Carbon Giant Footprint!

I've just calculated my carbon footprint - and it's nearly 11 tonnes! Help! It's more than the average Brit. I think my car mileage doesn't help, and I'm not sure I calculated that right. I must go back and look at my records and see whether I can work out what the annual mileage really is...

Big sigh. Time to do some more green stuff. I thought we were pretty good really - we buy some of our food at the farmers market, I'm getting going on the allotment, growing some of our own food. A very little this year, but then it is our first year! We turn appliances off at the wall when we're not using them, lights off when we leave the room, don't have the heating going if we don't need it, don't take that many flights. I thought.

It did occur to me - I wonder how accurate the calculator is? Hmmm.

Ha! Just used another calculator, and it's just over 9 tonnes. Still not good though...

Keeping up with current affairs...

Two things we should be doing this weekend according to the Indie on Saturday:

"If you have water to spare, give it to courgettes and beans..."

"Remember to water trees and shrubs that have been in place for less than a year. One long soak is far better than several sprinkles"

I know that these gardening advice columns are done long in advance, but it strikes me that while our gardens look like this, we don't need to hear advice on watering. It feels just plain lazy not to acknowledge that nowhere in the country needs to be watered right now.

Another car rant...

This car belonged to the finance director of an NHS trust. The sign is not difficult to understand. The grass had been churned up to an ugly mess and people parking on the verge were getting in the way.

The designated car park was just down the hill.

Pet hate number two

To add to the list

Another pet hate I've discovered recently...

Imagine yourself driving to a little country town, finding a long stay car park, and wishing to park to spend the day. You can see lots of parking spaces, it's early in the day, but only one pay machine for the whole car park - say 100 spaces or so. So, you pull up by the pay machine, switch off the engine [presumably], purchase your ticket, get back in the car, fire it up again and drive, oh I don't know, 100 yards to the parking spot. Then you get out and walk into town.

Why? It must take longer, it doesn't save walking that far, or much time. And anyway, you're in a car park which is a long stay one, so it's a walk into town anyway, you must be able to walk it. So why do it? You are irritating some of us - there's no designated waiting bay for people too lazy to park properly and walk back to the pay machine, so we have to squeeze past on our way to park.

I suppose it's divine retribution, and I should give up the car and take the train...