Blurring of the edges – 13th January 2012

photo copyright of the Chilterns Conservation Board

I rarely let my work life cross over into my blogging life, not because they don’t share common principles but because I find writing this diary relaxing and work isn’t always something I like to be reminded about when I am relaxing.  Today, however, I am making an exception.  Monday, and my first day back, saw me traveling down to the Great Wen for a few days.  I had two very useful meetings, one on each day, and on Tuesday before catching my train home called in at the Royal Geographical Society to use one of their rooms as a temporary office.  It was there that I had time to mull over the recent announcement that the High Speed 2 rail link had been given the go ahead – the go ahead to cut through one of Britain’s most treasured and protected landscapes, the Chilterns.  I don’t intend passing judgement on this decision in a diary on dog training but I do feel inclined to point you to the transcript of speech I made at a conference in the autumn on landscape and our relationship with the land.  You will have to scroll through to the title ‘Groves of Renewal’ on page 13 if you want to read it but I am sure those immediately effected by this decision have difficulty expressing adequately quite what their landscape means to them.  Click here.