Author Archives: simplyradical

Walking the Wild

Posted on June 20, 2021 by simplyradical

Walking the Broomway Living in the city during a pandemic often feels claustrophobic. And yet wild, empty places exist not too far away. Including this ancient causeway I visited a few years back…. It was a hazy Sunday afternoon, and … Continue reading →

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Walls come tumbling down

Posted on September 7, 2020 by simplyradical

‘But it’s got no zip!’ I’m staring down at a limp piece of khaki-coloured plastic, laid out on a darkening woodland floor. It’s a bivvy bag, but not like the one I used last time, which was thick and had … Continue reading →

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Extinction Rebellion: activism is an anti-depressant

Posted on May 12, 2019 by simplyradical

As a group of Extinction Rebellion activists glued themselves to a DLR train at Canary Wharf three Fridays ago, a message popped up on the group’s Facebook livestream: Activism is an anti-depressant. Eighty-two-year-old Phil Kingston was among those up on … Continue reading →

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New Year Intentions: Being while Doing

Posted on February 6, 2019 by simplyradical

Is it possible to feel good at the same time as getting shit done?   This New Year I stood round a bonfire at a wonderful Buddhist retreat in the English countryside and made an intention to ‘combine doing with … Continue reading →

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Screw you, Facebook: Why I’m joining the monthly digital detox revolution

Posted on December 2, 2018 by simplyradical

Forget Christmas Day and Black Friday – will you be marking Moonstruck Day? The next one falls on Saturday December 22, just after winter solstice. It’s the day of the full moon, and for 24 hours we’re invited to join a … Continue reading →

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The colour’s coming back in

Posted on April 30, 2018 by simplyradical

Like post-war technicolour movies, colour has come back to the landscape, despite a winter which wouldn’t let go. In another throwback to the 1950s, the 2018 Doomsday Clock is now at two minutes to midnight, where it last was in … Continue reading →

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Getting through January: with a little help from the starlings

Posted on January 24, 2018 by simplyradical

8am on a gloriously bright January morning. The storm last night has washed the sky clean of cloud and the light is strong and clear, purged of dust. I should be getting ready for work but instead I’m lying up … Continue reading →

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Inner city mindfulness

Posted on February 2, 2016 by simplyradical

The kernel of this blog is simplicity. If we could only move our lives back into simplicity, so many of our contemporary problems would diminish or depart entirely. And I find it ridiculously hard to do sometimes. The ‘things to do list’ only … Continue reading →

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A better life is possible – I’ve seen it

Posted on September 30, 2015 by simplyradical

This blog started out as a record of my attempts to ‘escape the system’ and live more lightly and simply on the planet. Over time it’s become more focused on nature as a theme, and I’ve posted poetry as well as prose. … Continue reading →

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On time and patterns

Posted on May 17, 2015 by simplyradical

for ‘our pictures, your words’ event at the fantastic Made in Greenwich gallery May 2015. Inspired by Nicola White’s fish, Deborah Larne’s Signs of Serendipity (and accompanying music) and David Weekes’ Greenwich railway station painting, all part of a Made in … Continue reading →

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