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Exmoor beavers are the heroes we need right now
Beavers are back, and they’re saving our ecosystems. If you headed down to Exmoor today, you’d be one of the first to see a beaver dam on this site in more than 400 years. Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 16th century, valued for their meat, fur and scent glands. Their successful reintroduction…
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For the birds
I appreciate that this may not be the most original blog piece of the past year, but wow, I am amazed by the extent to which I have been ignorant of the wonder of bird life up until now! The moment of dawning realisation? A recent visit to Hyde Park. A socially distanced stroll around…
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It’s the thought that counts
I recently heard about a new scheme where instead of buying a Christmas tree, many of them lying sadly on the pavement come the new year, alternatively you rent out a potted one to see you over the festive period. You need to promise to water it, and keep it away from radiators, but otherwise they’re yours…
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Will 2021 be the year of the workation?
For many of us, 2020 has been the year of lockdown holiday daydreams. In research commissioned by Booking.com, a huge 95% of their respondents reported having spent time looking for vacation inspiration during the weeks of restriction. Unsurprisingly, the poll into our changing travel habits also revealed a continued shift towards staying local. So-called “doorstep…
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SpaceX - a new era of exploration?
It feels like we’re entering a new era of space exploration. It certainly seems to be featuring much more heavily in the media: Boris Johnson’s new “space command”, agreements around moon exploration and the recent docking of the SpaceX Dragon capsule with the International Space Station. The four NASA astronauts who joined the ISS were the first…
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Influencer vs Virtual Influencer
Have you come across any virtual influencers recently? We’re not talking the trendy young people selling the lifestyle dream on social media, but actual virtual influencers. Lil Miquela has over 2.5 million Instagram followers and has collaborated with brands such as Prada and Samsung. She’s also 100% computer generated. Experts are predicting that as CGI technologies become cheaper and brands…
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Bring language learning into your everyday life
Back in the day I decided to study Modern Foreign Languages as a university student. Although I am yet to live my dream of taking my morning coffee on some sunny balcony in Provence, bringing a bit of French language or culture into my daily life still brings me a lot of pleasure. As a…
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Pet therapy
This morning I met the most adorable little puppy. Long spaniel ears, big chocolate eyes, silky grey fur and a little white tipped tail. My friend had been going through a rough time and her husband had brought the puppy home as a surprise hoping to cheer her up. This sounds much more romantic when…
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This is why you can't stop shopping
It was after deleting my Instagram app that I began to think about some of the “subconscious” impacts of my social media scrolling. The break from Instagram seemed to correspond with a drop in my desire to shop. I was not a massive spender but probably lost hours trying to track down a certain style…