Star Finds At Swandro…….. A VERY GOOD IDEA……From ‘Emergence’ Magazine….
by Bernie Bell - 09:03 on 05 August 2025
Star Finds At Swandro……..
…and they are, too…..
https://www.swandro.co.uk/post/star-finds-galore
It’s always pleasing when they find both halves of something.
The mystery piece of whalebone reminds me of a similar piece found at The Cairns a few years ago….
https://archaeologyorkney.com/2023/06/23/the-cairns-dig-diary-day-ten/
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A VERY GOOD IDEA……
I saw something very interesting on Matthew Manning’s FB page…..
https://www.facebook.com/matthewmanningukhealer/?locale=en_GB
I’ll copy the text for those who aren’t on FB….
“THIS JAPANESE SPORT TURNS LITTER-PICKING INTO A COMPETITION - AND IT’S TAKING OFF IN THE UK
This summer, as the Lionesses triumphed at the Euros in Switzerland, hundreds of participants gathered for their own contest at Hackney Marshes, in east London.
But these competitors weren’t playing football - they were litter picking.
Around 60 teams of three people rushed around collecting litter in 45-minute sessions, sorting their haul over a further 20 minutes under refereed conditions. Competitors are drawn by the sport’s blend of physical challenge, strategy and environmental purpose.
All across the country, groups have been gathering to hold similar events. Britain, it seems, is in the grip of a new environmental pastime: SpoGomi, a Japanese competitive litter-picking sport, which is rapidly gaining traction across the UK.
Created in 2008 in Japan, SpoGomi combines “sport” with the Japanese word “gomi” (rubbish) and challenges teams to collect and sort litter within strict time limits to earn points for weight and recyclability.
The sport made international headlines when the first SpoGomi World Cup took place in Tokyo in 2023, where the British team claimed victory, collecting 57.27 kg of waste and winning 9,046.1 points.
Organisers stress that you are not allowed to run, teams must stay within 10 metres of each other and can only collect litter on public space - not from bins or private property.
Britain will continue to field national teams at the next World Cup scheduled for Tokyo later this year, where it is hoped that the team will echo the success of the Lionesses.”
Which reminded me of something I wrote in m’blog in May 2023….
“Litter….
In last week’s ‘Orcadian’, Dave Walker wrote a witty and pertinent letter about the rubbish which litters the verges of Orkney. He’s right – it’s getting worse.
I hope he doesn’t mind if I quote him….
‘Who wouldn’t be enlivened by the birdsong, the fresh air, the sun glinting off the bottles, both plastic and glass, not forgetting the drinks cans, littering the verges of these fair isles?
There is even a splash of colour now with the pastel shades of disposable vapes catching the eye.’
And then, on Sunday, I read the following poem in Bartholomew Barker’s blog …. ‘great minds’ and all that……
I carry a bag on my walks
to collect the trash
left by my fellow swine.
Plastic and aluminum spark
like jewels by the side of the road—
water bottle diamonds,
rubies, emeralds, sapphires
depending upon the brand—
A never-ending cascade
of glittering garbage.
In the same way dreams
clear the brain of detritus,
this is the job of the poet.
It’s not just the job of the poet though – is it?
I remember a public information ad. that used to be the telly which began……
‘Litter litter everywhere,
It gets in your face,
It gets in your hair.
Why spoil the beauty of our country walks,
With’ …something something something
It was a long time ago - I can’t remember the rest – couldn’t find it on ‘Google' – but did find this……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMIdkWH1c2g “
It would be even better if folk didn’t drop litter in the first place but, as long as they do, I think turning litter picking into a sport is A GOOD IDEA!
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From ‘Emergence’ Magazine….
an Emergence Magazine Practice
In this episode, we bring you the final Time audio practice—the fourth in a series exploring how we can come to dwell within a kind of time that is in relationship with the Earth, rather than the clock. This invitation draws your attention to the Earth’s immense capacity for recording the passage of time. Imagine your way backwards through millennia and then forward into the far future, as your journey through your homeplace, attentive to the histories held within its topography, ecosystems, and human markings.
Explore the online version of this practice or shop our practice booklet, A Practice in Time.“
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