Ed Douglas
@calmandfearless.bsky.social
Writer. Loves the spikier bits of the planet. Bath addict. Contributor to Guardian Country Diary. Represented by David Godwin Associates.
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Ed Douglas
@calmandfearless.bsky.social
· Nov 17
Handy starter pack for outdoor writers. go.bsky.app/6JQo2Ro
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Join us for our first podcast! We talk with the amazing Alexandra Cotofana about landscape sentience in the Romanian Carpathians and the concept of xenophobic mountains.
shorturl.at/DfOrj
@calmandfearless.bsky.social @adambutterworth.bsky.social @katie-r-ives.bsky.social @annamfleming.bsky.social
shorturl.at/DfOrj
@calmandfearless.bsky.social @adambutterworth.bsky.social @katie-r-ives.bsky.social @annamfleming.bsky.social
January 15, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Join us for our first podcast! We talk with the amazing Alexandra Cotofana about landscape sentience in the Romanian Carpathians and the concept of xenophobic mountains.
shorturl.at/DfOrj
@calmandfearless.bsky.social @adambutterworth.bsky.social @katie-r-ives.bsky.social @annamfleming.bsky.social
shorturl.at/DfOrj
@calmandfearless.bsky.social @adambutterworth.bsky.social @katie-r-ives.bsky.social @annamfleming.bsky.social
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Superb and absolutely damning long read on HS2.
www.ft.com/content/3f73... How the UK ended up building the world’s most expensive railway
www.ft.com/content/3f73... How the UK ended up building the world’s most expensive railway
January 13, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Superb and absolutely damning long read on HS2.
www.ft.com/content/3f73... How the UK ended up building the world’s most expensive railway
www.ft.com/content/3f73... How the UK ended up building the world’s most expensive railway
The other art show I saw recently (and for the third time) is the William Kentridge exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. That's on until April and is just outstanding. Very much on the nose for the times we live in. ysp.org.uk/whats-on/exh...
William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity | Yorkshire Sculpture Park
This summer we are thrilled to be presenting a major exhibition by South African artist William Kentridge. It marks the first museum presentation outside S
ysp.org.uk
January 13, 2026 at 9:31 AM
The other art show I saw recently (and for the third time) is the William Kentridge exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. That's on until April and is just outstanding. Very much on the nose for the times we live in. ysp.org.uk/whats-on/exh...
I guess this tracks with the idea that here is vaguely normal whereas X is where Musk gets to call the British govt fascists.
There are now at least 365 UK MPs with accounts on Bluesky – more than half (56%) of all MPs
🔴 This includes nearly 70% of Labour MPs
🔶 Nearly 90% of Lib Dem MPs
🟢 All the 4 Green MPs
🔵 But only 5% of Conservative MPs
➡️ No Reform MPs
🔴 This includes nearly 70% of Labour MPs
🔶 Nearly 90% of Lib Dem MPs
🟢 All the 4 Green MPs
🔵 But only 5% of Conservative MPs
➡️ No Reform MPs
More MPs are coming off X and I assume that means they will be posting more on here
@politicshome.bsky.social has a handy list of all the MPs on Bluesky
Please point out anyone who is missing!
@politicshome.bsky.social has a handy list of all the MPs on Bluesky
Please point out anyone who is missing!
January 13, 2026 at 9:30 AM
I guess this tracks with the idea that here is vaguely normal whereas X is where Musk gets to call the British govt fascists.
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @calmandfearless.bsky.social focuses on the frozen ground beneath our feet.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Country diary: Hooray for the hard, frozen ground – life on Earth depends on it | Ed Douglas
Blacka Moor, South Yorkshire: The very cold daytime temperatures should be welcomed, and the reason is right beneath our feet
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @calmandfearless.bsky.social focuses on the frozen ground beneath our feet.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Charming (and fun) art exhibition featuring slugs comes to an end at Sheffield’s Site Gallery on 1 Feb. They still can’t stay in my kitchen though.
January 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Charming (and fun) art exhibition featuring slugs comes to an end at Sheffield’s Site Gallery on 1 Feb. They still can’t stay in my kitchen though.
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Google the video & see for yourself.
This is not law enforcement. This is murder.
Sickening.
This is not law enforcement. This is murder.
Sickening.
January 7, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Google the video & see for yourself.
This is not law enforcement. This is murder.
Sickening.
This is not law enforcement. This is murder.
Sickening.
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Keith Ellison on Kristi Noem blatantly lying about the circumstances of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis: "It's just deeply heartbreaking to see a person responsible for safety and enforcement of American law make such a brazenly false statement. It is truly sad for our democracy."
January 7, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Keith Ellison on Kristi Noem blatantly lying about the circumstances of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis: "It's just deeply heartbreaking to see a person responsible for safety and enforcement of American law make such a brazenly false statement. It is truly sad for our democracy."
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Stephen Miller seems nice.
"the killing fits a pattern of tragic and seemingly inevitable violence arising from tensions between protesters & immigration officers amid assertions by... figures such as Stephen Miller that ICE agents have “immunity” while conducting their duties."
www.economist.com/united-state...
www.economist.com/united-state...
The “terrorist” killed by ICE was a mum in her SUV
A killing in Minneapolis is part of a dangerous pattern
www.economist.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:27 AM
Stephen Miller seems nice.
A friend joked on the phone earlier that Denmark should do a deal for some cash and Ukraine security guarantees if they hand over Greenland to Trump. Am starting to think someone in the White House has had the same idea.
January 6, 2026 at 10:26 PM
A friend joked on the phone earlier that Denmark should do a deal for some cash and Ukraine security guarantees if they hand over Greenland to Trump. Am starting to think someone in the White House has had the same idea.
Having to ask the question will Europe go to war with America when it invades Greenland shows where we're at. What a world, what a world... (stamps impotent little foot)
January 6, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Having to ask the question will Europe go to war with America when it invades Greenland shows where we're at. What a world, what a world... (stamps impotent little foot)
Reposted by Ed Douglas
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
January 5, 2026 at 7:26 AM
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
Stunning footage of remarkable behaviour.
These long nights with very hard frosts are the times when Wrens are triggered to nest communally. Take care not to disturb sheds or outbuildings as night time approaches, if you have Wrens in the garden.
They only approach in the deepest gloaming & can be hard to spot.
@lizaadamczewski.bsky.social
They only approach in the deepest gloaming & can be hard to spot.
@lizaadamczewski.bsky.social
3/4 On really cold nights, wrens are triggered into communal roosting to conserve body heat. You'll notice that I placed a temperature probe in this nest box and the differential in ext/int temperature was remarkable.
As soon as milder weather arrives the birds revert to roosting singly or in pairs.
As soon as milder weather arrives the birds revert to roosting singly or in pairs.
January 5, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Stunning footage of remarkable behaviour.
If you've ever wondered why our peregrines are disappearing, here's the answer. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
How demand for elite falcons in the Middle East is driving illegal trade of British birds
Exclusive: data reveals hundreds of UK nests have been raided in the past decade amid growing appetite to own prized birds for racing and breeding
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:33 AM
If you've ever wondered why our peregrines are disappearing, here's the answer. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
That’ll be the Nobel peace prize out the window then. Still, he’ll always have FIFA.
January 3, 2026 at 1:24 PM
That’ll be the Nobel peace prize out the window then. Still, he’ll always have FIFA.
Popped down to Sheffield Central Library, a lovely building permanently enclosed in scaffolding because it's so decrepit. Just read that the Barbican Centre is getting £240m for a refurb. Sigh.
December 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Popped down to Sheffield Central Library, a lovely building permanently enclosed in scaffolding because it's so decrepit. Just read that the Barbican Centre is getting £240m for a refurb. Sigh.
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Country diary: A close encounter with a buzzard – close enough to make me wonder | Ed Douglas
Country diary: A close encounter with a buzzard – close enough to make me wonder | Ed Douglas
Hargatewall, Derbyshire: Cycling towards a frosty Kinder Scout, I was waylaid by a raptor so settled she wouldn’t even move for a passing tractor
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Country diary: A close encounter with a buzzard – close enough to make me wonder | Ed Douglas
Terrifying. We're through the looking glass.
Trump's national security strategy is out and some of the Europe sections are shocking. "...the growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed
gives cause for great optimism."
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
gives cause for great optimism."
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
December 5, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Terrifying. We're through the looking glass.
So pleased to see this up and running. Audrey was a titan of mountain research and serious work is in short supply these days. She would be so pleased to see this.
Today we are incredibly proud to launch the Audrey Salkeld Bursary.
The ASB will provide financial support to researchers, writers & other creatives to pursue projects that make use of the AC's collections, just as Audrey did.
Applications are open now & will close on 30 Dec ➡️ tinyurl.com/5asmzmrt
The ASB will provide financial support to researchers, writers & other creatives to pursue projects that make use of the AC's collections, just as Audrey did.
Applications are open now & will close on 30 Dec ➡️ tinyurl.com/5asmzmrt
December 3, 2025 at 11:39 AM
So pleased to see this up and running. Audrey was a titan of mountain research and serious work is in short supply these days. She would be so pleased to see this.
Reposted by Ed Douglas
Just say no to Peat. Bloody ridiculous that we are using it for our mostly imported ornamental plants (amongst other things)
Sign the petition asking the Government to finally end peat compost sales with legislation in 2026 - no more delays. It’s been a long and tiring road to get peat compost banned and we need your signatures and shares now more than ever to get it done. actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk/end-peat-sal...
Sign the petition to end peat sales!
No more delays: Let's get peat out of gardens once and for all. The time for uncertainty has ended.
actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk
November 20, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Just say no to Peat. Bloody ridiculous that we are using it for our mostly imported ornamental plants (amongst other things)
A reminder in the Conversation that the Prescott memo would have been shredded as a piece of work by any half-decent editor, BBC or otherwise. Reminds me of Lebowski: 'Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.' theconversation.com/bbc-bias-the...
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:31 AM
A reminder in the Conversation that the Prescott memo would have been shredded as a piece of work by any half-decent editor, BBC or otherwise. Reminds me of Lebowski: 'Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.' theconversation.com/bbc-bias-the...
I think I must have been at the same Dick Gaughan gig at the Greystones in Sheffield as Richard Hawley. Hard to conceive that a musician of his stature has been treated this way. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
‘I never wanted to sing into a vacuum’: Scottish folk pioneer Dick Gaughan’s fight for his lost music
A skilled interpreter and social justice champion, Gaughan is a hero to the likes of Richard Hawley and Billy Bragg. Yet much of his work has been stuck in limbo for decades – until a determined fan s...
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:40 PM
I think I must have been at the same Dick Gaughan gig at the Greystones in Sheffield as Richard Hawley. Hard to conceive that a musician of his stature has been treated this way. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Wow, this is sad. Such a talent. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Tributes paid to ‘fearless and funny’ Observer journalist Rachel Cooke who has died aged 56
Cooke, who worked for the Observer for 25 years and was described as its ‘backbone’, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Wow, this is sad. Such a talent. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
A thorough review of my book Himalaya in the Kathmandu Post. Great that after five years it’s still getting attention. But you really can see Everest from Kathmandu, with the right conditions. kathmandupost.com/art-culture/...
A complex, ambitious portrait of the Himalayas
In ‘Himalaya: A Human History’, Ed Douglas blends geology, religion and politics to show how the mountains shaped (and were shaped by) people.
kathmandupost.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:54 AM
A thorough review of my book Himalaya in the Kathmandu Post. Great that after five years it’s still getting attention. But you really can see Everest from Kathmandu, with the right conditions. kathmandupost.com/art-culture/...