Going Solar March 2022

The solar panels installed on the east and west sides of the garage roof

With the drumbeat of climate change underscored by the scherzo of higher energy prices, I took the decision in January to add solar panels to the roof of the garage at Old Swan House. After some research, I contacted Project Solar, who appeared to have a good reputation and a substantial organisation, and was visited by Steve Gibson, an experienced project planner, who spent several hours over two visits to scope the site and provide a detailed quote.

He recommended the maximum capacity available - a 5.8kw capacity system and battery using 15 of the latest monocystalline solar panels on both sides of the garage roof. The garage is over 50 yards from the house (and so isn't subject the listed building regulation) and can only be seen from the garden or the lane, and isn't visible from either of my neighbour's houses, so  it doesn't intrude or alter anyone's view. Having contacted the Parish Council who confirmed informally that they could see no objection on planning grounds, I accordingly ordered the system, which was installed over two days, being completed on 10th March 2022. 

The installation team of Phil, Craig and Chris were experienced and worked quickly, but  there was a delay in the supply of the panel mounts. Nevertheless the team needed most or the two days to dig the trench across the drive and part of the garden and lead the cable though the house to the fuse-board by the front door. Phil, the electrician, said it was one of the most challenging runs he had done, as the result of  the age of the house and the complexity of its construction. Indeed, the panels weren't installed until 3pm on the second day and were completed at night. The system has worked perfectly from that time and is now producing over 20kw energy a day, which feeds the house, the battery and then the grid. As the days get longer, it should produce at least 25kw a day and fill the battery to capacity so that its energy can be used at night.

The Inverter and the battery. The system is connected to wi-fi and can be accessed on my desktop as well as by phone.

   

 

     

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Michael Ignatieff on Consolation - the Book of Job and the Psalms

Michael Ignatieff

Michael Ignatieff, whom I have long admired since reading his superb biography of Isaiah Berlin, has given us some fascinating reflections on the subject of Consolation, illuminating the Book of Job and the Psalms in a most enlightening way. His talk, the first of several on the subject of Consolation, can be found on BBC Sounds here. 

Favourite World Radio - KPCC at 89.3 FM

KPCC

I am a great fan of KPCC, part of the US National Public Radio (NPR) network of non-political radio stations much like the BBC. Indeed some of their output is taken from BBC and World Service programmes. It goes out on 83.9FM and as it comes mainly from Los Angeles, is first heard here at night. However, the programmes can also be listened to at any time by following the link to the schedule.

The particular programmes I listen to regularly are shown below - with their most recent broadcasts to give a flavour of what one hears. They are always instructive, in depth discussions, and call on the expertise of trusted experts to explain difficult subjects rather in the manner of In Our Time or the best of Woman's Hour. They always ready to examine both sides of an issue, which is a tremendous relief. The presenters are extraordinarily fluid and 'fluff-free', which makes them all the easier to listen to.  

1A with Jenn White - What China’s infrastructure investments in Africa mean for the world

'1A is a show for a changing America'.

On Point with Megan Chakrabati - Omicron and Health Care - What's Really Going on in America's hospitals 

'Let's make sense of the world – together. Produced by WBUR in Boston, On Point’s vibrant conversation covers everything from breaking news to ancient poetry, and features writers, politicians, journalists, artists, scientists and ordinary citizens from around the world'.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross - Heartbroken - There's a Scientific Reason Why Breaking-up Feels So Rotten - by Florence Williams 

'Fresh Air with Terry Gross is weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues with intimate conversations and unusual insights'. She is an icon in America and her warm humanity draws out the best in her guests. I have ordered many of the books reviewed with their authors here from The Bookmark. 

Lighting the Garden at Old Swan House

The garden lights now come on automatically based on a movement sensor

I began putting lights in the garden a few years ago, first down the path through the box walk so that people could come and go between the house and the drive without going over the lawn. I was lucky enough to find some beautiful old copper lights at Fickle Pickle and have them 'plumbed in' by the inestimable Brian Gill. They have been completely trouble-free ever since. 

Lighting the garden path 

Later, Brian put in some LED lights down the garden wall and two floods, one at the end in the wildflower garden and the other lighting the end of the orchard, but one had to go out an turn them on in the garage and on the patio, and one rarely took the trouble. 

Now, Rob Allnutt has changed these lights to come on automatically at night with movement sensors, but they will only stay on for about 15 minutes unless one keeps moving.

Solar light on one of the columns in the 'Florentine Garden'

Finally, I have put in some solar lights on the two new columns in the 'Florentine Garden'. The come on automatically as it gets dark and light then columns rather well, but don't last very long in winter as there is so little energy captured by the solar panel.

The lights even light the pond

    

 

Vandana Shiva on Quantum Theory

 "The pandemic has killed many people. And the pandemic is because we killed nature. The UN has admitted we are only treating the symptoms as a medical problem. The real disease is a disease of our separation from nature, our mastery over nature, our sense of disrespect for nature's laws, ecological limits and planetary boundaries. Every turbulent crisis we face today comes from the illusion of separation.

Quantum theory is all about interconnectedness. The world is about vibration. The world is about sound and light. This we know. And yet we constantly deny it. We separate ourselves. We separate our minds from our bodies. We separate the Earth from ourselves. We will not be able to solve either the human crisis or the planetary crisis by maintaining separation and the illusion of separate essential things. We have to realise that vibration is what runs the world and it's only when this vibration expresses itself you get a wave or a particle, health or disease, happiness and well-being or mental trauma and mental problems.

Every part of our body is intelligent. Every cell is self-organised. Every molecule acts in concert, from the molecule to the body, to the ecosystems, to the planet; it is one amazing quantum chorus. It's time to stop denying this.

We are not the masters of the Earth. We have to restore thinking about ourselves with humility and recognise there are other beings on this planet with us, and if you take care of them we create prosperity for all. My work over the last five decades in service to the Earth has shown the more we give to the Earth, the more she gives to us."

~ Vandana Shiva

Scholar, author, philosopher, environmental activist--often referred as the "Gandhi of grain" for her activism associated with the anti-GMO movement.

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Giles Wingate-Saul 1945 - 2021

 

Gules Wingate-Saul (right) with Julian Avery, John Collard and Richard Smith. Anglesea Arms, London 2026 Photo by Herry.

Giles Wingate Wingate-Saul was a friend from my schooldays when we were contemporaries at Winchester. We subsequently attended university together and for our last year at Southampton (where we both read law) we shared a cottage with Julian Avery (3rd from the left) on the edge of the New Forest outside Romsey.  

Julian, John, Richard, Giles and Herry at Blue Hayes in 2011

At university and subsequently we were both members of the 'Gentleman of Wessex' cricket team, and we met at cricket matches and events such as the reunion organised by Julian Avery at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1995. We both retired in 2006, but the both attended the reunion organised by tbe Law Faculty in 2007 where Giles was called upon to reply on behalf of the students.

Southampton Law Faculty Reunion 2007 - with Giles, Julian, John, Richard and others including some of tbe professors.

I think it was at that event that we determined to have an annual reunion consisting of Giles, Julian, John  Collard and me, and later Richard Smith. Thereafter we met annually in London or in Hampshire for lunch or dinner, often at one of the London Clubs (Julian was a member of Boodles). I also began to see Giles on other occasions as he came down from Cumbria to visit his daughter Lucinda, who was working as a doctor at Winchester Hospital. He came to stay at Old Swan House on occasion and we enjoyed long discussions, having similar views on life and the world. He also came with me to Litchfield, and amazed the congregation with his beautiful baritone voice. I hope we would always be able to meet, but that was not to be, as Giles fell ill in about 2017 and was unwell until he died in September 2021

At Gile's Thanksgiving Service in his home village of Rusland on a friend, David Allan QC gave a fine eulogy that appears here:

'I met and got to know Giles in the mid 1970s, not through meeting in Court or in chambers but through Giles being the organiser and captain of the Manchester Bar football team. A team that under Giles’s captaincy played regularly and met with much success. Giles was a solid centre back but if the truth be told he was a little susceptible to the high ball. As a high ball came towards him it was not unknown to hear a cry from Giles “over” and as the ball sailed over his head that was the signal for Giles’s fellow centre back to provide some rapid cover. Those who played for that team got enormous enjoyment from doing so and are grateful to Giles for creating and running the team.

Giles’s school was Winchester College, his university was Southampton where he read law . Giles was rather dismissive of his achievements as a student. I have chatted to Herry Lawford who was at school and university with Giles. Herry is here today. What Herry emphasised was not so much Giles’s academic abilities but the value of his friendship which lasted  a lifetime. Giles was a loyal and entertaining friend, he was a great storyteller.

Giles was called to the Bar in 1967 and joined Royal Exchange chambers in Manchester. He rapidly developed a very busy civil practice but was never too busy to help a fellow member of chambers. A few days ago I bumped into Keith Armitage who was also a member of Royal Exchange. Giles was some 2 or 3 years senior to Keith and when Keith was a pupil and in his second six months and so able to appear in Court it happened that late  one day he received instructions to go to Warrington County Court on an undefended divorce. The petitioner was seeking a divorce on the grounds of adultery. This caused Keith some consternation Not because of the adultery but the prospect of the journey to Warrington. There was no M56 or M62 to take you to the wilds of Warrington. So Keith approached Giles and suggested that Giles might like to take over this weighty undefended divorce. Giles’s response was to say no this is your case and you must do it but I will drive you to Warrington County Court and I will drive you back again to Manchester. Giles did just that. Keith got his lift but sadly did not get his divorce. Undefended it may have been but he could not prove adultery. What struck me on hearing this story from some 50 years ago how like Giles and how he never changed. Kindness and doing the right thing were so much a part of his character.

I forgot to ask Keith what car Giles was driving. Was it his splendid and beloved Lotus.

Giles’s abilities as a barrister, his talent and hard work were recognised and he achieved silk in 1983 becoming a Queen’s Counsel just after his 38^th birthday, an unusually young age to achieve . He joined Byrom Street Chambers  in Manchester and London. The head of Chambers was Ben Hytner. Taking silk at the same time as Giles and joining Byrom Street with him was Giles’s friend David Clarke. I’m reminded of David’s description of Giles: intellectually principled, rigorous, focused but also warm in friendship and very good company.

 As a silk Giles was always in demand. He combined meticulous preparation  and fine judgment with an unerring grasp of legal principle. Giles was the master at drilling down into a case  to reveal its key points. His practice covered both claims for catastrophic injury and weighty commercial matters.  When acting for a claimant if the defendant was not prepared to pay the  value of the case as assessed by Giles then he  was always ready to fight the case. In Court  he was a formidable presence. He advanced his arguments cogently and forcefully.  

 

You’ll know that Giles had a strong sense of fairness. In the conduct of his cases at whatever level whatever the eminence of the tribunal Giles would stand up to what he saw as an unfair approach. He felt his nemesis was a particular law lord of brilliant intellect but with a tendency to make up his mind before coming into court. I know you are thinking that couldn’t possibly happen but it did. And then displaying a reluctance to listen to the argument he had already in his own mind rejected. This infuriated Giles.

What gave Giles great satisfaction was to receive instructions in an unpromising case and then having mastered the detail, analysed the issues he would fashion an argument that provided the route to success. This was never better illustrated than in the environmental asbestos case Margereson where the citizens of Armley Leeds were subjected through the 1930s, 40s and 50s to an asbestos factory pumping out asbestos dust into their homes, into the school yard and onto the loading bays where the children played. During 6 weeks of evidence and argument I was privileged to watch  Giles construct  an unanswerable case. His dedication to the case was total. 

I had the good fortune to be led by Giles many times. It was an education. Those of us who shared chambers with Giles benefited enormously from his wise advice.

Giles’s energies were not confined to the conduct of his own cases. Giles was the founding Chairman of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association. He was always keen to assist law students and young members of the Bar and he did that through his role as a Bencher of the Inner Temple.

Giles retired from the Bar aged 60. He had been a deputy High Court Judge and a Deputy Judge of the Technology and Construction Court. He could undoubtedly have become a High Court Judge and given the combination of his first class legal mind and his humanity he would have been a fine judge. But he and Katherine had agreed many years ago that he would retire at 60 and he never wavered from that decision.

Despite the demands of work and family Giles found time to assist certain charities whose work he regarded as important. He was a trustee for some 20 years of Spirit, the charity for those sustaining spinal cord injury, and he was also a trustee of the Bendrigg Trust based in Cumbria which provides outside adventure activities for the disabled and disadvantaged. 

 

At the Bar Giles was regarded with huge respect and admiration. This was in part due to his abilities as a barrister but also in part because of the person he was. There was nobody else quite like him. He was no follower of popular fashion. He never owned a television. He was very much his own man- a singular man and he was fortunate to meet a singular woman in Katherine and unsurprisingly they produced two wonderful children in Lucinda and Rupert. He was immensely proud of both of them. I’ll finish with some words written by his lifelong friend Herry Lawford:

“A lovely, kind man and a generous friend; the kind you hope to grow old with”

GILES WINGATE-SAUL  Called to the Bar November 1967 (Inner Temple). Practice as barrister 1967-1983. General Common Law work from chambers in Manchester (mainly civil). Queen’s Counsel (QC) Appointed April 1983. Practice as Queen’s Counsel 1983-2005 from chambers in Manchester and London. Areas of work - catastrophic personal injury (brain damage and spinal injury)\, Mercantile/Commercial/ and Construction. Mediator (trained by CEDR) Arbitrator Retired 31st July 2005 Appointments. Deputy High Court Judge (ceased July 2005) Deputy Judge of Technology and Construction Court (ceased July 2005). Governing Bencher of the Inner Temple. Specialist Bar Associations (until 2005) Personal Injury Bar Association. Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association (Founding chairman and chairman 1996-2002).  Professional Negligence Bar Association.Technology and Construction Bar Association. Society of Construction Law. Bar European Group. European Circuit.

Divided time between the Lake District and Manchester. Governing Bencher of the Inner Temple. Trustee of SPIRIT (spinal injury charity based on Midland Spinal Injury Centre. Oswestry) Trustee of Bendrigg Trust (residential activities for disabled young people. Founding Trustee/Administrator of Rusland Valley Community Trust. Churchwarden / Treasurer Rusland Church, Cumbria.Vice-chairman Rusland Show. Treasurer Rusland Reading Room Member Carlisle Diocesan Synod. Deputy groundsman Leven Valley Cricket Club. Cricket/tennis

Family: wife Kathrine (died 2015) Daughter Lucinda attended Leeds University and is now a doctor at Royal County Hospital, Winchester, married to Tom with a son. Son Rupert was at Cambridge (Engineering) and is marrying Laura in Rusland. 

Photos from the Thanksgiving Service can be seen here 

For some more photos of Giles though the years, click here 

  

  

The Making of the Florentine Garden

It took me several years to realise that I would never be satisfied with the two beds next to the drive, one overshadowed as is by the ancient hazel, and to determine to reduce them to purely classical forms. Although they contain satisfactory clumps of euphorbia wulfenii, rosemary and lavender, they also have had rather messy 'centres' of nepeta and other 'light' plants. 

The 'Adam' design in Bath stone

I am increasingly drawn to classical architecture and forms, and indeed the design of the garden is based on classical geometry and its proportions. Recently I have been veering towards making the garden even more overtly classical and reducing the number of flowering plants in favour of strong architectural plants like box and yew, offset by softer forms like rosemary.

Finally, this year these beds have been cleared of all plants except the euphorbia, rosemary and lavender. Bases of old York stone topped with a stone column have been installed, bordered by sloping yew buttresses on each side. One column has been moved from the area of the box walk at tbe top of tbe garden, with its armillary sphere, while the other, an Adam design in Bath stone, has come from Haddonstone. I have a metal sphere to put on top of it, but will look for some appropriate statuary. 

I now call this area the 'Florentine Garden' in memory of the kind of gardens I have seen there, particularly at the Torre del Bellusguardo.  As well as looking good all the year round, it will be almost completely labour-free.

  

 

President Kennedy's Speech on Poetry and Art at Amherst (1963)

John Kennedy 

In 1963, Kennedy was invited to Amherst College to give talk honouring Robert Frost who had recently died. These are excerpts from  his speech, which can be heard in full here  

Strength takes many forms, and the most obvious forms are not always the most significant. The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.

Robert Frost coupled poetry and power, for he saw poetry as the means of saving power from itself. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment. 

The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state… In pursuing his perceptions of reality, he must often sail against the currents of his time. This is not a popular role…

If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist. 

If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth… In free society art is not a weapon and it does not belong to the spheres of polemic and ideology. Artists are not engineers of the soul. It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society — in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may. In serving his vision of the truth, the artist best serves his nation. And the nation which disdains the mission of art invites the fate of Robert Frost’s hired man, the fate of having “nothing to look backward to with pride, and nothing to look forward to with hope.”

We take great comfort in our nuclear stockpiles, our gross national product, our scientific and technological achievement, our industrial might — and, up to a point, we are right to do so. But physical power by itself solves no problems and secures no victories. What counts is the way power is used — whether with swagger and contempt, or with prudence, discipline and magnanimity. What counts is the purpose for which power is used — whether for aggrandizement or for liberation. “It is excellent,” Shakespeare said, “to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.”

Stockbridge In the Age of the Coronavirus - the DL's Visit October 2021

On 8th October 2021 the Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire, Andrew Kent, came to Stockbridge to thank all those who had played a significant part in helping the community during the lockdowns caused by the pandemic. Much of the organisation had been carried out by Chantal Halle.

He visited Stockbridge Primary School, where the use of the kitchens was offered by the head Emma Jefferies, and free lunches were cooked by the school chef, Shawn and delivered to vulnerable residents.

The Deputy Lieutenant, Andrew Kent, talking to the pupils of Stockbridge Primary School. The chef, Shaun, can be seen standing in the background. 

Beccy's the greengrocer had stayed open throughout, with being purchases collected by the staff so that customers could remain outside. 

The DL thanking Beccy

The Co-Op had offered free baked goods. and John Robinson's and Thyme & Tides had supplied low-cost meals, as had Prego.

Vishnu and Tom from the Co-Op being thanked by the DL

The DL thanking Robinson's 

The DL thanking Thyme & Tides 

The DL thanking Prego, accompanied by Alex Edwards, the chairman of the Parish Council 

After his perambulation, the DL was given tea in the Scout Hut. 

 

  

The Church Closers' Charter and Other Attacks on the CofE Churches

Following the closure of all C of E churches (ie not Catholic ones) in March 2020 because of the pandemic, many people became very disillusioned and particularly with the church hierarchy. Not only was the complete closure of churches for so long thought unnecessary, but noone seemed either to be in charge or supporting the immense mount of pastoral work that was being done as a consequence of the lockdowns. Furthermore, it seemed that the long-running battle to stop the church from abandoning the traditional rural parishes in favour of evangelical city churches was being lost..  

The issues were well aired by Giles Fraser in a piece in UnHerd in July 2021 'The Church is Abandoning its Flock.'  

Since then, further sinister moves have been made, more particularly with the publication of a 'Consultation on 'A Mission Revision' Paper GS2222'. This seemingly innocuous piece of bureaucracy could further strip the rural parishes of their churches and vicarages. This document has been analysed by Emma Thompson in the Spectator in September 2021 in an article that names GS2222 'The Church Closers' Charter'. 

Many objections to the 'charter' have been raised and below is one that captures the points that most of us would make.     

 

1. This consultation has to be seen in the context of a widescale (universal?) belief that our beloved Church currently, and patently, lacks meaningful leadership and a coherent message for our own congregations, let alone the general populace. During the recent Covid crisis, our Church performed very badly and deeply upset many hitherto committed Christians. Sadly it mirrors the labour Party in being out of touch with its own supporters

 

2. Recent reorganisations of rural parishes have reduced the number of clergy (while not reducing the Parish Share!) to the point of ineffectiveness. The C of E seems determined to continue down this process gradual decline. The focus on inner cities and church plantations is welcome and commendable but should not be at the expense of traditional rural parishes, which remain the heartland of the Anglican Church and the financial ‘bread-basket’ of the dioceses. At the moment, It is all so negative and defeatist. As a previous Diocesan Chairman of Finance, I have absolutely no doubt that most parishes are capable of producing significantly increased with better fundraising and determined leadership. This in turn would fund a new breed of more able and enthusiastic clergy and reset the Church on an upward spiral of growth, which our country as a whole desperately needs.

 

3. My fundamental objection to GS2222 is that  these proposals are designed to facilitate the process of decline and, if implemented, a further, and possible fatal collapse, will be precipitated. Your rural congregations cry out for positive leadership and the vision of an expanding church and not one in perpetual and terminal decline.

No satisfactory response has been received to these points.