R's rue

During the hours of darkness, it used to be the case that towns and cities in Great Britain were illuminated by low pressure sodium lamps. They created a strange orangey glow in the sky that could be seen from miles around and impaired viewing of the heavens above. Five or six years ago, Sheffield City Council began to remove sodium streetlighting, opting instead for LED lighting. Now it is pretty much citywide. This project was undertaken for two main reasons. Firstly, LED lighting is kinder to the planet as LED bulbs use significantly less electricity than sodium lamps. Secondly, the quality of light produced by LED bulbs is more natural, closer to daylight, reducing accidents on urban roads and pavements ( American: "sidewalks" ). At this time of year, many of Sheffield's street trees are in full blossom, waiting for a big wind to blow the petals away as bees and other pollinators work as quickly as they can to maximise fertilisation. Sadly, the gaudy display of ...

I’m going to London for a flying visit next week. I’m meeting my friend Alex who lives in Poland. We are going out to eat, we are going to the National Theatre and he’s sharing my hotel room  in the nice trendy hotel in Covent Garden. We are, after last year ..what is unfortunately termed  friends with benefits  Something my gay mate Dave rolled his eyes rather theatrically at. “ Now John”, (Dave gave me lecture over the phone) “ one of the rules of friends with benefits is that you never have a sleepover,”  I didn’t know that rule. More eye rolling from Dave  He helpfully listed the rules for me  “ make sure you are emotionally adult for this relationship…..don’t be lovely dovey, set boundaries, don’t expect too much, prioritise friendship over sex, don’t fall in love” I listened with interest  Now I’m not Mary Poppins people, and I’m not a fool either. I like Alex as a friend and I like him as a FwB but it’s clear we will never be a...