Yesterday I talked to a journalist and sent him some information, sent the Wild Justice lawyers some carefully crafted thoughts, answered the front door several times as books and vegetables arrived, wrote my column for British Wildlife, wrote two blogs, picked some red tomatoes and a lot of green tomatoes, had conversations on the phone with friends and relatives and signed a contract to write a book.
I also saw a Peregrine as I had coffee and croissants in the drizzle in the garden.
Quite a good day.
This blog sprang into existence in April 2011 and so will be 10 years old next spring – that’s almost grown up. I wonder when I should stop. Ten years is a round number. I’m thinking about it.
And the book? Yes, well, I’ll be writing it next year for publication in 2022 so don’t worry about that for a while – I’m not! And in any case I have two more writing projects to complete before I have to send in the book manuscript. I’ll let you know about those in due course, of course.
I would strongly urge you not to stop your blog Mark. It is a major vehicle for campaigning and environmental/ wildlife information. It would be a major loss. Maybe stop when Driven Grouse Shooting is banned in the whole of the UK.
I can imagine it’s a non-stop pressure mind you. A deadline every single day for 10 years!
Recipes for green tomatoes please!
making chutney with appleand chilli added is OK, but why not put some to ripen in a box.. I use old shoe box or similar, cool place, ideally with one or two half ripened ones in with them…..check them about once a week.. we usually do this and have riper tomatoes through to December. Wont work if you had to harvest them due to blight and the fruits have a bit of damage from that…..
Have cooked green tomatoes into a sauce for use w pasta, etc just like the red ones… a stronger and more tart tomato flavour, so you may want to add more onion, a tad of sugar, etc……..
That might also work with a soup, letils, plenty garlic, basil, cumin……..
Louise – many thanks – we are trying all of those options over the next few days, weeks and months!
The number of hits it get is testament to the value many people get from it… keep up the fantastic work please !!
Use the green ones as if they were tomatillos in Mexican salsas etc. Pretty good substitute (with apologies to any Mexicans reading this…) .
And Mark, you can’t quit until DGS is no more. Unfinished business, and too important and too symbolic to leave unfinished.
It would be a shame to stop the blog altogether after building up an impressive reader base, and the ensuing comments are often very illuminating too!
I also think the blog also serves as one of the important focal points, for right thinking folk, in the long battle against raptor persecution.
Maybe think about retaining the blog but not posting every day, so you comment on the more important/newsworthy events and don’t feel the need to write something on “slow news” days.
Fleetwood Mac “Don’t stop”
Percol Harum ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’.
What I turned reading this post!
Please don’t even contemplating stopping the blog. Not only do I get great pleasure reading it but I often forward your comments to people who will sign petitions and those who are often not aware of the issues raised.
Oh and I also appreciate the ‘slow news’ days!
Please don’t stop the blog. Imagine all the people who will breathe a sigh of relief if you do.
Yes, please don’t stop. There will be many passive readers such as myself, who don’t often comment, but gain great value, insight and enjoyment from reading your blog. I agree with earlier posts, rather than stop just don’t update on slow news days, or days when you are particularly busy. Believe me your work greatly is appreciated and valued and an important focal point for the fight against raptor crime.
Your blog is usually the first thing I read, once I’ve reported on the CV19 app. Being informed, entertained and outraged by what you write is core to my morning routine. Please don’t stop!
Please don’t ‘retire’ your blog, it is a source of much essential conservation information which, I for one, would otherwise struggle to access easily. As others have suggested, perhaps do not feel obliged to post every day but have a weekly summary plus any urgent alerts in between.