Philobiblon

I’m drooping over the keyboard, having spent my day dashing around, and around, and around Camden, helping to sort out nomination papers for the total of 54 candidates the Green Party is hoping to stand (so everyone will have the chance to give us their three votes). For those who claim civil society is dead, or that community spirit is, it is lovely to see the response of people when you knock on the door asking for their signature. They are really pleasant and helpful, even when they aren’t Green voters.

But a couple of little gems from the Inbox:

Test your ability to read 17th-century handwriting, and learn how to do it better – a great idea. There are seven documents, rated into three levels of difficulty. You type your reading in, and the site compares it to the “perfect” one. Too tired to even think about trying it, but I will. (Although whether I share the results might depend on how I do…!)

Then, we’ve already learnt to think about food miles, but this article goes further in saying we should look at the “fuel consumption” of everything we eat. Food for thought. Guess I’d better join that 10-year waiting list for an allotment…