Adieu from the Rabbit Hole

I was reminded today that this site still existed. I’m afraid I started and abandoned it in rather quick succession due to a change in personal circumstances that rendered it such a low priority I mentally consigned it to the scrap heap. If you’ve come here looking for any interesting insights into me, horn playing, food or anything much else then I’m afraid you won’t find it.

One day, maybe, I may take up the gauntlet again but, until then, pass the lettuce…

Organic Debate, Update

I never thought I’d recommend reading the Daily Mail, but the article at http://tinyurl.com/luh593 is well worth reading.  In it, Joanna Blythman suggests that “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the FSA has decided to give such loud backing to this report because it can bend the findings to suit its political, pro-GM, anti-organic agenda … Ever since its creation in 2000, the Food Standards Agency has been biased against organic farming”, and, supporting my own view having read the research paper, “even in the context of the latest report from the FSA, the spin does not match the reality. For, contrary to all the hype this week, the Agency’s own published research shows that organic foods are clearly far better for the consumer even just in nutritional terms”.

It does make you wonder…

Organic ‘has no health benefits’

For those of you living on the far side of the moon, the title of this post refers to recent coverage in the media of a report, published by the UK Food Standards agency (FSA), comparing non-organic and organic food and is taken from the BBC’s coverage (http://tinyurl.com/ldgzwh).

The FSA report focuses on trying to determine whether organic food provides better nutrition than non-organic and, almost incidentally, whether there may be health benefits.  It concludes that both types are nutritionally similar and that there were few health benefits to organic food and yet, it explictly ignores the effects of pesticides and farming methods (the full report is at http://tinyurl.com/nzk7d4).

I am, therefore, somewhat confused by the ”no health benefits” claim which the media are picking up.  Over-use of anti-biotics, which is common outside of organic farming, may well be one of the major reasons for the development of resistant bacteria strains.   Pesticide residues in meat and vegetables continually rear their ugly heads (remember when we were all advised to cut the tops off our carrots?).  No health benefits???

I don’t buy organic for the things that are in it and what it does, I buy it for the things that aren’t in it and the things it doesn’t do.  Here are some of the the issues which lead to me buying organic food: taste, texture, antibiotics, pesticides, growth hormones/promoters, ethics / animal welfare, environmental impact and biodiversity – the list goes on - but I don’t ever recall thinking it would provide more or better nutrition. 

The FSA are saying that this report is a great thing for consumers, who will now be able to make more informed choices… I don’t agree.  It seems to me to be so limited in scope that you could argue that it misleads more than it informs.

Arundel Cathedral, Sunday July 26th

Sussex Festival Choir and Sinfonia da Chiesa Performed the ROSSINI STABAT MATER and PUCCINI MESSA DI GLORIA with soloists Felicity Lott, Ann Murray, Neil Jenkins and Michael Bundy.

Proceeds of the concert will be donated to hospices and, at the time of the concert, were expected to exceed £7,000. Well done to all who took part without fees, including the choirs, orchestra, conductor and soloists. The concert was sold-out so a big thank-you to the audience too!

The concert was a huge success with spirited performances of both works. I would be more than happy to post a review of the concert but, unfortunately, the acoustics of Arundel Cathedral (a.k.a. “the biggest bathroom in the world”) prevented me from hearing the whole concert, from my end of the orchestra, well enough to review it. I can tell you that the unaccompanied choir sections in the Rossini were superbly sung – and ended on the right note, however, beyond that, not much that was going on reached as far as the Rabbit Hole (2nd Horn desk) before being mashed up by the bathroom acoustic. The horns, needless to say, had a riproaring time and also produced some fine delicate playing.

Next year’s concert is on Sunday July 25th and will include Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.

Mixed up Sky

Skyscape

 

Photograph of the sky over Tongham today.  A real mix of high-up cirrus type clouds and quite low, lumpy grey clag.  I suppose, there’s an outside chance that the lumpy grey clag is something to do with the Hog’s Back Brewery but it seems unlikely – they’re normally pretty clean there.

 

There’s no reason at all for this being here except that I wanted to test the WordPress App for iPhone.  On the whole, it’s better than nothing, but it only has an HTML editor, nothing WYSIWYG.  That’s OK for me, but it’s not ideal for the average “punter”.  Maybe there’s a PRO version I’ve missed…?

 

I suppose I can always try editing through the iPhone web browser but how well that (Safari) will work with WordPress is an interesting question.

Two Dogs Eating Supper

Here are two happy dogs eating their suppers.  Not much more to be said about it really.  They waited patiently all through from lunchtime until supper-time.

Nice Bottle

 

Wine Bottle

Couldn’t resist buying this…  naturally, for the rabbits on the label which are very fine and splendid looking beasts.  At the time I bought it I was wondering whether it would be tasy as well.

Update (15 July) – actually, it was surprisingly drinkable!  A nice, crisp, juicy sauvignon blanc, somewhat betraying its New World origins but quite well balanced and not too “big”.  The only problem nowis that I have no carrots left in the fridge where I placed the bottle to chill prior to consumption.