Category: This and that


Da Vinci’s last garden.

Gallery
Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment
22/08/2014

Jardin's avatarJardin

Leonardo da Vinci was already in his sixties when he was prevailed upon by King Francis I to move to the French court at Amboise in the Loire valley.

Chateau d'Amboise Chateau d’Amboise

The King provided the Château du Clos Lucé, 300 metres from the royal Château d’Amboise – “here you will be free to dream, to think and to work”, said the king, and it was here that da Vinci was to spend the remaining three years of his life, working on perfecting his inventions, his creative mind never still.

The view from da Vinci's bedroom of the Chateau d'Amboise and the Church of St Hubert, where he was buried The view from da Vinci’s bedroom of the Chateau d’Amboise and the Church of St Hubert, where he was buried.

Da Vinci was a true Renaissance man, not just the artist renowned for “The Last Supper” and “Mona Lisa”, but a sculptor, engineer, inventor, architect, anatomist, botanist and creator of lavish court festivities. At Clos Lucé today, reconstructions of…

View original post 379 more words

Comment

Sewefontein – 1878

Gallery
Filed under: This and that — 1 Comment

Brigid Jackson's avatararistonorganic

Sewefontein (1878) is a tranquil Old World farm accommodation located in the heart of Namaqualand.

The farm offers seven fresh water fountains, natural swimming pools in the river, hiking trails, waterfall and canyon, Rock Art, wild flowers, rich animal and bird life.
http://www.nieuwoudtville.com/sewefontein/

View original post

Comment

Pic-post: Plastic Bottle Tool Tidy

Gallery
Filed under: This and that — 1 Comment
Comment

Regional free trade agreements: secrecy, safety and sovereignty

Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment

canwefeedtheworld's avatarOne Billion Hungry: Can We Feed the World?

ID-100223935New global trade deals are currently being negotiated, in part arising from the failings of the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Round. Proposals include the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). There are, however, many questions on what these agreements will include and what they will mean for those excluded, particularly poorer, developing countries.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States that could be finalised by the end of 2014. On the one hand such an agreement could boost multilateral economic growth while on the other it could increase corporate power perhaps at the expense of public benefit.

Although the EU released a document in July entitled, State of Play of TTIP negotiations ahead of the 6th round of the negotiations, the content of negotiations…

View original post 1,192 more words

Comment

August 17, 1771 (a Saturday)

Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment
17/08/2014

Bruce's avatarProfessor Olsen @ Large

On this date, Joseph Priestley began an experiment in which he discovered photosynthesis, although he did not give it that name. He described his experiment in 1772 in a paper entitled “Observations on Different Kinds of Air”:

…I flatter myself that I have accidentally hit upon a method of restoring air which has been injured by the burning of candles, and that I have discovered at least one of the restoratives which nature employs for this purpose. It is vegetation. In what manner this process in nature operates, to produce so remarkable an effect, I do not pretend to have discovered; but a number of facts declare in favour of this hypothesis…

One might have imagined that, since common air is necessary to vegetable, as well as to animal life, both plants and animal had affected it in the same manner, and I own that I had that expectation, when…

View original post 439 more words

Comment

Africa: a continent of resilience and opportunity

Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment
15/08/2014

canwefeedtheworld's avatarOne Billion Hungry: Can We Feed the World?

ID-100224355Africa is often referred to as a continent of opportunity, economic or otherwise. In part because of the progress made – since 2000, rates of extreme poverty and hunger have dropped as have the number of new HIV infections, and access to education and health care is increasing. But also due to the predicted changes to take place over the next few decades – 6 of the 10 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, and a growing youth population means that the continent will have a working-age population bigger than that of China or India by 2035.

Indeed the theme of the first ever US-Africa Leaders Summit which recently drew to a close, was “Investing in the Next Generation.”. 40 or so heads of states and government from across Africa joined President Obama in Washington to discuss the opportunities for developing sustainable African economies. A key message from the summit…

View original post 687 more words

Comment

Hungry to learn: The rise of Home Grown School Feeding

Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment
14/08/2014

canwefeedtheworld's avatarOne Billion Hungry: Can We Feed the World?

By Sunit Bagree, Partnership for Child Development at Imperial College London

An innovative approach helps smallholder farmers and supports children’s education at the same time

What does it take to get a child to attend school regularly and then learn effectively when there?

Common responses to this question would probably include things like no school fees, well-trained teachers and high-quality textbooks. Others would likely argue the need to combat discrimination faced by certain marginalised groups (e.g. girls, orphans and children with disabilities) both inside and outside of the classroom. Indeed, all of these are essential for building strong education systems and ensuring that every child enjoys their right to education.

policy doc coverI doubt that many answers would highlight the role that smallholder farmers can play in educational participation and achievement. Yet a new policy paper from Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development shows how food grown by some…

View original post 572 more words

Comment

Urban oasis opens at Sutton House

Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment
Comment

GARDENS OF AMSTERDAM – GEELVINCK HINLOPEN GARDEN

Filed under: This and that — Leave a comment
13/08/2014
Comment

International Green Wall Conference 4-5th September 2014

Filed under: Design, Gardening techniques, This and that — Leave a comment
12/08/2014

Specifier Review's avatarArchitecture, Design & Innovation

Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent

Meeting the Challenge of a Sustainable Urban Future: the contribution of green walls

Anyone concerned with the quality of life in urban areas will find the conference of interest.

Green walls are an important component of Green Infrastructure – possibly the only cost-effective approach to coping with some of the immense challenges currently facing urban areas:

  • Climate change (coping with extreme events, e.g. heat waves, flooding),
  • Pollution (including health impacts),
  • Lack of wildlife habitat,
  • Social problems (including mental health) resulting from high-density urban living.

Green walls are easier to retrofit than many alternatives, take up less space, and can be rapidly deployed.

12th May 12_1 email

The Green Wall Centre

At Staffordshire University researchers have been studying the environmental and biodiversity values of green facades and different living wall systems in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Birmingham, London and the Greater London area.

Taking advantage of this expertise, and experience with different commercial…

View original post 262 more words

Tags: , ,
Comment
Finding Nature

Nature Connectedness Research Blog by Prof. Miles Richardson

Families Connect

Norfolk Green Care Network

Connecting People with Nature

Discover WordPress

A daily selection of the best content published on WordPress, collected for you by humans who love to read.

Susan Rushton

Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life

Unlocking Landscapes

Writing, photography and more by Daniel Greenwood

Alphabet Ravine

Lydia Rae Bush Poetry

MU Library Treasures

TIME GENTS

Australian Pub Project, Established 2013

Vanha Talo Suomi

The Journey from Finnish Rintamamiestalo to Arboretum & Gardens

Marigolds and Gin

Because even in chaos, there’s always gin and a good story …

Bits & Tidbits

RANDOM BITS & MORE TIDBITS

Rambling in the Garden

.....and nurturing my soul

The Interpretation Game

Cultural Heritage and the Digital Economy

pbmGarden

Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy

SISSINGHURST GARDEN

Notes from the Gardeners...

Deep Green Permaculture

Connecting People to Nature, Empowering People to Live Sustainably

BloominBootiful

A girl and her garden :)

Winterbourne House and Garden

greygoosedotco.wordpress.com/