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ipaulypaul.bsky.social
iPaulyPaul
@ipaulypaul.bsky.social
730 followers 430 following 340 posts
Off-grid in Lancashire since 2018. I live where your denial ends. Bring compost.
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ipaulypaul.bsky.social
We’re living the episode that never aired because it had no ending. Just the slow dissolve of the audience realising they’re in it.
October 9, 2025 at 7:25 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Before & after. Grass stripped, path dug, what felt like tonnes of sandstone hauled out. Levelled, weedmat down, MOT tamped, bark and planters in. Shed groundwork for the chicken feed next, then more path to sort.

#smallholding #DIY #ukgardening #resilience #collapseaware
Side-by-side photos of a vintage caravan area. Left: bare ground with scattered stones, posts, weed growth, and a few plant pots. Right: same view after work- weedmat, tamped MOT base, bark mulch laid, sandstone chunks removed, planters arranged neatly, and the space looking tidier and more defined.
August 23, 2025 at 7:19 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Digging a hole for a pond on the edge of a quarry.
Might be for wildlife. Might be for me when it all goes to hell.

📷 Progress

#smallholding #DIY #collapseaware #pondlife #wildlifehabitat #pendlehill #lancashire
A freshly dug pond hole on the edge of a steep, wooded drop. The excavation has uneven, crumbly sides and a deep central section, with a spade resting inside. To the left, part of a white vehicle is parked close to the edge, and on the right dense green trees lean over the slope.
August 12, 2025 at 10:34 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Built a wall for our off-grid cabin.
Won’t save the world. Might save the shed.

📷 Before & After

#smallholding #DIY #collapseaware #pendlehill #lancashire #wildlifehabitat
August 12, 2025 at 10:20 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
June 23, 2025 at 9:28 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Bees.
#bees #pollinators #rewilding #offgridlife #poppyseason #collapseaware #unravelfuture #localresilience #lancashirewildlife
Close-up collage of four different bees pollinating flowers. Top left: a honeybee nestled in a deep purple double poppy. Top right: a worn common carder bee on a lamb’s ear flower. Bottom left: another carder bee with visible leg hairs collecting pollen. Bottom right: a buff-tailed bumblebee feeding on pink lamb’s ear blossoms.
June 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
May 31, 2025 at 8:53 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Every Trump press briefing feels like a scripted mockumentary about the fall of a clueless empire. The protagonist oblivious, the cast complicit, the viewers cringing, and the credits rolling over our collapsing reality.

#collapseaware #trump #systemiccollapse #dystopianreality #americanfarce
Trump stands at a White House podium, flanked by familiar TV characters, their expressions blending confusion, silent panic, and resigned complicity- capturing the absurdity and grim reality of a nation in decline.
May 28, 2025 at 7:11 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Paeonia lactiflora, native to Asia, flowering end-May in Lancashire. Each bloom lasts about 7 to 10 days. Grown without pesticides, off-grid.
#bloomsky
#paeonialactiflora #botanicalphotography #pollinatorplants #offgridgardening #growyourown #lancashire #collapseaware #plantfacts
Close-up of a single magenta Paeonia lactiflora flower in full bloom, sharply focused against a softly blurred green and yellow background. The petals are layered and slightly ruffled, with visible texture and light variation. Captured outdoors in natural light.
May 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
This oak saw centuries rise and fall- now it watches the soil dry, the insects vanish, and the silence grow. Its resilience is not eternal.
#ancientoak #collapseaware #rewilding #beyondanthropocene #lancashire
A large, mature oak tree stands beside a winding woodland path. Its thick trunk is gnarled and weathered, with ivy and holly growing at its base. Dappled light filters through the canopy above, casting shadows across the forest floor. The scene is quiet, lush, and ancient.
May 26, 2025 at 3:56 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Here's a stained glass piece I made for my youngest, Lucy- a hammerhead adrift in the treetops, catching the last light. #art #stainedglass #offgridstudio #craft #handmade #arttherapy
Stained glass ornament shaped like a hammerhead shark, featuring blue and green glass segments, hanging from a tree branch with a backdrop of golden sunlight filtering through dense woodland.
May 23, 2025 at 5:57 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
They’ll diagnose you with anxiety before admitting the planet’s dying.
Solastalgia.
#climategrief #solastalgia #collapseaware #truthhurts
A minimalist dictionary-style image defining “solastalgia” as a noun: “a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change, especially in one’s home environment.”
May 21, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
I made this stained glass piece a while ago, but it hits different in the low evening sun. I’ll be getting back into the craft soon.
#stainedglass #eveninglight #craft #crafting
Stained glass panel in an arched shape, depicting a stylized forest scene under a crescent moon. A winding path leads through green trees and across a blue stream, with star-like accents in the sky. Sunlight from behind makes the colors glow, especially the rich greens and golds.
May 21, 2025 at 6:48 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
A young oak tree, newly uncovered from dense brambles and long grass, growing at the base of a large, mature oak. The scene captures natural regeneration in a rewilding landscape.

#oak #rewilding #naturalregeneration #landmanagement #lancashireforest
A small oak sapling grows in front of a massive, mature oak tree. The sapling stands in recently cleared grass and bramble, illuminated by late afternoon light. The old oak’s thick, twisting limbs spread wide above, forming a dense canopy.
May 20, 2025 at 5:09 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Final post of the evening. Had to share- just look at the colour on this weeping purple beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Pendula'). Deep purple foliage and a dramatic weeping form. Not subtle, but undeniably striking.
#weepingbeech #purpureapendula #uktrees #ornamentals #landstewardship #offgridlife
A weeping purple beech tree with cascading branches covered in deep purple leaves, creating a dense, umbrella-like canopy. The tree stands alone in a garden setting, with green grass and other foliage in the background.
May 19, 2025 at 8:42 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
An evening doing the watering. Just keeping the beds alive and the soil from cracking, everything is so thirsty.
#gardening #watering #foodbeds #smallholding #offgrid #collapseaware
Raised garden beds being watered in the evening. A hose sprays water over soil and young crops. A wooden barn stands to the left, with trees and netted supports in the background. The scene is practical, tidy, and functional.
May 19, 2025 at 8:38 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Spotted this red-and-black froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) clinging to a honeysuckle stem. Not a beetle- these sap-suckers are true bugs and champion jumpers. Their young hide in “cuckoo spit” nearby.

#froghopper #honeysuckle #ukbugs #rewilding #biodiversity #permaculture #landstewardship
A red-and-black froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) clings to a purple honeysuckle stem, surrounded by green leaves. The insect’s bold red markings contrast sharply with its black body. The image is sharply focused on the froghopper, with a softly blurred green background.
May 19, 2025 at 8:31 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Oxeye daisies produce allelopathic chemicals that suppress nearby plant growth, giving them an edge in colonising bare or disturbed ground. Each plant can host over 80 insect species. In folklore, they symbolised patience and transformation.

#oxeyedaisy #rewilding #allelopathy #ecologyfacts
Cluster of oxeye daisies in bloom, white petals radiating around yellow centres, catching low evening light. The flowers stand amid green foliage, emerging from wild, semi-managed ground- typical of rewilded or disturbed UK landscapes.
May 19, 2025 at 8:13 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Some people find religion. I found a 200-year-old oak and now I whisper secrets to its roots. Same vibe.

#oaktree #landconnection #naturetherapy #postdoom #earthbasedspirituality #rewilding #collapseaware #sacredgrove #treelove #rooted
A towering mature oak tree rises from a sunlit woodland clearing in late afternoon. The thick, textured trunk flares at the base and splits into massive limbs that stretch out broadly, casting dappled shadows across its bark. Bright green leaves fill the canopy overhead, glowing against a deep blue sky. A hollow at the tree’s base opens toward the viewer, partially framed by grass and surrounding holly.
May 16, 2025 at 6:49 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Collapse awareness isn’t the end.
It’s the end of pretending.
What follows isn’t hope. It’s presence.
Less noise. More soil. Less grind. More care.
10/10
#collapseaware #climategrief #ukcollapse #burnout #resilienceliving #postdoom #systemicfailure #livingwithlimits #quietresistance
A photorealistic image of a person walking alone along a winding dirt path through a semi-wild, food-producing landscape. They carry a hand tool over their shoulder and walk past tended crops and hedgerows. A crow flies overhead, and the light is soft and golden. The scene conveys quiet continuation in a world reshaped by collapse.
May 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
If you’ve opted out- fair enough.
Just don’t float forever in the void.
Choose land. Kin. Making. Tending. Witnessing.
Not to fix the world, but to remain in it.
Truthfully. Humanly. 9/10
A photorealistic image of five people sharing an outdoor meal at a wooden table in a garden. They laugh together while eating bowls of stew and bread in warm evening light. In the background: a chicken coop, laundry drying on a line, and thriving plants. The scene suggests warmth, mutual care, and everyday resilience in a collapse-aware world.
May 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
Collapse isn’t just about systems failing.
It’s about meanings falling apart.
It’s spiritual as much as it is political.
That’s why it hurts so much. And why it matters what you build in the aftermath. 8/10
A photorealistic image of a man slouched in a chair in a dark, cluttered room, faintly lit by the blue glow of three computer monitors. One screen shows the headline "Societal Decline," another displays a global warming map, and the third depicts a desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape. Stacks of books, mugs, and wilting plants surround him, while rain streaks the window. The atmosphere evokes cognitive overload and emotional fatigue in the face of collapse.
May 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
You don’t need to conform.
You don’t need forced optimism.
But you do need something to live for.
Something real. Grounded. Worth showing up for even as it all unravels. 7/10
A photorealistic image of a person in a hoodie crouched beside a small greenhouse made of salvaged wood and old windowpanes. They tend to trays of seedlings in soft, golden late-afternoon light. The surrounding garden is rough but alive, with scattered tools, water butts, and a compost bin. The mood is quiet, grounded, and intentional- signalling care in a fraying world.
May 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
There’s a line between refusing illusions and refusing life.
Between walking away from the system and walking off the edge.
Between honest grief and paralysed nihilism.

Collapse shows us what no longer works. But it doesn’t tell us what to do next. 6/10
A photorealistic image of a man standing at a fork in a dirt path during sunset. One path leads into dense woodland, the other curves toward a grey overpass. He stands still, hands in his coat pockets, facing the choice. Long shadows stretch behind him. The mood is reflective, caught between disillusionment and direction.
May 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ipaulypaul.bsky.social
But here’s the risk:
Collapse awareness can harden into collapse surrender.
It becomes an excuse to let rot spread inward.
To shut down. Check out.
To lose the thread completely. 5/10
A photorealistic image of a person sitting at a cluttered kitchen table, head in hands, visibly overwhelmed. The room is dimly lit by pale morning light filtering through venetian blinds. Empty mugs, scattered papers, and a plate with crumbs suggest neglect. Outside the window, grey tower blocks loom under a dull sky, underscoring a sense of emotional and systemic burnout.
May 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM