Tag: oceans

Pulling Together


We’ve been busy with the planet, as you might just know
Our minds have been preoccupied; it might well show
We’ve been up to London, protesting for our right
To have a healthy future of which, we mustn’t lose sight  

We’ve stood up to the government and fought for Mother Earth
We’ve spoken our minds, and we’ve had our pennyworth
This is an emergency; our PM doesn’t care
While fossil fuel pollution permeates our air

Our battle isn’t over; we won’t give up the fight
We’ll shout, drum and protest to emphasise our plight
Politicians fill their pockets and won’t listen to the facts
They don’t hear the pleas of scientists, who say we need to act

We all need to pull together; every single soul
Give power to the people, and no more digging coal
Stop drilling in the oceans and pulling up the oil
Stop killing all our wildlife and poisoning our soil

The butterflies and insects are dying out so fast
Our fish are full of plastics, and the damage will last
We’re chopping down our trees; the forests getting bare
There are many people starving because the rich won’t share

The bees are getting rarer; they’ll be no more pollination
The crops will all fail; what of the next generation?
We must stand up for them; we don’t want them to die
The human race must listen, or its plans will go awry.

With thanks to all my wonderful, caring rebel-friends in Extinction Rebellion, who made this amazing protest possible and inspired me to write this poem. Love you all. Xx 💚💚💚










Raring To Go – Earth Day – The Big One

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Many of my friends in Extinction Rebellion (XR) have set off by coach today, heading for London. I am going there tomorrow, my journey beginning at 6am meaning an early night tonight. We are NOT intending to disrupt the people on the street, but we are gathering around the Houses of Parliament to try to get the urgent message to our politicians, regarding the climate emergency, as recognised by eminent scientists and, of course, the famous and very knowledgeable David Attenborough.

This will be a peaceful gathering with over 30,000 protesters, including over 200 other climate-concerned groups. XR have NO plans to disrupt the London Marathon tomorrow or the Mini Marathon today. We can’t speak for climate protesters from other prominent organisations, such as Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil etc., as when things go wrong, it is always XR who, unfairly, get the blame. We can’t control the actions of other groups, but I hope they will have the same responsible attitude as us.

I am one of the many drummers from XR, and fortunately, I got my drum secondhand. It was just plain brown wood when I got it, so I decorated it using paints, stencils and stickers. It took me four days to complete it (see photo.) The image of the turtle and the bees represent our dying wildlife. The fish in the ocean are there because our oceans worldwide are polluted by sewage, plastics and vast, abandoned fishing nets.

Being a wheelchair user, as I am, is going to make my participation very challenging. I will have to find places to recharge my wheelchair, as there is a family-friendly nature march tomorrow, and I will, in general, be covering a good few miles. I will travel with my large drum on my lap on the train to London. I’ve never attempted this before. Today, I am preparing to pack everything up ready for my early start in the morning. We are all taking mugs, bowls and reusable cutlery, plus bags to take home our rubbish, as we have no intention of leaving our litter behind. Sometimes, the Hare Krishna people are there with hot food to offer. We are grateful to them.

I will stop here, as I have sooo much to get ready, as you can imagine. I am so excited. I appreciate people have differing views about Extinction Rebellion, but we see no other option, other than to target the government because we are desperately frightened for the future of our children, grandchildren and subsequent generations, who will be affected far more than we already are.

Thank you for reading. Wish me luck (if you wish).

Once again, I do apologise for not being able to read your blogs at this time. Please, be assured that I will get back into the swing of WordPress after the event. My love to you all. Ellie Xx 🌎🌹💚

There Is No Planet B – The Big One

FIRSTLY, AN APOLOGY – I AM HAVING TO TAKE A BREAK FROM WORDPRESS FOR A FEW DAYS AT LEAST. I have so much to prepare for the upcoming event. Also, I have to complete an assignment for my course, which breaks for a couple of weeks on Thursday. After that, I have my son and the children staying. Needless to say, it will be impossible to keep up with reading and commenting on blogs, so I do hope you will understand and forgive me. I will begin again with a fresh start when I come back. Apologies if I haven’t read or commented on your recent posts. Thank you for your understanding.

I wrote this a few days ago, and I decided to share it today before taking a break.

On Saturday, the 22nd of April, I am travelling to the centre of London to attend a vast gathering of people, all opposed to our government’s complete lack of action against climate change and because they are continuing to plough money into fossil fuel industries, thereby gradually wrecking our planet. There are other relevant topics, like how we dispose of our plastics. Most of it isn’t recycled as we are made to believe but is frequently sent abroad, ending up either in the oceans or in landfill where it doesn’t ever break down. The number of trees is declining because of the rate of destruction taking place to enable more roads and interchanges to be built. Without trees in the world, there will be less oxygen for us to breathe. There is so much damage that our government are doing that it would be impossible to mention all of it here.

We must do everything possible to act against the government and make them see sense. The event is called, quite appropriately, THE BIG ONE, thus named because tens of thousands of people from over one hundred organisations, such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Rewild Britain, Global Justice, Ethical Consumer, The Green Party and many other climate-concerned groups. Also, other organisations like NHS Staff Voices and Keep Britain Tidy will be there, and we will all come together for a peaceful gathering.

The two-hour (or more) journey to London will involve two trains, including at least one underground and possibly a bus. We are all gathering at the Houses of Parliament in London. It is a four-day event beginning on Friday next week, but I am only staying for one day, as camping at night with an electric wheelchair would be too difficult. As it is, the journey could be fraught with obstacles like lifts being out of order, trains arriving too late for a connecting train, and a whole host of other possibilities. Nevertheless, I am determined to be there to play my part.

People (adults and children) are coming from all around the country and many from Europe to take part. It will be a peaceful protest unlike any other.

A few of you know that I am a member of Extinction Rebellion (XR). I realise some people don’t like what we do, but we are getting increasingly desperate about the future of our planet and all life on her. As it is, a large percentage of wildlife is dying off, and some creatures are even becoming extinct. In the UK, the bee and butterfly populations are being decimated by the use of toxic pesticides. Without these insects, there would be no pollination and, subsequently, hardly any crops, flowers, fruits or vegetables. People and many other creatures would begin to starve. The climate is changing, and heatwaves, floods, hurricanes etc., are becoming more frequent. In the UK alone, temperatures last year reached an unheard-of 42C (107F). There will, no doubt, be more of this during this coming summer months.

I fear for our children and our grandchildren, who will be the ones to inherit the Earth from us. It is they who will suffer the loss and damage caused by the governments all over the world and us.

On Saturday, there will be a march for biodiversity with adults and children, many dressed in costumes representing nature. I will be taking part in this, as will many of the people there.

I am an XR drummer and will be playing with others in the band on Saturday. (I’m currently painting and decorating my drum, ready for the event). Playing has its challenges for me in that I will need to drive my wheelchair, Alfie, as well as concentrate on playing the drum with one hand. It’s not going to be easy. I will also have to make the journey with my drum on my lap and carry waterproof clothing in case it rains, plus supplies to get me through the day.

We are NOT locking or glueing ourselves onto roads or vehicles, nor spraying paint on buildings (this wasn’t XR but another environmental group.) We will NOT be causing a nuisance to the general public or blocking roads. We are trying to get our point across to the government and will be there outside the Houses of Parliament for four days. Many people are camping to enable them to stay the whole time. And before anyone imagines we are using cars to get to London; we’re not. Everyone, at least from our organisation, is travelling by coach, bus or train.

We have to do all within our power to get the government to take us seriously. Whether or not we are successful remains to be seen, but at least we are doing our utmost to alter the course of manmade destruction being caused to our planet. We will not give up until positive action is taken.

AFTER ALL, THERE IS NO PLANET B.

NOTE: I realise that it isn’t just the British government who are responsible, but also governments worldwide. However, we are here in the UK and determined to do whatever we can to get the British government to sit up and take note.

I will be happy to answer any questions you have if I can. Please, either ask in the comments or contact me on my contact page. I will reply when I can. Thanks.