issued in Red Zed Wrekordz back sometime in the late 80s. Ah yes, I issued many of these shares, mainly on beer mats from the holy Prince George.Richard wanted to know if the share was still valid. I advised him to keep careful hold of the valuable ex-beer mat, our price continues to rise and shares are much sought commodities, none being issued

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-90534518301896322282008-07-12T20:48:00.003+01:002008-07-12T22:03:53.868+01:00

So, here it is, our allotment! Some work to do, as is obvious from the pics below.Still, a lovely view of the Cathedral to the south and much potential for barrels of lovely veggies to feed our hungry stomachs.Expect more posts on this soonest.

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-29220144769310888712008-07-06T20:18:00.005+01:002008-07-06T20:43:32.474+01:00

Travelled down to Staines by train for my Dad's birthday celebration (happy birthday Dad!) at Lucy and Nigel's house.Ate a lovely dinnerChecked out Lucy and Nigel's fine allotment (felt a tad envious at all their lush veg, including chillis...slobber, slobber...)Travelled east to Mile End Climbing Wall for lesson two of my bouldering course. And a jolly useful lesson it was as well. Learnt some

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-36110357663761035572008-07-03T23:52:00.002+01:002008-07-04T00:00:40.876+01:00

It's late and I'm sleepy, so this will be a short post. Just to say we had our first ETC meeting, 15 of us in the ever excellent Portal Cafe. We watched 'The Power of Community' (my second time, it really is an inspiring film), talked and retired to the pub.Another meeting in a fortnight, I'm writing a leaflet for the upcoming Green Bookfair in the cathedral...it's all go.Now, to bed!

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-24171153125059350232008-07-01T09:30:00.003+01:002008-07-01T09:34:01.405+01:00

Listen up boyo! Climbing two days in a row is not a good idea. Yesterday I was bushed, today slightly better. I need a days rest in-between climbing, at my age the body takes longer to recover. If I really want to climb at this rate then I need to start running or something to build up my stamina. Also, late nights and a few drinks before a climbing day does not help in the slightest. Please

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-66347606161656432562008-06-28T07:37:00.004+01:002008-06-28T07:46:57.694+01:00

Sadly the title of this post ain't referring to me, sigh...but hey, this is going to be a jolly post with no mention of Peak Oil (dah!)A weekend of climbing, hurrah! The Monkey Boy and I are heading up to the Castle this morning for a couple of hours of wall stuff. Then we're off to a kids/parents party, staying the night finally at Sam & Anna's.Sunday sees me popping off to Mile End to start

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-87651061922770839922008-06-26T21:43:00.002+01:002008-06-26T21:58:11.903+01:00

Oil hit $140 a barrel for the first time today, with warnings it could reach $170 later this year...golly! Interesting to contrast that to the post on today's Peak Oil Debunked (don't be put off by the title, it is a dig at Doomers, whom the blog critiques) which presents a series of graphs showing a decline in oil consumption in countries such as Japan, German, Italy and Sweden.So what is going

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-35087776324707690622008-06-25T20:00:00.005+01:002008-06-26T07:10:34.733+01:00

I've so many thoughts, ideas, questions and feelings I want to get down on the subject of oil-depletion, peak oil, the post-carbon world...call it what you will.I'm trying to see how I can group my posts under headings, which will hopefully help to clarify things.Here's my working list of Peak Oil activities (POA):budget - work out what we have, what we spend, where we can cut-back, where we can

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-12473107451139050462008-06-22T09:54:00.004+01:002008-06-22T10:01:41.084+01:00

This doesn't exist yet (as far as I can see). I guess it is my big project...the integral AQAL framework is perfect for this complex area.Expect more...

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-78857474897162045862008-06-19T19:41:00.004+01:002008-06-19T19:48:10.580+01:00

Check out this video clip of Harry Black, my six and a half year old son, on the wall at Kelsey Kerridge.The boy is going to go far! I love the somersault at the end...

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-57670643803903513042008-06-16T21:53:00.002+01:002008-06-16T21:58:42.819+01:00

Just got back from an excellent session with George at the Castle. First off, I arrived to discover I had won the May 'Boulder Ladder' competition, best male improver! The prize was a £50 voucher to spend at the Urban Rock shop, I bought a harness and a caribiner.Then George and I did some top-roping. I was a tad nervous at first as I hadn't used ropes since my initial climbing course last

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-4376247908406535922008-06-15T14:56:00.002+01:002008-06-15T15:06:26.260+01:00

(Note: this post has also been published on the Ely Sustainable City blog)Good to see that EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs acknowledging the existence of Peak Oil in his blog. His latest post is worth reading for an insight into some of the thinking taking place in Brussels. While you're there, take a look at the comments further down the page. One response is from a Doomer, which is

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-28603140796279484852008-06-13T06:54:00.004+01:002008-06-13T07:00:21.399+01:00

Gosh, this is impressive, note taken!Comment on You Tube by 'Iluluu':"One session per week is ok for intermediate climbers. Rest 5 minutes or more, to find yourself ready for the next Campus set.For endurance is good to do 5 sets of 3 minutes non stop climbing with 1 minute rest between sets.Train in a way: Day 1 Power (campus, boulders, etc), D2 Endurance, D3 Rest, D4 Power, D5 Endurance, D6 and

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-86993597148739169762008-06-11T20:51:00.002+01:002008-06-11T20:56:39.844+01:00

Met George for an hour's climb at the Castle last night. I felt on good form and managed three 5a routes, so hopefully that shows an improvement in my climbing. My strength is increasing but I know I have work to do on technique. The upcoming bouldering course at Mile End should help with that.After the climb we met Pete at the Daniel Defoe on Church Street and sat in the garden enjoying a

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-45348677980278581432008-06-07T19:02:00.005+01:002008-06-07T19:11:22.032+01:00

I like this list from Dr. Michael E. Mills' essay 'Evolutionary psychology and peak oil':Denial:"Peak oil? Baloney! There's lots of oil left. No worries, mate."Anger "It's the damn ________'s (oil companies, governments, OPEC, etc.) faul that oil prices are going up. They're gouging us. The bastards!"Bargaining:"But what about new oil discovery technologies? What about biofuels? I can keep

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-84465284302929732902008-06-06T23:24:00.005+01:002008-06-06T23:34:07.447+01:00

What is Peak Oil?“Peak Oil is about the end of cheap and plentiful oil, the recognition that the ever increasing volumes of oil being pumped into our economies will peak and then inexorably decline. It’s about understanding how our industrial way of life is absolutely dependent on this ever-increasing supply of cheap oil.”(Transition Initiatives Primer)So last night four of us met to watch the ‘

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-16297044941812287612008-06-05T22:36:00.005+01:002008-06-05T22:40:37.046+01:00

Tonight I joined three other Ely residents to watch a video dealing with how Cuba dealt with its very own Peak Oil crisis after the collapse of the USSR. The video is called 'The Power of Community' and is very much worth seeing.I could write a lot more here but I am tired and want to be fit and full of energy for tomorrow night's climb at the Castle.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-77840877204314613122008-06-03T22:48:00.003+01:002008-06-03T22:54:34.332+01:00

Just got back from an hour session at Kelsey. I was hoping to bump into the Cambridge climbers I had met the week before at the Castle but they didn't turn up. I spent some time trying out different routes, concentrating on using features only. I can do things now at Kelsey that I couldn't manage earlier in the year, its good to see my strength improving, hopefully my technique is also on the

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-55860668570927595872008-06-03T18:26:00.002+01:002008-06-03T18:29:09.247+01:00

I'm going to start blogging again as I have some new interests and motivations.I did start a climbing blog over here but I'm going to retire that and have everything in one place...makes more sense.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-12303347838327650852007-09-27T08:20:00.000+01:002007-09-27T21:29:44.409+01:00

Over a year ago I posted a piece about the great lost single by Pinpoint called Richmond. In the post I mentioned the track had been covered by German punksters Die Toten Hosen. Well last week I received an email from Heiko who very kindly sent me an MP3 of the cover. So, here, for you aural delight is:Die Toten Hosen - RichmondIt's a rockin' little number, hope you all enjoy it!

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-19869896466768521252007-09-19T17:33:00.000+01:002007-09-19T17:36:49.410+01:00

I'm hugely enjoying Bob Dylan's 'Theme Time' show on Radio 6. Each week he picks a new theme and plays an hour of excellent music. His chat between songs is, as you would expect, extremely knowledgeable. He's also a surprisingly funny chap, acting as a kind of agony uncle to listeners emailing in problems...100% goodness, check it out!

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-19371550231517702342007-09-12T11:05:00.001+01:002007-09-12T11:05:01.285+01:00

Anita Roddick's death at the of 64 shocked me.  There she was, rich, talented, dynamic, compassionate, dead. She was just over 20 years older than me and this is what shocked.  20 years, I could be dead in 20 years.  Not much time left to make up for all the crap I've been wallowing in, especially over the last 12 months.The Buddhists are very fond of recommending the regular contemplation of

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-33061873929989633632007-09-11T14:32:00.001+01:002007-09-11T14:42:02.194+01:00

I'm learning some new words. I wait until one crops up in a book or article and then nab it, define it and work it.This week it's the turn of Effulgent and Lissom.And here they are, strung out together in my very own sentence:"She was effulgent, moving with the lissom grace of a young cat"By the time I'm finished I'll have godamned novel and I can leave my tiresome job.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1163364505289153842006-11-12T20:44:00.000Z2006-11-12T20:48:25.303Z

I attended the London Integral circle practice group meeting on Friday. It was great, I left feeling very motivated, full of energy and ideas.Last night we took Harry to see the Ely fireworks. Last year he was really scared but this year he loved every minute of it.Feeling physically very tired, which explains the low-content level of this post. It will improve.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1162032735134889832006-10-28T11:49:00.000+01:002006-10-28T11:52:15.146+01:00

Well, well, well. There's another blog called 'Adventures close to home', and it's an MP3 blog, and some of those MP3s are kinda good. Happy to share the name, hello bro!

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1162031378172344742006-10-28T11:28:00.000+01:002006-10-28T11:29:38.696+01:00

I think I exceeded my bandwidth, so the blog has not been available for the last few days. Consider this a test. My, my, that Firefox spellchecker is the real deal!

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1161417418808219342006-10-21T08:47:00.000+01:002006-10-21T08:56:58.943+01:00

Life seems very busy at the 'mo, especially at work where I've just finished putting together a 'writing for the web' course and then giving two sessions of training to staff. Wow, training is tiring work, fun but tiring.I really need to get my sitting practice back together again, it really fell apart after my June retreat and I've not managed to get it sorted again...Also, feel the need to do

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1160779892539290612006-10-13T23:39:00.000+01:002006-10-13T23:51:32.560+01:00

Returning home from London to Ely on the commuter train this evening and it’s great hearing the Viking Youth boys back from Burning Man. And they are talking to Erik Davis and it’s all this wild California grand mystic madness and then onto Philip K Dick, then Burning Man itself and everything in general…psychedelic consciousness in particular.And I’m listening to all this on my mp3 machine,

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1160425148614320692006-10-09T21:13:00.000+01:002006-10-09T21:19:08.626+01:00

I'm reading Ken Wilber's new book Integral Spirituality. As usual with KW, it's a challenge, full of ideas both thrilling and (at times) incomprehensible. And yet my experience with his other work is to use whatever is understood not fret to much about what is not. KW is one of those authors I can go back to again and again, understanding a bit more each time. It's great stuff, I highly

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1159694518587139082006-10-01T10:16:00.000+01:002006-10-01T10:25:07.433+01:00

Zac from Alchemically Braindamaged has started a new series of podcasts ("Systematic for the People 1") based on intentional spiritual practice, very highly recommended. The style is urgent, serious and confrontational, just what we need in times such as these. It's interesting to see how some of my favourite bloggers are moving to audio, it's a powerful medium and I love its portability.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1159607019404445592006-09-30T09:50:00.000+01:002006-09-30T10:03:39.416+01:00

Good tech: Netvibes is fantastic and a great way to organise your online life, Web 2.0 at it's best.Bad tech: ITunes (in my experience at least) is the most buggy, crash-happy software I have ever had the misfortune of having on my PC. It really is appaling and shows up this Apple love-fest for what it is...blather.Hmmm, I have to have a little go at Apple once in a while, it always stirs up a

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1158523727762260882006-09-17T20:57:00.000+01:002006-09-17T21:10:27.300+01:00

Wow, I had a lucid dream last night. I just love lucid dreams, there are few things more fun in this world than lucid dreaming, and it's free and healthy!It's the strangest thing, there I am having an ordinary, run-of-the-mill dream and then...there's a sudden realisation, as if you've suddenly just realised that someone's being playing a trick on you...it's a dream! But the thing is you don't

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1158436032751743322006-09-16T20:38:00.000+01:002006-09-16T20:47:12.763+01:00

This is my one hundreth post since starting this blog, who would have thought I'd manage to keep it up? To celebrate the occasion, I'm drinking a bottle of 'Rabbit Poacher' ale that I purchased at the farmer's market today in Ely. Rabbit Poacher is brewed by the 'Fenland (Isle of Ely) Brewery' and is really quite lovely. The man at the stall told me they've managed to get the beer into a few

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1157922265016761802006-09-10T21:57:00.000+01:002006-09-10T22:04:25.016+01:00

I saw the film High Fidelity for the second time last night. It's a great movie and a pretty much accurate portrayal of poor sods like me who go on and on, and on, and on, about obscure music for hours on end. Just to prove how geeky I am, I'm proud to say I spotted a mistake they made in the film. In the scene where one of the record shop workers is chatting-up a punter, he refers to Stiff

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1157919702818356932006-09-10T21:19:00.000+01:002006-09-10T22:57:50.093+01:00

Pinpoint were formed in London sometime in 1978 and were comprised of ex. Lurker Arturo Bassick (guitar and vocals), Dave Allen (bass and vocals) and Hugh Griffiths (drums).The single Richmond was released in 1979 and is a little punk gem. The song concerns the wealthy London suburb of Richmond and its young rich inhabitants, later know as 'yuppies'. It is a blistering little number with

martinnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1157635844706949442006-09-07T14:28:00.000+01:002006-09-10T20:44:20.533+01:00

So I have this viral thingy that's keeping me off work. It's kind of spooky, I feel kind of bi-polar in an ill sort of way. One minute I'm feeling fine and full of great plans and energy, the next thing I know I feel like I've a horrible hangover, one of those ones you know will only get worse. The doc reckons it could last for up to six weeks, I can't believe this, I absolutely refuse to

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1157309132957394392006-09-03T19:39:00.000+01:002006-09-03T19:46:14.033+01:00

I'm reading Jung's autobiography 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections'. It's an inspiring read and pretty much essential for anyone interested in dreamwork and innerwork of any kind. I'm particularly interested in his experiences of the anima, one area I'm looking at in some detail at the moment.I recently had a series of dreams involving fierce animals, specifically a gorilla and an alligator, not

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1157098289438691222006-09-01T09:01:00.000+01:002006-09-01T09:12:44.176+01:00

So, I was walking up the road to my home. My mind was fretting away about this and that. I felt unhappy with my thoughts, not only for their content but also for their repetitive nature, as if I had known the same endless cycle for decades. In exasperation, or perhaps desperation, I put down my shopping bags and looked up at the clear sky. Suddenly the thoughts dropped from my mind and for a

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1156583600582718342006-08-26T09:54:00.000+01:002006-08-26T10:13:20.593+01:00

I feel a quickening inside; there is without doubt a power struggle at work in my psyche, soul and body.Ten years ago a group of structures, complexes, memes, in my mind loosened-up and reorganised themselves. I didn’t plan or ask for this to happen, it just did.This led to a hugely enjoyable breakthrough in my understanding of 'what the fuck is going on'. For a short, exhilarating time, it felt

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1156528405739435012006-08-25T18:51:00.000+01:002006-08-25T18:53:25.750+01:00

Here's a start:"The range of what we think and dois limited by what we fail to noticeAnd because we fail to noticethat we fail to noticethere is little we can doto changeuntil we noticehow failing to noticeshapes our thoughts and deeds."R.D. Laing

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1155587596775204032006-08-14T21:24:00.000+01:002006-08-14T21:36:06.900+01:00

So my Sister wants a CD by the dreadful Snow Patrol for her birthday. Oh my...I suppose I should really stop playing the wise (ha!) older brother card, I mean she's old enough (40 in two weeks) to choose her own music, sure...but Snow Patrol? Okay, of course I will buy her the wretched CD, but I'll also put together a CD of some fab new tunes for her, including - Lily Allen, The Mountain Goats,

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1155421113068146122006-08-12T23:06:00.000+01:002006-08-12T23:25:56.736+01:00

So, Umguy in LA passes me the book meme:One book that changed your life?Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’. I read this at the right age, 16, and it had an immediate impact. It gave me an urge to explore and a strong sense of the romance of travel. It gave me a love of Jazz; through Kerouac I discovered Charlie Parker and Bebop. In his later books I found Buddhism. Three interests, three passions

martinnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1152741682868676192006-07-12T22:51:00.000+01:002006-07-12T23:01:22.913+01:00

Yes, no updates for ages and this will be shortlot's of internal stuff going on but I'm not recording it herereading up lots on Greek goddesses, alchemy, archetypesgetting kind of obsessed with tracking the moon. Why does it move around so much?don't talk to me about the World Cup, don't talk to me about penalties, it all hurts too muchmy current fav blog is Alchemically Braindamaged and Zac's

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1150532120628662992006-06-17T09:13:00.000+01:002006-06-17T09:16:28.130+01:00

where there was an intellectual knowlege there is now more of an sublte knowing or understanding. Things internally fall in to place, no need to interfere.Hmmm, Mudhoney picked by up by the shuffle...go and sit in the sun...

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1150383713275349762006-06-15T15:57:00.000+01:002006-06-15T16:02:23.890+01:00

So I get back and take a look at my fav integral blogs, then read one of KW's original postings that started all this...and really, I can't be bothered, it's so insufferably dull.The England V Trinidad & Tobago match is on in an hour or so, now that does sound like something worth getting into a froth about!

martinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1150382430839479232006-06-15T15:23:00.000+01:002006-06-15T15:40:30.916+01:00

Some thanks...to the Western Chan Fellowship and in particular, retreat leader and teacher, Simon Childs. to Ken Wilber for providing maps of consciousness that helped guide me through the five days of practice. An understanding of KW's concept of the pre/trans fallacy was particularly usefulto my fellow explorers on the retreat, for their courage, wisdom and compassionand to the Green Tara and

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1149413480507173612006-06-04T10:27:00.000+01:002006-06-04T10:37:49.433+01:00

And what a fine walk that was...just the dog (Tiny) and I strolling for miles alongside the river, through woods, across heathland. And the weather was just perfect, the first day of an English summer, a rich peanut-butter kind of smell from the flowers, and all these lovely yellow butterflies dancing in the light breeze.And then, back in Ely, a pint at the Cutter. PerfectI'm on retreat in

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1149279344161121622006-06-02T20:59:00.000+01:002006-06-02T21:19:32.746+01:00

So I've been somewhat lazy with this blog and not getting much down.Jo and Harry are in France (Toulouse) right now, leaving me behind to go to work and feed the dog. I sang Jo a few lines from the Stranglers' song 'Goodbye Toulouse':"Your streets were paved with loveYour skies were blueGoodbye Toulouse"But she wasn't that impressed. I should have sang it to Harry, he thinks most things I sing

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1149194094920938612006-06-01T21:31:00.000+01:002006-06-02T21:17:25.073+01:00

Take a look at this beautiful clip of the Clash playing London Calling and Train In Vain, it's enough to make a grown man cry, I doubt I'll ever see another band remotely as great as the Clash.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1148764468059395852006-05-27T22:00:00.000+01:002006-05-27T22:15:39.726+01:00

I've almost finished 'Gestalt Therapy Verbatim' by Fritz Perls and it really is one of the most extraordinary psychological works I've ever read. There are a number of thrilling encounters between Fritz and group members that had me gripped and it's easy to get a taste of his genius with communication and ability to facilitate the growth of others.Highly recommended for anyone concerned with

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1148415843718977482006-05-23T21:16:00.000+01:002006-05-23T21:24:03.760+01:00

I've nothing particularly profound to report here re. my life, so instead I'll recommend Justina Robson's fine SF-mystical novel Natural History, a great read, it's really, really good, promise! It's wonderful how she's managed to weave a difficult 'concept' such as non-duality into a work of fiction, go on, get a copy, you won't regret it.

martinnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1147722085602464952006-05-15T20:38:00.000+01:002006-05-15T20:42:21.616+01:00

I'm really too tired to write much. Am reading 'Gestalt Therapy Verbatim' by Fritz Perls, which is excellent and thought provoking.There is quite a lot of old video footage of Fritz in action, doing his thing...I'd love to see some.

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1146906144004484952006-05-06T09:56:00.000+01:002006-05-06T10:02:24.006+01:00

One has to keep on working at it though, I can already start feeling the resentment rising again. Man, life is so tiring when tied to this defense, defense, attack, defense game. All this energy spent bolstering up 'me!', poor little me.Just imagine life without that, imagine the lightness, the ease...Of course, this isn't an attack on anger, it's easy to fall into the trap of seeing ego as enemy

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1146902600540420692006-05-06T08:55:00.000+01:002006-05-06T09:55:46.390+01:00

The newly designed Ken Wilber site is built largely in Flash, potentially shutting out blind and physically disabled users. I find this astonishing, though not surprising; the Integral Naked site is an accessibility nightmare, over-engineered and difficult to navigate.I sent an email to the designers of KW's site asking whether accessibility was built into the design. I await their reply with

martinnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1146854050402382642006-05-05T19:25:00.000+01:002006-05-05T19:57:34.230+01:00

So, there's this old pal of mine and he's come over from Canada to see his mates in the UK, and I know he's been here more than a week...and not yet contacted me. And the stories in my mind kept turning, the resentment rising, the stories turning, the tales told, getting bigger and stonger, more angry and...well...so on and so forth and it was making me unhappy, all this resentment is not

martinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1146768634391671362006-05-04T19:47:00.000+01:002006-05-04T19:50:34.403+01:00

A quick note. I arrived back from France and caught this virus and am only just getting rid of it. Almost three weeks, I've never been this sick for such a long time, horrible. I'm so glad to be feeling better...anyway.My new fav blog is: Integral Options CafeI'm on election duty tonight, making sure our website has all the results. The borough who's site I manage might change hands for the

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1145658134112832982006-04-21T23:19:00.000+01:002006-04-21T23:22:14.123+01:00

Arrived back from a lovely holiday and immediately went down ill with a virus that had me off work for three days. Only started feeling ok today. So am not going to write much tonight. I came across a wonderful site for all us Londoners and those interested in forgotten things:www.derelictlondon.com - check out the pubs section, all very sad and nostalgia-inducing in a wasted 1980's kind of

martinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441069.post-1144521564762727982006-04-08T19:18:00.000+01:002006-04-08T19:40:34.743+01:00

I'm going to the Limoges for my holidays on Tuesday. I'm pleased to get away right now, I'm feeling pretty fed-up with work. It will also be Harry's first time out of the country and his first time on a airplane, he's dead excited about the prospect of flying. As am I. I still love flying, the thrill of take-off and landing is as great now as it was when I was Harry's age.Perhaps part of the

martinnoreply@blogger.com1