Winter

We seem to have had our winter last week. Prior to that I had been wondering if it was worth while keeping the heating on as the temperatures were keeping so high, and looking at the lovely pair of gloves I was given for Christmas and wondering if I would wear them this year. Then the temperatures suddenly dropped to 1 to 3 degrees. On one memorable walk on the beach I was hailed on viciously for the last fifteen minutes whilst returning to the car, and even with gloves, hat and scarf I was sooooo cold and numb. And then, just when I had got into the habit of adding the necessary layers, the temperatures went back up.

Was that it?

The green, green grass of home

I know it's been a mild winter. I know it's been a wet winter. But the lush emerald green of fields, not just now, but through the winter, has really surprised me.

Recycling

I have had a think about recycling. Recycling basically means finding another use for an item instead of disposing of it. Recycling is so linked to waste disposal that I need to understand more about waste disposal before I can progress on my understanding of all the issues with recycling.

Meanwhile, here are a few links:

Jersey government sites:

"Wacky Waste Facts"

Full detail of waste disposal and recycling services

Energy from waste

May 2005 Solid Waste strategy

Energy from waste project FAQ

Waste Management

Waste Management Part 2

Waste Management Part 3

Waste Management Part 4

Waste Management Part 5

Waste Management Part 6

Waste Management Part 7

I thought 14.6 of the Waste Management (Island Plan 2002) covered most of my concerns, which are broadly that the whole thing needs to be looked at form an island perspective:

"The decision whether to recycle materials or not depends upon a number of factors, including the availability of raw materials, energy consumption in collection and processing and any environmental implications. It is counter-productive to recycle if doing so has a greater impact upon the environment than disposing of the waste. Furthermore, a recycling scheme that might be cost-effective in the UK might not be viable in Jersey if the material has to be shipped out for recycling, even if there is considerable capacity to export materials in the ships going to the UK. The local market for recycled goods is another important consideration – for certain materials the economics of recycling become marginal and other waste management options further down the ‘waste hierarchy’ may be more appropriate."

I shall read further.

Smoking Laws

There is a letter in the paper today from a very disgruntled truck driver, who cannot now smoke in his truck, as it is his workplace.

Hurrah!

I bet his driving has improved now he is no longer: carrying a burning stick, and passing it from hand to hand to tap out the ash; bending over his lighter to light a fresh "ciggie"; opening his window (one hand) to toss out the filter (held in his other hand); shaking his next fag out of the packet; trying not to burn his leg on the end of his "ciggie" when turning a sharp corner. I was the only non smoker in my family, and three out of the four of them smoked whilst driving. Only one continues to smoke, and now does not smoke whilst driving, having come to appreciate the risks. Trust me, being their passenger is a lot less stressful now.

Remember the "Hands Off" campaign? It appears to have had it's 15 minutes, but it was always unbalanced, as evidenced by the name. Surely the idea is that people should have hands on the wheel? At the height of the "Hands Off" campaign I saw a truck bombing round Beaumont filter in turn from Beaumont Hill, heading into town, steering left handed - the driver's right hand wrapped round a baguette, and I saw a woman driving through town to drop her child off from school, and as she crawled forward (with pedestrians hovering on the edges of the pavement watching for a tiny break in the traffic to squeeze through) she was leaning up close to the rear view mirror applying mascara.

Free Jersey linked to an article about how it is more dangerous to drive for a living than it is to smoke. Maybe the ban on smoking in the workplace will actually improve the risk for some employees who drive all day (or night) in Jersey, improving the mortality rates for both smokers and drivers.

Where to buy

I have been looking for a washing up bowl. The only place I could find one was in Woolies. None of the supermarkets seemed to carry them, and "The First Place" is closed, hopefully temporarily. I kept thinking that there are 80,000 to 90,000 people in this island, making lots of households with at least one washing up bowl per household. Is Woolies the only place to sell them?

I can buy a washing up bowl online, if I want to spend £40 plus on a designer article. There are some places that sell your basic washing up bowl, but the postage would double the cost of the bowl.

Maybe this is why there is such a lack of the bowls for sale in the island, they take up a lot of shelf space, and make little profit.

Incidentally, whilst researching online I found a 2000 BBC report on bacteria in the kitchen in which an "infection expert" spoke of the bacteria breeding capabilities of washing up bowls. He also said that washing up should be done with bleach. What a yucky thought. Bleach may get rid of germs, but when it comes to lumps of dirt, it just makes them invisible. I bet he makes his wife do it though.

05/01/2007 Update. Walking through the co-op in town heading to the furniture department I noticed they carry cream washing up bowls. The Woolies ones are silver. So, now I have found a choice of colours at least! I hadn't thought to look in the co-op homeware store.

Sausages

We tried the sausages from the Classic herd farm shop. Yep, they were very meaty, and no gristle. I think they were Lancashire sausages, and they were very herby. Personally, I prefer a plain sausage, herby meat always makes me think that the herbs are disguising bad meat, but my partner is a fan, so that is what we had. We have not been able to try any other sausages as the abattoir has not been open. I guess it proves how fresh the meat it!

The milk is cheaper than the supermarket as well. The milk is sold in one or two litre plastic jug/bottles, which I like. Far less messy.

I saw the calves my partner mentioned.

Happy New Year

Hoping that 2007 is good for Jersey.