Yesterday I was shouted at by several people here for posting my reporting for the splash for The Sunday Post.
It was a dispiriting experience.
So here’s a picture from a crafting session at the community woodland I run in the Scottish Borders.
It’s a gnome. I hope this is acceptable.

Turns out that if you make something much more expensive on one side of an open border, people will vote with their feet. How minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland backfired and boosted sales in England - my story for the Sunday Post.

Save The Observer: keep the free press free.

How green was my EV? The average electric vehicle uses 60kg of copper: around 190 new copper mines are needed by 2050 to meet demand. My investigation for The Independent into what that means for workers and the environment as China ramps up production.
archive.ph/KkT88

Working on an investigation into the production of EV batteries. But getting distracted by editing pictures from first return to India for 10 years. Kingfisher, fruit bat, brahminy kite, palm squirrel.

Working on a story about Scottish wildcats. Would love to talk to anyone involved in the breeding programme. The pic? Highlands, mine, couple of weeks ago.

Sixteen years since the first picture, we took our son back to India so he could see where he grew up.

Helping son prepare to head off to university next month turns out to be rather more emotional than expected. It goes quickly.

Journalism: the Foreign Desk translation guide:
“Bob’s looking at it” - it’s being rewritten
“The intro’s not quite right “ - the intro is wrong
“We’re holding it for Monday” - it is boring
“Looks all right to me” - effusive praise

(from Michael Holman, former FT Africa Editor)

You can’t have too many owls. And today was mainly owls. Barn, pygmy and tawny, since you ask. This is what happens when you find yourself accidentally running a community nature reserve.

Here’s a UK version.

This is a thing of beauty. River catchment map: it’s been around a while, but still remarkable.

Hello. If you’re wondering why I’m on the list you followed, I used to be someone you may have vaguely remembered reading. Observer, Guardian, Telegraph, etc. Had a break to build a nature reserve, as you do. Returning to journalism next month.
Here’s a pic from a long thing about child marriage.

Referee* scores spectacular own goal.
The world of Scottish politics is slightly more interesting today after Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross was reported to have fouled several of his teammates after sending himself off.

*Ross is, remarkably, a qualified Scottish football referee.

Red squirrel, Scottish Borders forest.

Looking for an experienced journalist and photographer?
Former Sunday Telegraph, Observer, Scotsman foreign correspondent.
Freelance, investigations, available for words and pictures. Based in Scotland, can travel anywhere.
Specialist in labour rights: who made it and where?
#journalism #freelance