Waitiing in the Wings

I've recently been watching a video which gave me pause for thought.
May I share some of these thoughts with you?

As I see it, the world is in need of imaginal cells.
What do I mean?  Let me explain.
Imaginal cells are the cells inside the caterpillar which emerge in the larval stage and slowly unite to form the butterfly.  As the caterpillar's other cells disintegrate, so these new cells gain strength.

Ultimately, a previously hungry, destructive, earthbound life-form is changed from within to become an air-bound creature of delicacy and beauty.


I wonder, did something else come to mind as you read that description?
Wouldn't you agree that, at this point in time, our world is caught up in a similar state of confusion and self-destruction . . .  and that we, too, are desperately in need of imaginal cells to bring about a similar transformation?

We won't dwell on the confusion and antagonism that is surging around at the moment . . . let's look instead for the possible existence of those life-changing cells.

First of all, surely they can be found in all activists for climate change, and in every effort being made to conserve the environment, and to show love and respect for our fellow creatures?  Only this week, an imaginal cell was activated in Oxford.  The principal of St. Edmund Hall, Prof. Katherine Willis, made the inspired decision to coat the walls and terraces of the college with flowers, plant life and shrubbery.  What a pleasure for every passer-by . . . what a benefit to the Oxford environment.

And that wasn't all this week.  It's only a matter of days since the Girl Guides in the UK made a pledge to tackle plastic pollution.

Imaginal cells are found in trust, compassion and understanding.  They thrive on happiness and love, and shine the light of positivity into the darkness of negativity.

It would seem that we have a choice to make . . . are we to be part of the disintegrating and self-destructive caterpillar, or imaginal cells with our sights set on future transformation?

Is there a butterfly waiting in the wings . . . ?

We can only hope.

To watch the two-minute video I mentioned at the beginning,  click here  . . and enjoy!

What can we do?

At a time when we're all badly in need of good news, I apologise for drawing your attention to a powerful video that's far from encouraging.
It lasts for little more than one minute, but it packs some hard punches.

And the subject it covers?
Yes, you've guessed . . . it's plastic.

As we learned last week, micro-plastic particles have somehow managed to spread to the remote, snowy wastes of the Arctic.  Plastic, it seems, has permeated every corner of our planet.

How did it achieve such a feat?  To give you one alarming example, whenever plastics are dumped in landfills, the hazardous chemicals seep underground when it rains, infiltrating into the aquifers and water table and indirectly affecting groundwater quality.  It's a sobering thought.

And that isn't all.   Did you know, at this moment, you and I are inhaling particles of plastic?
Recent comprehensive tests, undertaken in both urban and rural areas, have shown conclusively that plastic particles are to be found in the atmosphere.  What's more, they're now known to have infiltrated the food we eat.

And things get worse.  Plastic, which was originally made from cellulose found in plants and trees, is now almost entirely made from oil, natural gas, coal and minerals.
It could well be said that, in excavating for the source of plastic, we are making a major contribution to climate change.


However, it's a complex situation because there are other important factors.
Did you know that here, in the UK, we produce over one and a half million tonnes of plastic raw materials annually?
Not only that, with the UK's plastic processors consuming over three million tonnes, the UK is one of the five top processors of plastic in the EU.

I'm typing this letter to you on a plastic keyboard,  I've just been speaking on my plastic telephone . . . plastic is big business.

Yet, whilst accepting that plastic is now an inevitable component of modern life, with a factor to play in our economy, surely we should be attempting to remove the large percentage of unwanted plastic that our thoughtlessness has allowed to escape into the environment?

If, as it would appear, we are all of us breathing, eating and drinking invisible particles of plastic on a daily basis, isn't it time to take action?
Surely we should be doing everything we can to extract it from the air, the water and the soil?

With which thought in mind, let's return to the video I mentioned at the start of this letter.
I'm sure you'll agree that it needs to be seen, it needs to trigger our anxieties and activate our future actions . . . so, please click here.

LATER
Thank you so much, Marion, for your immediate response, and for telling me of the tiny nation which is waging war on plastic - there's still room for hope.
Let me share this encouraging development . . .  click here.

For want of a lead!

Hello, it's Chloe here . . . may I share some thoughts that have been niggling me . . . thoughts about the ups and downs of having a boyfriend?


As I've discovered with Blue, having a boyfriend in your life is a very good thing.  I'd be the last cat to argue about that.
It makes your ears prick and your whiskers quiver with excitement . . . oh no,  I certainly wouldn't want to go back to being on my own.

But, for all that, I must admit that boyfriends also present problems.


Now, unlike Blue, I'm very lucky to have a harness and lead . . . and a co-operative Mum on the other end.
Thanks to my lead, I have a very full life outside the garden.

I travel in my Mum's car . . .  we go visiting . . . my Mum takes me for walks in the country . . . I get out and about and thoroughly enjoy myself.

When I'm with Blue in the garden we play.  We have great games together . . . and can sometimes end up feeling quite exhausted.

But Blue is convinced that it's my lead that enables me to go through the garden gate and do exciting things in the world outside.

And, as you'll see in this picture, he wants the lead for himself.
He does his very best to grab it so that he, too, can go outside the garden gate.

But, just between you and me, I'm not at all certain that this would be a good idea.

Wouldn't you agree that there's something rather special about being the only cat in the company of a lot of highly respectful and helpful humans?

Would it be the same if Blue was there as well?
No, I'm not at all sure that it would.

True, I love to sniff noses and play with Blue in the garden. 

But, when it comes to being appreciated by a crowd of humans at a pub lunch . . . being admired on a country walk . . . or bringing pleasure to the patients at the nursing home  . . . well, and don't tell Blue I said this, there's a lot to be said for being a celebrity cat on your own!

Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts.  You've helped me make up my mind that, although it's great to have a boyfriend, they're best kept for games in the garden . . . and without leads!

Action needed now

I wonder if you  heard the sobering news that came out of Alaska last week?

For the first time since records began, the temperature in this US state, part of which lies inside the Arctic Circle, rose to ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
When one takes into account the fact that, at this time of the year, the normal temperature in Alaska is around fifty degrees, that is a mind-boggling increase.

The outcome?
Not only is the ice melting on an unprecedented scale, but the state's economy is suffering accordingly.
In addition, thousands of puffins are dying . . . the fish they need for sustenance are moving further north to avoid the warming seas.

But Alaska isn't alone, let's switch our attention to Greenland.  Here the story is equally serious.

It's hard to accept that the huskies in this picture are paddling through water that, until quite recently, comprised a firm surface of frozen snow . . . climate change has reduced the surface area to water.

Wouldn't you agree that we are, in effect, on board 'The Titanic', fast approaching the iceberg of climate destruction.   However, instead of concentrating on the approaching iceberg, we're most of us fixated on our current political chaos.
When some new climate revelation hits the headlines, we briefly register shock.  But, all too quickly, this is pushed into the background and our attention goes elsewhere.

"We shouldn't be talking about 'climate change', it's a 'climate crisis'," declared the UN Secretary General's representative recently.  "This isn't about the future," she insisted, "this is about today, adaptation and resilience are urgently needed now."

True, in this country, although the temperatures are rising, we're not faced with the prospect of losing our homes to rising water levels, as are the inhabitants of Bangladesh.

However, as the waters rise around the planet, so the amount of habitable land is shrinking and the world's population is growing.

What's more, the turbulent weather is worldwide, only this week fatal floods hit northern Spain  . . .  we are all in this together.

So, let's follow the guidance of the young people, and take the UN's advice to heart.
As Sir David Attenborough told MPs in the House of Commons yesterday, the climate crisis must be at the forefront of every consideration, making it the key motivation in all we do . . . reducing our carbon emissions, eating less meat, making fewer journeys, and, above all, treating our irreplaceable planet with the care and respect it deserves.
Time isn't on our side.

May I leave you with the thoughts conjured up by a very sobering video from the southern hemisphere.  Click here to see just what it is that we've activated . . . and let it inspire you to do something about it.

In the palm of my paw!

Hello, it's Chloe here. . . my Mum has just gone out, so may I up-date you on my relationship with my boyfriend, Blue?
I'll be as quick as I can before my Mum gets back.

Well, between you and me, what I'm learning fast is that there's a lot more to this girlfriend/boyfriend business than I originally thought
. . . much, much more!

It's not just a simple question of kissing noses and sitting together on the garden seat . . . oh no, far from it!

True, we do kiss noses when we meet, and that's nice . . . there's nothing like a loving kiss to put a quiver in your whiskers.

But, if he wants to continue kissing when we jump up  together on the seat, well . . .  no girl wants her kisses to be taken for granted, and I tell him so!

A playful biff on the nose gets my message home loud and clear!

As well as playing together, something we both enjoy, I encourage him to come with me and my Mum when we explore the garden.

We find all sorts of unexpected things, and you'll never guess what we came across the other day.
My Mum says it's a lion, and I suppose she knows what she's talking about.  But I must say it took me by surprise!

If lions can stare, I said to myself, then I can stare too!
Mind you, I think Blue was a little worried, he thought I'd found a new boyfriend!

Every morning, when my Mum and I go into the garden after breakfast, Blue is waiting for us by the garden gate.


I'm really very fond of him, and I know that I'd miss him terribly if he wasn't there.


Nonetheless, there's no doubt that a boyfriend needs to be told who's in charge . . . and, as a good girlfriend should, I always try to do just that!

Wouldn't you agree that I've got him firmly in the palm of my paw?
Let's hope so!

Anything we can do . . .

"Anything  you can do, I can do better.  I can do anything better than you."
So wrote Irving Berlin in his well-known song.

It's an attitude that we humans have adopted in relation to all other life on the planet.  In our eyes, we can do better than anything else.

But have we, I wonder, been very, very wrong?

If you happened to read the January issue of"The National Geographic Magazine", or watched "Springwatch" last week, you'll have been as surprised as I was to learn that plants can 'hear' bees buzzing.
Not only that, they can distinguish the buzzing of a bee from the buzzing of a fly, and respond accordingly.

In a recent experiment, scientists found that, when a bee flies near to a flower, the plant will produce  a sudden burst of extra sugar to entice the bee to alight and pollinate.  The buzzing of a fly, or any other similar vibration, fails to produce the same response.

And did you know that trees communicate with each other below ground level?
The forester, Peter Wholleben, tells us that trees work actively to keep every member of their community alive.  The key, it seems, lies in the so-called Wood Wide Web.

He writes of fungal networks that link the trees' roots and form a wide-ranging network of communication.        Trees, it seems, nurture their saplings, curb the aggressive, and generally keep their community strong.
Trees care for each other.

Click here to watch a fascinating video which demonstrates exactly how the Wood Wide Web operates.

Another surprising fact that's come to light recently relates to moths.  Despite going through the biological meltdown that turns them to 'soup' in their larval stage, scientific tests have shown that moths have clear memories of the environment they experienced as caterpillars.
 A moth with memories?  It's an intriguing thought!

However,  did you know that, thanks to our destructive interference, the insect population is at crisis point?  Seventy per cent of the UK's insects have disappeared in the last twenty years.
What's more, we've destroyed a tenth of Earth's wilderness since the turn of the century.
We've a lot to answer for.

But let's return to the song that started our discourse.
Let's acknowledge the fact that life on Earth isn't a question of competition . . . of doing better, of being better.  This is where we've got it so very wrong.
Every species on this planet is part of the whole . . . an inter-connected, integrated whole.  Each has its own vital and intelligent part to play.

Mightn't we be wise to show a little humility?

Shouldn't we think, as we hurry heedlessly along, of the silent but active fungal communication taking place beneath our feet?
Shouldn't we pause to watch in wonder as the bees answer the summons of the nectar-laden flowers?
Are we totally forgetting that the oxygen produced by trees, and the food germinated by insects, are vital to our survival?

After all, when it comes to the crunch, it's we who need the natural world, it hasn't the slightest need of us. 
No scientist would disagree with that proven fact . . .  but surely, if we're to survive, it's one we should take very seriously?

A breaking bough

Perhaps the most unexpected outcome of the recent fire at Notre Dame was not what was lost, but what was saved.

The majority of the irreplaceable treasures inside the building were taken to safety.  The altar and the choir stalls survived.  The stonework and most of the glorious, stained-glass windows remained intact.

But which of the survivors of the fire were ultimately of the greatest value to the world at large?
Surely it must be the two hundred thousand honey bees who were housed on the roof.  Initially, the bees were thought to have died, but the carbon dioxide from the fire put them to sleep.  They were later discovered, intoxicated but alive, safely housed inside their hives.

There's no denying that Notre Dame is both awe-inspiring and truly magnificent.  But, much as we would miss such fine, historic buildings, ultimately we could exist without them.

However, as Albert Einstein declared, "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live."

As in Paris, here in London we are also supporting bees.
This week, a seven-mile long 'bee corridor' is being planted in Brent in an effort to boost the number of pollinating insects.

But, worldwide, there is little good news on this front.  Our indiscriminate use of pesticides has caused the insect population to go into sharp decline.

Nor are they alone.   I'm sure you've read details of the very sobering, UN-backed report that was published the other day.  It didn't pull its punches.

Over a million species, it states, are currently threatened with extinction.  The world's biodiversity is fast vanishing, and one in four species is at risk of disappearing.  This includes forty-three per cent of amphibians, twenty-five per cent of mammals, thirty-four per cent of conifers, twenty-two per cent of coral reefs, and fourteen per cent of birds.

Tell me, when did you last hear a skylark  . . .  or a cuckoo?

And the reason for this dire situation?
Yes, you're quite right.  As with the the current climate crisis, human activity is largely to blame.
Habitat degradation, thoughtless exploitation, deforestation and plastic pollution lie at the heart of the problem.

We are, in effect, sawing through the branch we are sitting on . . . and it won't offer us security for much longer.

Have we arrived at this realisation too late?  Who knows.  With many world leaders denying climate change, with mass felling of the remaining rain forests, and our UK politicians preoccupied with Brexit, it would seem that there's little or no hope of a positive political initiative.

However,  the people at large may be waking up and experiencing a change in perspective.

Not only are we losing patience with our political leaders, but, more importantly, we are becoming aware of wider issues.

For centuries we've put our economic needs at the top of our agenda.  Albeit belatedly, we're now realising the need to bring the intrinsic value of nature into our economic thinking.

For centuries we've considered the human race to be separate and superior to all other species.
At this eleventh hour, could it be dawning on us that we're but a fragment of an united and inter-dependent whole?

And this is where, as I'm sure you've noticed, two people have stepped into the limelight.  Two people who strongly believe in our ability to wake up and change . . . one of whom is old and experienced, the other young and passionate.

No-one has done more to draw our attention to the critical situation of life on the planet than the veteran naturalist and broadcaster, David Attenborough.

Whilst the Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg, prompts young people worldwide to take action, motivates the Extinction Rebellion movement, and succeeds in rallying politicians to her cause.

So, with David Attenborough to instruct and guide us, Greta Thunberg to inspire us, and the bees of Notre Dame and Brent to give us hope . . . we may not deserve it, but surely there's still time to strengthen our fragile branch before it breaks?
And, if you want to petition Parliament for support, then why not click here.

Advice on Offer

Hello, it's Chloe here  . . . have you a moment for a chat?

I thought that perhaps you might like an up-date on me and Blue     . . . and how we're getting on.

I'm delighted to tell you that our friendship is growing by leaps and bounds . . . particularly when I leap on his tail and he bounds away!

I don't want to sound smug, but, well, after my experience, I thought that perhaps I could offer some suggestions to anyone else with a boyfriend.

Not only on how to get to know each other, but on how to make sure you keep his interest going .  . . whilst remaining in charge of the situation!

The most important thing,  or so it seems to me, is to demonstrate that your feelings are genuine, but that you're no pushover.

As you can see, a kiss on the nose when you meet conveys all the right intentions.

After that . . . well, you can play with each other as much as you like.

You can also enjoy a brief cat-nap together when you start to feel tired.

Mind you, not all Blue's ideas are good ones.
I've found that he can sometimes over-reach himself and be more than a little cheeky.

You'll never believe what he did the other day.

He took my lead in his mouth and had the nerve to try and take me for a walk!

Was I going to let him get away with such impertinence?
Not on your whiskers!


So,  here's what I'd recommend to anyone with a boyfriend in her life.

Let him gaze at you as much as he likes, but don't always satisfy him by gazing straight back . . .  let him know that he's got to work for your affection.
Then, turn and look at him at the very moment when he's giving up hope
. . .   it always works!

But I must go . . . it's time for my Mum to take me for a walk in the garden.
I wonder . . . do you think we'll see Blue!

Good news from the front line!

It's hard to come across good news at the present time, but here's a hopeful story from the United States which I'm delighted to share with you.

What's more, it comes from a most unlikely source . . . and could even have a happy ending!

As you'll remember, when Donald Trump was campaigning to be President, one of his campaign promises was to build a wall along the Mexican border.

We can think what we like about walls in general, but, by and large, as structures between nations they haven't a good history.
The Berlin Wall, and the current wall in Jerusalem, spring to mind . . . together with the tensions and divisions they've both caused.

Trump's Mexican wall is strongly opposed by the Democrats and, until recently, seemed unlikely to receive the necessary massive funding.

But all that changed last year when the President took matters into his own hands.

Nonetheless, it seems there's still ground for hope.  The President's plan is being opposed and taken to Court. 
And who are the litigants?  You'll never guess!
Believe it or not . . .  it's the butterflies who are fighting back!

The fight is being waged from The National Butterfly Center, a preserve in the heart of the area in question.
Occupying over a hundred acres of marshland, brush and scrub forest, the Center runs beside the Rio Grande River and along the border with Mexico.
A much-loved environmental preserve, it is now at the heart of a raging debate.

The Directer of the Center, Marianna Trevino Wright, whom you can see in this photo, has confidently embarked on what could prove a multi-year series of Court battles.

"We're suing," she says, "over the violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act, and the de facto seizure of our property, as well as multiple other egregious acts by Border Patrol."

Having already raised over $100,000 from countless keen supporters, she intends to continue this battle for as long as it takes.  Her tenure as Director has no time limits.  Donald Trump, on the other hand, is shortly up for re-election.

As we'd all agree, an aspirational cloud of butterflies is a sight to take one's breath away.

Might we hope that they'll fly higher in the Court's estimation that the President's fear-fuelled ambitions?

We can hope . . .
The one certainty?  Time is on the side of the butterflies!

Some good news!

Would you like some good news for a change?
News that isn't controversial, disruptive or alienating . . . news that will bring us together, something to celebrate and endorse?


With all that's been going on over the past few weeks, these items could easily have escaped your attention.
So, to restore your faith in humanity, let me share them with you.

The news in question relates, rather unexpectedly, to the country's prisons.
Did you know that, in this country alone, over two hundred thousand children have a parent sent to prison every year?

It's a sobering thought, and the effect on each child can well be imagined . . .  these children proving three times more likely than their peers to fall into anti-social behaviour. What's more, over fifty per cent of boys who have a father in prison will, unsurprisingly, go on to offend themselves.


So, what's been happening to help correct this disturbing trend?  First of all, a prison in North Somerset had decided to take serious action.  A new wing has been added which is used exclusively for family visits.  This has become a place where the prisoner can respond intimately to the needs of his children . . .  where time can be spent playing, cuddling, or helping with homework.  What's more, if a prisoner wants to learn more about his child's progress at school, teachers are being encouraged to visit the parent in prison.

The outcome?
To date, the children concerned have reacted with considerable positivity.  Most of them now feel more comfortable at discussing their parent's situation.  The sense of stigma has eased, and the parent in prison continues to play an important and active role in their lives.


Nor is the prison in North Somerset alone in recognising the need for improved prisoner/child relationships.

In 2003, Sharon Berry, a writer and prison visitor, set up a charity called 'Storybook Dads' (later to be joined by 'Storybook Mums') which, at that time, operated from Dartmoor prison.

Now, sixteen years later, a hundred prisons are involved in her scheme.
And what do they do?  They encourage prisoners to make audio recordings of stories, stories which can then be listened to and enjoyed by their children

Not only do these recordings provide an invaluable link between the prisoners and their families, but the act of making the recording offers the prisoner an occupation that is both positive and creative.
It's an activity for which they receive the charity's guidance and support, something to be valued in the often hostile environment of prison life.

And the outcome for the prisoners?
Those collaborating in this scheme have shown a markedly diminished tendency to re-offend, whilst family relationships have been sustained and broadened.

So, please, whatever the news this week, whatever the turbulence, discord and divisions . . . just remember that in some prisons, at least, life is actually becoming better!

A Me Too Cat!

Hello, it's Chloe here.
I'm sure you're far wiser than me, but I've discovered something recently that has certainly got my whiskers twitching.

Would you like to know what it is?

As my Mum is out of the room at the moment I can keep my paws on the computer and tell you all about it.

What's been bothering me is the fact that this boyfriend/girlfriend business is far more complicated than I'd realised.

Yes, as we agreed before, Blue is the perfect boyfriend . . . he's handsome, persistent and polite, and there's no doubt he's very fond of me.
I'm not arguing about that.

But, sad to say, he also suffers from what seems to be a very common male delusion . . . he thinks that he's the one who should always be on top.

True, we kiss noses as equals when we meet.
But, when we go on to play together, he's convinced that he should be the one who leads the way up the tree, or up the steps, or up the wall . . . enjoying a higher position from which he can look down on what he hopes will be his admiring and subservient girlfriend.

What he doesn't seem to know is that, nowadays, girl humans make a lot of fuss and come together to say Me Too when they think boy humans have been unfair.

Quite rightly, female humans won't let themselves be left at the bottom of the tree, or down at the bottom of the steps.

I share their feelings, and Blue has now discovered, in no uncertain fashion, that his new girlfriend is most definitely a Me Too cat!

Up the steps he went the other day, fully expecting me to remain politely and admiringly in his rear.

Not on your whiskers!
I soon let him know that, where Me Too cats are concerned, it's the girl who leads the way!


It didn't take very long and, after I'd made my point . . .  well, you should have seen the difference!

There we were . . .  me up at the top of those steps with Blue below me.  What's more, he was gazing up at me with a newfound respect in his eyes.

Not only that, he rolled over on his back to prove just how much he accepted my superior position.

Do you see what I mean?

And there's one more thing, something of which I'm quite certain . . . Blue finds a Me Too girlfriend to be far more fun than a subservient and passive one!

You ask him!