The Extreme Staycation

Location: London, UK  COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Meanwhile, in Australia, there are two fairly huge environmental issues which need to be known about by the wider world. Most people are of course aware of the devastating bush fires which swept Australia late last years and for the first quarter of this year.  Bush fires are a naturally occurring thing down under, but this scale was unprecedented. Now some time has passed and authorities are beginning to get an idea of just how big the damage to the animal and wildlife populations these fires was - they estimate that  3 billion  animals were hurt or killed.  Koalas, one of Australia’s indigenous and iconic animals will be extinct by 2050 if serious intervention doesn't take place now.  It's a shocking and very upsetting thought. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-53549936 Elsewhere in Australia, water is the problem, with coastal erosion causing millions of dollars of damage to ...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I'm half Australian (which half I hear you cry?) and to celebrate my mum's birthday (she is the Aussie half) I made Lamingtons. For the uninitiated, a lamington is a sponge cake with jam in the middle, dipped in a chocolate sort of sauce and then rolled in coconut. I wanted a vegan recipe but I also wanted it to be written by an Australian (as they know what they should taste and look like!) so found this winner!  Enjoy! https://www.mckenziesfoods.com.au/recipe/vegan-lamingtons/ My photo below - also featured are some pecan and chocolate chip cookies - recipe from Lucy Watson.

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Is nature takings it's revenge on us? That's a pretty bold statement and the short answer is that clearly I don't know. Nature is pretty awesome - the way it can be destructive and regenerative. The huge bush fires that devastated Australia recently were unprecedented in their scale but fire is normal there and part of the cycle.  Nature should hopefully kick in and the plant life at least should soon start to recover.  The scale and damage to the wildlife population though is not yet fully known. What's my point?  Well the video below is an example.  As populations and their demands have grown, we have spread further and further into the habitats of many animals and plants, cultivating the land for ourselves and our selfish needs.  Now some of the animals are tentatively venturing onto land that was once their home. As air travel has reduced our air is clearer and clea...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Self-Isolation I am a big fan of Neighbours . Yes it's still on Yes really Channel 5 Yes, still twice a day.  Three times actually, I think it's also on 5Star... Anyway, now is a great time to re-connect with your friends down-under as last week was EPIC.  There were late night episodes!  Deaths!  Marriages! And don't worry if you haven't watched it since the early 90s, half the old characters have come back to celebrate it being 35 years old. So that's my top tip for today - Neighbours - cos everyone needs good friends