One thing that is obvious to see is that Spain has a lot of vertical living. Spain has a similar population density to Ireland and could build outwards. However, that is not the case.
I am currently residing in a fifth floor apartment of a residential block amongst many others. This is good use of land. There are many recycling bins on every street with regular collections. The UK could learn a lot from vertical living.
Most urban dwellers wouldn´t know what to do with a garden so leave the green spaces to the parks. Gordon Brown can have his 3 million new homes. Rather than building on green fields they could be built up into the sky. There are 24 residences in the block that I am temporarily living in and the footprint is no bigger than the space used by 4 houses.
Okay, me voy a comer.
Que bueno
Thanks to all for e-mails and comments. I will get round to replying when I return to England next week. Mind you, I only bought a single ticket so we will have to wait and see about returning or not.
Well, I am here in Madrid and thoroughly stuffed with bocadillos de morcilla (though I prefer to call it moronga), which are sandwiches of black pudding or blood sausage. Though this is not Astrurias there is still good cider to wash down my meals.
It is greener here than I thought. It is brown and dusty in the centre of Spain but there is plenty of tree cover. I saw plenty of oak, sweet and horse chestnut, birch and of course many pine trees to keep me happy.
I was in Segovia yesterday and was impressed with their recycling system. There are recycling bins like in any town. However, the ones in Segovia are linked by an underground conveyor system. You won´t find any overflowing bins with waste litering the surrounding streets in Segovia. I do hope the Mafia don´t find out otherwise the system might find a secondary use for the disposal of bodies.
It is more than warm enough here. Tomorrow I am off to Andalucía to have a look at some farms. This is more of an expedition to see if I can take the climate. Do I go north of Madrid or south? Time will tell.
Nos vemos.
Well, I am here in Madrid and thoroughly stuffed with bocadillos de morcilla (though I prefer to call it moronga), which are sandwiches of black pudding or blood sausage. Though this is not Astrurias there is still good cider to wash down my meals.
It is greener here than I thought. It is brown and dusty in the centre of Spain but there is plenty of tree cover. I saw plenty of oak, sweet and horse chestnut, birch and of course many pine trees to keep me happy.
I was in Segovia yesterday and was impressed with their recycling system. There are recycling bins like in any town. However, the ones in Segovia are linked by an underground conveyor system. You won´t find any overflowing bins with waste litering the surrounding streets in Segovia. I do hope the Mafia don´t find out otherwise the system might find a secondary use for the disposal of bodies.
It is more than warm enough here. Tomorrow I am off to Andalucía to have a look at some farms. This is more of an expedition to see if I can take the climate. Do I go north of Madrid or south? Time will tell.
Nos vemos.
Me voy a España
Off to Spain tomorrow for two weeks. Sun drenched beaches, English food, warm beer, sun burnt skin and "'ere we go! 'ere we go!" are not for me. I shall be in Madrid for a few days then off to northern Andalucía and then one from Galicia, Asturias or Cantabria. A whistle stop tour of Spain just to get a feel of the place.
I have only been there twice, Barcelona in 1969 and 2003 so I need to see more of the land of one of my great grandmother's before I make my mind up. But what I want there is a quarter the price of what it is in Ireland so it really is a matter of finding the right part of Spain.
It is going to be interesting talking in laid back Mexican Spanish with hundred word a minute Spaniards.
Hasta luego mis amigos!
I have only been there twice, Barcelona in 1969 and 2003 so I need to see more of the land of one of my great grandmother's before I make my mind up. But what I want there is a quarter the price of what it is in Ireland so it really is a matter of finding the right part of Spain.
It is going to be interesting talking in laid back Mexican Spanish with hundred word a minute Spaniards.
Hasta luego mis amigos!
Car boot sale tips
1) One person's junk is another person's treasure so don't assume that nobody is going to be interested in what you think should go in the bin. You can always have a tray of £1 each junk and see what people offer you for it.
2) Turn up at the sale before the advertised opening time to get a good pitch. If you are late then you are often squeezed into an inconvenient place and are likely not to get many customers passing your stall.
3) Just like in a real shop, presentation of your wares is important. I borrowed some trestle tables from a friend so that people don't have to bend down to see what you have laid out on a blanket. Have everything neatly placed. If you have no room then maybe keep some things in your car until space is available. Similar items can be kept in the car and you can mention it to a customer that you have something similar if they show interest.
4) People go to car boot sales because they want a bargain. Initially, set prices higher than what you want. As the day progresses, gradually lower the price to a level that you are happy to sell at and someone is willing to pay for it. Also, be prepared to nudge the price up again if a new enquirer comes to your stall. It's a matter of sizing up the customer.
5) Be courteous, smile and say hello if you get eye to eye contact with a customer. A lot of customers keep their heads down and just rummage through your stuff and move to the next stall if they don't see anything. Some people are friendly and engaging. My best value sales were to people who were outgoing and friendly. I didn't have any sales patter but if you can develop it then it can only help. My father said, to someone who enquired about a harmonica, "Stevie Wonder wanted to buy it but couldn't find the stall." That left a big smile on the face of the enquirer and they sold for a reasonable price. I got the harmonica as a free gift so that sale made 100% profit!
6) Stay clear of the other stalls. The point of a car boot sale is to downsize your life and get people to pay for removing junk from your own home. I don't see the point of wasting the money you have made by filling your car up with new junk. As downsizers and freegans, we know that there is free stuff elsewhere or we can make do, mend or make it ourselves. Have pity for the people buying your junk but don't join them. Stay clear of the refreshment stalls too. You will be standing for a few hours so bring your own refreshments rather than paying for over-priced refreshments.
7) Not all of your stuff is saleable. Remember to deduct the admission fee from your takings, fuel costs for your car etc. and decide when enough is enough and that a future car boot sale will result in a loss.
8) Most car boot sales do not permit professional traders. The government does not mind you making a little money from your cast-offs. However, making regular income from say selling flowers from your allotment or cheap imported clothes counts as taxable income. You could mask the fact by having a few tables of junk from your home that makes it look as though you are not a professional seller. You could specialise in children's clothes and toys and intersperse them with other junk to make it look as though you have a child that has outgrown what you are selling. The risk is entirely yours.
9) Do not sell collectables or valuables. They are better off being sold in an auction, either on eBay or in an auction house. Car boot sales are for absolute bargains. You will make more money in an auction with things of value.
Apathy in suburbia
My visit to my parents' house is accompanied by frustration. You can forget the "If it's yellow let it mellow..." mantra in this house. My mother has now taken to flushing twice when she goes. First to get rid of my urine. "It smells!" Then she flushes again after her job.
I will probably have to go outside as I did when I fertilised my compost heap with urine. That's if I can get out of this house. Apparently, urban house doors have these things called keys and you need a bunch of them to move around this house.
There is a recycling scheme in this district. No matter how much you explain it my parents don't understand. Mixing unrecyclable plastic wrappers with plastic bottles and giving up on small pieces of paper that are put in a bag and driven to a dump to avoid being told off by the bin men.
All the CFL bulbs that I put in the lamp sockets a few years ago were found at the back of a cupboard, replaced by 100 watt incandescents. "They hurt my eyes!" What?
My father moaned that the fridge was "on" all the time. It was wedged up against the wall and couldn't dissipate any heat. My mother prefers aesthetics to efficiency. And that's the problem. My Victorian parents are stuck in the mud. "We are not having/doing that. Nobody else in this street has/does that."
I don't think my parents are in a minority though. Most urban dwellers either don't understand or don't care enough. It's not helped by a new prime minister who doesn't care either. Gordon Brown knows that his time as PM is limited and wants to make a short-term name for himself by building millions of houses, more airports, and roads. Any carbon emission cuts have been quietly forgotten. Without a pro-active government the population takes the easy option and that is "carry on as you were".
Guardian - Millions say it is too much effort to adopt greener lifestyle
I will probably have to go outside as I did when I fertilised my compost heap with urine. That's if I can get out of this house. Apparently, urban house doors have these things called keys and you need a bunch of them to move around this house.
There is a recycling scheme in this district. No matter how much you explain it my parents don't understand. Mixing unrecyclable plastic wrappers with plastic bottles and giving up on small pieces of paper that are put in a bag and driven to a dump to avoid being told off by the bin men.
All the CFL bulbs that I put in the lamp sockets a few years ago were found at the back of a cupboard, replaced by 100 watt incandescents. "They hurt my eyes!" What?
My father moaned that the fridge was "on" all the time. It was wedged up against the wall and couldn't dissipate any heat. My mother prefers aesthetics to efficiency. And that's the problem. My Victorian parents are stuck in the mud. "We are not having/doing that. Nobody else in this street has/does that."
I don't think my parents are in a minority though. Most urban dwellers either don't understand or don't care enough. It's not helped by a new prime minister who doesn't care either. Gordon Brown knows that his time as PM is limited and wants to make a short-term name for himself by building millions of houses, more airports, and roads. Any carbon emission cuts have been quietly forgotten. Without a pro-active government the population takes the easy option and that is "carry on as you were".
Guardian - Millions say it is too much effort to adopt greener lifestyle
A tale of two driving styles
Both myself and my father are driving the jeep at the moment. It is a tale of driving styles from two different eras. My father learnt to drive on his father's farm when he was a boy some 60 years ago. He drives a car like a farmer on a tractor too. Stomping on the accelerator one moment and stomping on the break a few seconds later. My father was born in the years of apparent plenty. Petrol shortage? What petrol shortage? There's no teaching that old dog new tricks.
My style is more eco-conscious. Not 100% eco-conscious otherwise I wouldn't have bought the jeep in the first place. I accelerate gently. I coast whenever possible. Regardless of anyone behind me I limit myself to 50 mph. I look ahead and calculate in my mind when to take my foot off the accelerator and coast to the bend or junction. The aim is to use the brake pedal as little as possible. If you accelerate into a braking area then all the energy put into building up the car's momentum is lost as heat in the brakes and not in moving the car forwards.
I might be an annoyance to youngsters who want to race everywhere or to people with more money than sense who want to show off the speed of their sports car but I think I will be driving longer than they will. Many of them will end up dead or broke.
My style is more eco-conscious. Not 100% eco-conscious otherwise I wouldn't have bought the jeep in the first place. I accelerate gently. I coast whenever possible. Regardless of anyone behind me I limit myself to 50 mph. I look ahead and calculate in my mind when to take my foot off the accelerator and coast to the bend or junction. The aim is to use the brake pedal as little as possible. If you accelerate into a braking area then all the energy put into building up the car's momentum is lost as heat in the brakes and not in moving the car forwards.
I might be an annoyance to youngsters who want to race everywhere or to people with more money than sense who want to show off the speed of their sports car but I think I will be driving longer than they will. Many of them will end up dead or broke.
Did I really just see that?
I came down from the attic with a few more boxes for Saturday's car boot sale. I sat down for a rest and decided to see what was on the television. There's a channel called Five US with American programming. A NASCAR race was on. Slightly more interesting than Formula 1 as cars were actually overtaking and re-overtaking quite frequently.
At the end of the race the winner was interviewed. Half-way through the interview the driver grabbed a can of beer, pulled the tab and launched into a promotion of the brewer that sponsors his team. The interview concluded with the driver reeling off all the lesser sponsors of the team and then inviting everyone in TV land to open a can of X and join him in celebrating.
Is that what a driver should be doing? The race is over but still the connection between driving and drinking is there. Do we really need to be advertised to every second of our lives? I have been away from the consumer world for four years. Things have changed.
At the end of the race the winner was interviewed. Half-way through the interview the driver grabbed a can of beer, pulled the tab and launched into a promotion of the brewer that sponsors his team. The interview concluded with the driver reeling off all the lesser sponsors of the team and then inviting everyone in TV land to open a can of X and join him in celebrating.
Is that what a driver should be doing? The race is over but still the connection between driving and drinking is there. Do we really need to be advertised to every second of our lives? I have been away from the consumer world for four years. Things have changed.
The other option
I went to a canal boat marina today and had a look at some narrowboats. A 60 feet long wide-beam (10 to 12 feet wide) boat is a floating apartment. Of course, there is no land attached so either a small plot would be bought or rented for growing or food would have to be bought or bartered for.
Pros include "getting away from it" with the option of a new view whenever it was wanted. Other pluses are heating with a wood stove, production of own electricity and fuelling the diesel engine on bio-fuel or a steam engine.
A big wide-beam boat would not be able to navigate the spurs off the main canals but a large deck could hold a scooter for nipping off to the local village or town. Shells are available for boat builders at a reasonable cost so you can fit the boat out to your exact specification.
I shall be off to Spain in a while to look at some small farms. I will then be a position to decide where the next chapter of my downsized, green lifestyle will continue.
This country is spooky
My visits to the UK are now spaced out over a number of years. That means that changes to the country where I was brought up, by my Irish parents, are glaringly obvious. Not so to those who live here permanently and have not noticed the creeping changes to their lives.
Most days a helicopter hovers over the town directing police operations. On the road I must have bounced over hundreds of sleeping policemen (traffic calming bumps). I have crawled along streets in a car with speed cameras. I have probably been viewed on a CCTV camera thousands of times during the week and a half that I have been here. I guess a small island with a heaving mass of 60 million individuals is going to need a lot of controlling in the years to come.
Now I am in danger of being stopped in the street and being asked for my DNA. They say it will be destroyed if I have not committed a crime but DNA is just a long string of nucleotides that can be stored in digital form, copied and distributed. It doesn't matter if they say that they have destroyed your DNA. Your genetic fingerprint is stored and that is that.
Now that the Labour party has targets for all public servants I am sure there will be bonuses for the number of DNA profiles a policeman can collect in a week. It is not that difficult to gather DNA. Just offer someone a drink and then swab the glass where their lips touched the glass.
So glad that I am only visiting.
Guardian - Police may be given power to take DNA samples in the street
Most days a helicopter hovers over the town directing police operations. On the road I must have bounced over hundreds of sleeping policemen (traffic calming bumps). I have crawled along streets in a car with speed cameras. I have probably been viewed on a CCTV camera thousands of times during the week and a half that I have been here. I guess a small island with a heaving mass of 60 million individuals is going to need a lot of controlling in the years to come.
Now I am in danger of being stopped in the street and being asked for my DNA. They say it will be destroyed if I have not committed a crime but DNA is just a long string of nucleotides that can be stored in digital form, copied and distributed. It doesn't matter if they say that they have destroyed your DNA. Your genetic fingerprint is stored and that is that.
Now that the Labour party has targets for all public servants I am sure there will be bonuses for the number of DNA profiles a policeman can collect in a week. It is not that difficult to gather DNA. Just offer someone a drink and then swab the glass where their lips touched the glass.
So glad that I am only visiting.
Guardian - Police may be given power to take DNA samples in the street
Laws for the rest of us
I stopped taking politicians seriously long ago. As George Monbiot discusses in his latest article corporate power has risen dramatically in recent times. Politicians may talk about climate change but those roads and airports are going to get built anyway.
Laws are being used by corporations and politicians in devious ways so that the elite can separate themselves from the rest of us as the world's problems increase.
Guardian - Because it is illegal, the climate camp is now also a protest for democracy
Laws are being used by corporations and politicians in devious ways so that the elite can separate themselves from the rest of us as the world's problems increase.
Guardian - Because it is illegal, the climate camp is now also a protest for democracy
Bio-diesel trial suspended
UK coach company National Express has suspended a trial of bio-diesel for its vehicles. The company fears that fuel crops will damage bio-diversity and raise the cost of food production.
Guardian - National Express quits biofuel experiment
Guardian - National Express quits biofuel experiment
It isn't easy being green
Especially if you think walking to shop instead of taking the car will save energy. A study shows that being a car driving couch potato uses less energy than a walker who needs to eat larger amounts of energy to get to the shop.
If you believe the article then you must ask yourself if you really want a society full of overweight indolent couch potatoes. I saw one such person at the weekend, climbing into his car head first, was unable to use a seat belt and the seat was so far back he was almost driving from the rear seat. I think the study would need to include the amount of energy that will be used in medication when this person gets older.
Times - Walking to the shops ‘damages planet more than going by car’
If you believe the article then you must ask yourself if you really want a society full of overweight indolent couch potatoes. I saw one such person at the weekend, climbing into his car head first, was unable to use a seat belt and the seat was so far back he was almost driving from the rear seat. I think the study would need to include the amount of energy that will be used in medication when this person gets older.
Times - Walking to the shops ‘damages planet more than going by car’
Junk in the home and in the shops
I gathered two more box loads of stuff for another car boot sale. As an example of my inability to get rid of junk, I came across ticket stubs for a Carmina Burana concert in Mexico City in 1996.
My inability to get rid of anything must change as well as my collecting junk in the first place. I went into Argos a few days ago to look at MP3 players so that I could copy my music collection and sell the CDs. I also went into Halfords to look for an MP3 compatible radio for the car. I managed to leave both shops without buying anything.
Resisting the temptation to buy needs to be addressed. My visit to my parents' town home sees me visiting the supermarket for all my food. Every aisle has offers to buy 2 for the price 1. Yes, I would make a saving if I really needed 2 tubs of ice cream but the reality is I would probably eat both tubs in the time it would take to eat one so there is no real saving. These offers are part of the problem people have with keeping their weight down.
Another reason for being overweight could be seen when I went past my old schools. The playing fields upon which I played rugby and cricket have offices and houses upon them now. How are children meant to get into the habit of regular exercise without playing fields?
My inability to get rid of anything must change as well as my collecting junk in the first place. I went into Argos a few days ago to look at MP3 players so that I could copy my music collection and sell the CDs. I also went into Halfords to look for an MP3 compatible radio for the car. I managed to leave both shops without buying anything.
Resisting the temptation to buy needs to be addressed. My visit to my parents' town home sees me visiting the supermarket for all my food. Every aisle has offers to buy 2 for the price 1. Yes, I would make a saving if I really needed 2 tubs of ice cream but the reality is I would probably eat both tubs in the time it would take to eat one so there is no real saving. These offers are part of the problem people have with keeping their weight down.
Another reason for being overweight could be seen when I went past my old schools. The playing fields upon which I played rugby and cricket have offices and houses upon them now. How are children meant to get into the habit of regular exercise without playing fields?
Give junk the boot
I just came back from my first car boot sale. A TV, Scalextric, DVD player, projector screen, chess set and whiteboard proved to be sellers. A midi keyboard, Dilbert books, other games, old film cine and still cameras proved not to be sellers. I still have plenty more to be sold. It might go on eBay, Amazon or another car boot sale.
This is all part of my effort to downsize. I can't believe how much I have collected over the years. Impulse buys, failed hobbies, fads and fancies. Rather than throwing it all away, it makes sense to get others to pay to remove it for you. No matter how little you think something is worth, it pays to sell it on.
Any money I make will go into the bank and will only be used to buy essential items. Food, transport, energy making and cooking are the only essentials important to me.
This is all part of my effort to downsize. I can't believe how much I have collected over the years. Impulse buys, failed hobbies, fads and fancies. Rather than throwing it all away, it makes sense to get others to pay to remove it for you. No matter how little you think something is worth, it pays to sell it on.
Any money I make will go into the bank and will only be used to buy essential items. Food, transport, energy making and cooking are the only essentials important to me.
Downsizing
At the end of next week I will be taking 40 years of detritus to a car boot sale. A television, an 8mm film camera and projector, a 35mm SLR film camera, games, books and anything else I can find.
I had a 36-inch wide-screen television in Ireland, a remnant from my former life in London but sold it in Ireland afore I left. A fraction of the money received bought a TV receiver for my laptop. I don't watch much television so a laptop for the odd programme, DVD or CD is all I need. That means the sound system can go too. I'll put it on the pile.
I have collected so much junk over the years that there is no space to live in. Freeing up space will generate some cash and more space. I just want to be left with the essentials. Some clothes, cooking utensils, fishing and hunting equipment, my tools and my laptop. I have a library of books, which can be sold off as anything I want to know can be found on the Internet.
Downsizing my life will make it leaner and easier to maintain. A smaller residence to be found and only containing the items I need to live a simple life. A roof over my head, cloth on my back, food in my stomach, like-minded friends. Perfect.
I had a 36-inch wide-screen television in Ireland, a remnant from my former life in London but sold it in Ireland afore I left. A fraction of the money received bought a TV receiver for my laptop. I don't watch much television so a laptop for the odd programme, DVD or CD is all I need. That means the sound system can go too. I'll put it on the pile.
I have collected so much junk over the years that there is no space to live in. Freeing up space will generate some cash and more space. I just want to be left with the essentials. Some clothes, cooking utensils, fishing and hunting equipment, my tools and my laptop. I have a library of books, which can be sold off as anything I want to know can be found on the Internet.
Downsizing my life will make it leaner and easier to maintain. A smaller residence to be found and only containing the items I need to live a simple life. A roof over my head, cloth on my back, food in my stomach, like-minded friends. Perfect.
Oil hits new record price
Not due to the weather, where the Atlantic hurricane season appears quite tame for this year. It's due to the inability of the oil producers to meet demand. My temporary visit to the urban world shows a people dependent on oil for everything. High oil prices results in higher prices for raw materials, production of goods and transportation.
I'm glad to have sold my house and have money for investing. Inflation will force banks to increase borrowing rates. That will make saving more attractive. I am looking for some land with no intention of doing as I am told with regards to planning permission or regulations. It will be my acreage and I will do with it as I please.
The rest of my money will be invested in the stupidity of others. The less intelligent will pay up as oil can only get more expensive. That will inflate prices and make oil and mining companies attractive investments. Industrial food producers will be attractive investments too as the supermarkets ring more profits out of desperate urban dwellers. Of course, if you don't want me to profit from this then you know what to do.
I'm glad to have sold my house and have money for investing. Inflation will force banks to increase borrowing rates. That will make saving more attractive. I am looking for some land with no intention of doing as I am told with regards to planning permission or regulations. It will be my acreage and I will do with it as I please.
The rest of my money will be invested in the stupidity of others. The less intelligent will pay up as oil can only get more expensive. That will inflate prices and make oil and mining companies attractive investments. Industrial food producers will be attractive investments too as the supermarkets ring more profits out of desperate urban dwellers. Of course, if you don't want me to profit from this then you know what to do.
Build now, pay later
An article demonstrating how the UK has learnt nothing from its annual floods. If anything it compounds the problems by building on its flood plains.
Guardian - Pour response
Guardian - Pour response
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)