Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries

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The Monarchist gave Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries glowing reviews...

In one chapter, the reader travels on a mystical journey in search of the temple, ark and holy grail; in another, we are guided through a museum of holy crowns, sacred oil, swords and lances and other totems of antiquity. We begin to recover our lost senses...the question of why we dream of exploring mysterious islands or finding lost treasures; of why we value such hidden relics and attach almost divine significance to mystical regalia; is a curious one. Extrinsically, the Magna Carta of King John, and the Coronation Stone, are almost worthless objects; one is a discoloured old parchment, the other is made of mere sandstone; their value lies in sentiment alone. Destroy sentiment, however, and all that the human race holds dear vanishes with it; one might as well be a cow. One might as well be - dare we repeat it - a completely de-spiritualised republican.

Click the link and begin your pilgrimage!

British Birds Under Threat

http://www.rspb.org.uk/

We can help our birds - and it is so easy and pleasant to do.
British Birds Under Threat - On a wing and a prayer
RSPB - How to help birds on your farm
RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

Misery Bear's World Cup

Sweet and rather sad.
Link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00887k5

Beautiful Cambridge

Sloane Rangers and others are certain to find this gallery of beautiful low-light and night photographs of Cambridge, England nostalgic and refreshing to the spirit.
Fine art prints are available for purchase, and photographer Sean T. McHugh discloses of some of his methods and offers a discussion board for fellow photographers. Top-notch.

The Passionate Planters

Image: Cedars of Lebanon planted at Chelsea Physic Garden in 1683; watercolour by Fuge.

How Britain Became a Nation of Gardeners.
Delightful and informative article from THE LADY.
Link

“I found the Gardener’s Dictionary , first published in 1731 by Philip Miller, and was most surprised to find just how many plants had been introduced into Britain in the 18th century. There was a network – of English merchants, American farmer John Bartram and famous Age of Enlightenment figures, such as Carl Linnaeus, Benjamin Franklin, Hans Sloane and Joseph Banks – which stretched across the world, importing and selling plants by the thousand.”

It was their stories that inspired her to write her gem of a book, The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession . It was on a mission on behalf of the great botantist Carl Linnaeus, that Daniel Solander arrived on our shores in 1760 and wrote back: “The English are all more or less gardeners.”

Wulf explains that this came with the spread of the British Empire, which brought access to plants as never before.

Findhorn

Findhorn Foundation
Articles on Findhorn and sustainability by Jonathan Dawson at
The Guardian

British UFO Files Released

Not Time Lords, but still entertaining - government UFO report is here.

Cup of Brown Joy

For your inner Young Fogey - or Steam Punk. This is surprisingly catchy - join me for a cup of tea and watch! Will you take Earl Grey, and do you prefer Wedgwood from 1920 or Meakin Indian Tree from 1937?

And I would be remiss if I did not offer you this compilation of links to Steam Punk/Neo-Victorian sites. Down the rabbit hole!