बाउ को धुरी छैन “Father Has No Roof over his head” An #OtherEverests #ConfluenceCollective exhibition in Kalimpong 21-27 February 2026 shorturl.at/YrbVv Lost archives & hidden histories of Indigenous high-altitude workers from the 1920s & 1930s. @peterhhansen.bsky.social @calmandfearless.bsky.social

Very rich people knew they'd not be affected by Brexit or MAGA. They have mobility and money. Just a game and a gamble.

It's amazing to see so many new responses to and interpretations of Nan Shepherd's The Living Mountain. Wish she could have known the legs that book had.

The Fram Museum (if you're ever in Oslo, then go) is reporting that Roland Huntford has died, deep into his 90s. It took someone born in South Africa to offer a more realistic picture of Scott, but his intention, he said, to was to do justice to Amundsen. Can't argue with that.

Far from being stopped, fake rescues are continuing in Nepal. Police say in a 30-month period insurance companies were defrauded of $20 million dollars. kathmandupost.com/money/2026/0...

A sobering account of the recent accident on Makalu when a client was left to descend alone following the death of one of his guides and subsequently disappeared himself. Tragic, but begs a lot of questions. www.climbing.com/news/how-gui...

As Nic says, so moving. Robin song is soul food even without grief.

Really handy how all the crap Tories are congealing in the same u-bend.

Sorry to hear that Mark Tully has died. Another world now, and a more tolerant one. Sir Mark Tully, the BBC's 'voice of India', dies aged 90 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It would be great to get through just one day without being forced to think about him.

The RSPB reports six of its satellite-tagged Hen Harriers 'disappeared' on or close to grouse moors in England in 2025, and another one was illegally poisoned. #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍 raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/20/r...

Liz Truss: 'I crashed an entire country in 49 days.' Donald Trump: 'Hold my diet coke!'

Morning all...

Sue me, but I thought Adolescence over-hyped. Prison drama Waiting for the Out, on the other hand, hasn't been getting the attention it deserves. (Go BBC!) Josh Finan was inspired casting. Can switch in an instant from being a frightened boy to a tough-minded intellectual.

So anti-elitist.

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

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

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.

Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @calmandfearless.bsky.social focuses on the frozen ground beneath our feet. #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.

Google the video & see for yourself. This is not law enforcement. This is murder. Sickening.

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."

Make it viral.

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.

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)

The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!

Stunning footage of remarkable behaviour.

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.

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.

Country diary: A close encounter with a buzzard – close enough to make me wonder | Ed Douglas

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.

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...

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...

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/...

Terracotta Army vibes here. China has long wanted a compliant population and has hit on the ruse of cutting out the middlemen (and women).

A streak of colour on a grey day. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I’m enjoying the new Observer and this piece from Andrew Anthony on Felix Baumgartner is outstanding. Articulates so much of what I feel about Red Bull, social media and adventure. observer.co.uk/style/featur...

Pleased to be part of this hugely significant legal challenge. The Boris Johnson Govt first suppressed the Russia report & then refused to act on it. As evidence mounts of Putin’s hybrid warfare, it’s vital that we can be confident in the robustness of our democratic systems

Labour has disappointed in so many ways but it’s failure to understand China is especially annoying. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This.

And if you’re wondering who Labour is listening to? “Reeves boasted she hatched plan to rip down our nature protections over a “smoked salmon & scrambled eggs breakfast” with corporate lobbyists”. While Starmer’s resolve to kick down planning rules are result of his “conversations with leading CEOs”

A story in three parts

Goldfinches, whinchats and life-giving cattle on the moor in today's @theguardian.com country diary by @calmandfearless.bsky.social. #countrydiary #naturewriting

Excellent to see Labour MPs call on the government to leave Elon Musk's hate-filled X. Doing so would spark an exodus of journalists & public bodies. Thank you @bengoldsborough.bsky.social @sarahowen.org.uk @alexballingermp.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...