Suzy Barker

Greetings! I’m passionate about the natural world we inhabit; the written word; and photography. Oh, and I should mention – I’m an eternal optimist. My cup is always half full.

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Author: Suzy Barker

I'm Suzy Barker and Just Midlife is the ramblings, rantings and ravings on life by a daft midlife scribbler. I'd welcome having you join me for the crackpot ride ...
April 22, 2016April 18, 2019 Suzy Barker

Prince

April 19, 2016April 17, 2019 Suzy Barker

The memory bank

April 18, 2016April 18, 2016 Suzy Barker

A magical carpet

April 12, 2016May 24, 2016 Suzy Barker

God bothering alternatives

April 6, 2016May 24, 2016 Suzy Barker

That crazy April

April 5, 2016April 6, 2016 Suzy Barker

Fruit and ice cream chocolate heaven

April 4, 2016May 24, 2016 Suzy Barker

History in the making

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Recent Posts

  • It’s a brand new day – let’s make a real difference
  • Bridging the miles with technology
  • We are in control of our own destiny
  • Yesss, it’s officially Spring
  • Why dogs live less time than humans
  • Fair play vs fair game
  • Relics of war
  • First Nativity
  • Almost bare
  • Gluten-free fruit pie
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Just chillin' in buttercups . . . #buttercups #cows #farming #agriculture #lincolnshire #brilliantbritain #be_one_rural #world_beautifulshots #love_rural #explore_countryside #countrylife #countryside #countryliving #country_features #capturingbritain_rural #wildflowers #rural #picturetokeep_rural #englishcountryside #trb_rural #may
World Bee Day . (pic credit: Pixabay) Bees are so vital to the health of our planet that they have their own special day, to spread awareness about their significance. World Bee Day was yesterday, 20th May. I believe that every day is World Bee Day. This year WBD highlighted that 17 species of bees have been lost from Eastern England, 25 more species are threatened and 31 are at risk in the area, because of intensive farming, pesticide use, loss of habitat and climate change. The East of England is one of the richest regions for bees in Britain because of the diversity of habitat, however, there are only about 150 species still remaining stable. This is very worrying news. One third of the world's food production depends on bees. They pollinate 75% of leading global crops, including oilseed rape, apples, soft fruit, beans, courgettes, tomatoes and strawberries. Bees are vital for the preservation of ecological balance and biodiversity in nature. Scientific studies have proven that bees have become increasingly endangered, with the UN saying that over 1 million species face extinction. Right now, bees need us almost as much as we need them. So what can be done to help the bees? - Plant bee friendly plants like heather and daisies in the garden. - Leave sections of the garden wild and let the grass grow long to give bees shelter. - Putting out a small dish with a few pebbles and shallow water in it can help if a bee is thirsty. - There are special bricks you can buy with holes in them to place in walls to provide homes for bees. - Don't use pesticides as they are really harmful to bees. - Get involved and take action - see Friends of the Earth website for more info. #bees #worldbeeday #everydayisworldbeeday #earthdayeveryday #environment #pollination #foodcrops #nature #inspiredbynature #countryside #wildlifepreservation #respectnature
Daimler Barker Sports Special 1952 . . . #daimler #barker #sportsspecial #1952 #asundaycarpic #woodhallspa #woodhallspacountryshow #sundays #familytime #agooddayout #countryliving #lincolnshire #lovelincolnshire #countrylife #countryfair
"Curl Up And Dye" - Would you go into a salon called this to get your hair done? 😂😂 . . . #curlupanddye #hairsalon #imaginative #goodwithwords #hairdressers
Turns out that Oatly, my favourite plant-based milk, is not gluten-free here in the UK. I love the taste and texture of it; it's great on cereal and in coffee. And it's one of the most environmentally-friendly plant-based milks you can buy. However, a poorly tummy this week could only mean one thing for me - I'd inadvertently consumed gluten. Checking online, I found that Oatly make this milk using ordinary oats to keep the cost down. They make a gluten-free version in the US but not for the European market. The packaging, however, does not say that it contains gluten. So I decided to make my own gluten-free oat milk and it turned out really well. If you're a fan of oat milk, gluten-free or not, it's so easy to make your own. You will need: 1 cup gluten-free oats 3 cups cold water 2 tbsp of avocado or walnut oil (optional) Put in a blender and whizz up for 30 seconds. Pour through a very fine sieve or cheesecloth fabric and then store in a jar in the fridge. The remaining oatmeal in the sieve can be used in baking or to make porridge to prevent wasting it. You can also add flavoured syrup, sugar or anything else that takes your fancy. NB. Some recipes recommend that you soak the oats in water for 3 hours beforehand, then rinse them before making the milk with 3 cups of fresh water. #oatmilk #oatly #gluten #glutenfree #plantbased #healthyfood #plantbasedmilk #goodfortheplanet #environmentallyfriendly #ivebeenglutened #makeyourown #littlestoriesofmylife #itsthelittlethings #foodisfuel
Cornflowers growing on the grassy verge of a country lane in Lincolnshire. . . Before so many exotics began to flood into English gardens, the cornflower was much cultivated. Cornflowers were actually found in Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt; amazingly, despite being over 3,000 years old they had lost very little of their colour. The French wear cornflowers much like the British wear poppies - as a symbol of remembrance. It is known as the "Bleuet de France" - cornflowers are the national flower of France, Germany, Estonia, Belarus and the Czech Republic. The cornflower was once upon a time an iconic image of rural meadows, and a common sight in cornfields, but it has declined dramatically in the wild in the last 60 years. Fields full of cornflowers were last seen in Britain between the wars. Growing up in the 1960's my family used to pick handfuls of wild cornflowers in the fields of my grandparents' farm, along with cowslips, buttercups, ox-eye daisies, cuckoo flowers, campion and many others, to decorate our home. Herbicides and fertilisers were never used on the farm; everything was left to grow naturally, for hay and for grazing. Sadly, the cornflower owes its decline to modern agricultural practices - increased use of herbicides and fertilisers, the development of highly competitive crop varieties, the destruction of field-edges, the demise of traditional crop rotations, and improved seed-corn cleaning. These factors continue to be a threat to the future of the cornflower and many other traditional wildflowers, and illustrate what has happened to many of our wildflower species over the last 60 years. #cornflowers #wildflowers #lincolnshire #love_rural #inspiredbynature #countrylife #natureisamazing #lovegreatbritain #lovelincolnshire #yourcountryside #englishspringtime #countryliving #englishcountryside #be_one_rural #trb_rural #capturingbritain_rural #picturetokeep_rural #country_features
Does anyone know what this fungi is please? Found on a chestnut tree in the woods. My knowledge of fungi is limited to field mushrooms for breakfast! . . #fungi #chestnuttree #horsechestnut #treefungi
Nothing to see here - Dawn chorus at 05.15 this morning in my little haven of the UK .... International Dawn Chorus Day is on the first Sunday in May each year.  It began in the 1980’s when broadcaster and environmentalist, Chris Baines, asked everyone to attend his birthday party at 4am so they could enjoy the dawn chorus with him.  There are now Dawn Chorus events held all over the world every year for people to enjoy the experience. With the number of songbirds down by 55% since the early 1970’s our dawn chorus is becoming fainter and less vibrant.  The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) currently lists 67 species on their “red list” of globally threatened species in severe decline. Among those most at risk are corncrakes, turtle doves, cuckoos, skylarks and nightingales.  The RSPB says Britain has lost 40 million, yes 40 million, birds since 1966, but a recent YouGov survey found that only 15% of people in the UK believed nature was in crisis and more than a quarter thought nature was doing well! Martin Harper, the RSPB’s director of conservation said – “The signs are all around us that something is not right, that nature’s falling silent and you only need to stop and listen to find the beautiful birdsong that should be the background music to our life is absent. “Wildlife and our natural world can recover, it can be saved for future generations, but we need more people to talk about the issue … “Because if we do not start talking about the threats facing nature, the inspiration behind so much of our music, poetry and literature may go silent.” The RSPB released a charity song on 24 April 2019 to highlight Britain’s declining bird numbers. “Let Nature Sing” is beautiful and features the song of 25 different threatened and endangered UK birds.  The song has reached #11 in the music charts in time for International Dawn Chorus Day on 5 May.  Here’s the link to listen to some of it - https://youtu.be/Ge-cYtK8QwI . . . . #birdsong #dawnchorus #internationaldawnchorusday #ukbirds #songbirds #rspb #letnaturesing #endangeredUKbirds #rspbredlist #nature #birds #environmental #thereisnoplanetb #protectourwildlife #climatechangeisreal #lovenature

Flickr Photos

Evening at the beachFishing LodgeThe Ramblers' Church, Walesby, LincolnshireCastle Farm
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Previous rants & raves

  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • October 2018
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • March 2013
  • September 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
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