Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
@cookthepainter.bsky.social
Painter, Sketcher, Tree-hugger.
Ex Sunday Times
cookthepainter.com
Ex Sunday Times
cookthepainter.com
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
FACTCHECK: Why expensive gas – not net-zero – is keeping UK electricity prices so high
Many seem determined to obfuscate the very obvious reason why UK power is still so pricey. Molly Lempriere and I set out the facts + options to cut bills.
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/10
Many seem determined to obfuscate the very obvious reason why UK power is still so pricey. Molly Lempriere and I set out the facts + options to cut bills.
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/10
May 20, 2025 at 10:41 AM
FACTCHECK: Why expensive gas – not net-zero – is keeping UK electricity prices so high
Many seem determined to obfuscate the very obvious reason why UK power is still so pricey. Molly Lempriere and I set out the facts + options to cut bills.
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/10
Many seem determined to obfuscate the very obvious reason why UK power is still so pricey. Molly Lempriere and I set out the facts + options to cut bills.
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/10
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
In 3 months, bluefin tuna will be migrating back into our waters, where they'll be met with a fleet of commercial and recreational* fishers. It's a horrible way to welcome these magnificent, charismatic creatures. Let's try to get this to 250,000 before they arrive.
www.change.org/p/protect-bl...
www.change.org/p/protect-bl...
Sign the Petition
Protect bluefin tuna in UK waters
www.change.org
May 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
In 3 months, bluefin tuna will be migrating back into our waters, where they'll be met with a fleet of commercial and recreational* fishers. It's a horrible way to welcome these magnificent, charismatic creatures. Let's try to get this to 250,000 before they arrive.
www.change.org/p/protect-bl...
www.change.org/p/protect-bl...
Late again……One from a while ago for #worldbeeday
May 21, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Late again……One from a while ago for #worldbeeday
A bit of Shaftesbury sketching featuring, on walking stick, Dapper Dan. I don’t know him but he’s a well dressed dude I spotted on Shaftesbury High Street one day. Thought he deserved including in a scribble.
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#urbansketches #dorsetlife #sketchbookartist #sketchingpeople
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#urbansketches #dorsetlife #sketchbookartist #sketchingpeople
April 16, 2025 at 12:42 PM
A bit of Shaftesbury sketching featuring, on walking stick, Dapper Dan. I don’t know him but he’s a well dressed dude I spotted on Shaftesbury High Street one day. Thought he deserved including in a scribble.
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#urbansketches #dorsetlife #sketchbookartist #sketchingpeople
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#urbansketches #dorsetlife #sketchbookartist #sketchingpeople
Trees, trees, trees……great to be part of @the_arborealists 40th exhibition @sculpturebythelakes The show is open until 19 April. All the work can be seen online at sculpturebythelakes.co.uk
April 8, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Trees, trees, trees……great to be part of @the_arborealists 40th exhibition @sculpturebythelakes The show is open until 19 April. All the work can be seen online at sculpturebythelakes.co.uk
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
Good move for nature - UK govt says all England's deep peat (over 30cm deep) will be protected from burning
Used to encourage game birds through new plant growth, burning of peatland can turn carbon sink into carbon source, and is damaging for other wildlife
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Used to encourage game birds through new plant growth, burning of peatland can turn carbon sink into carbon source, and is damaging for other wildlife
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Peatland burning ban aims to protect wildlife and England’s carbon stores
Labour’s measures to ban deep-peat burning aim to safeguard habitats, tackle carbon emissions, and protect wildlife, so why are hunters up in arms?
www.theguardian.com
March 31, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Good move for nature - UK govt says all England's deep peat (over 30cm deep) will be protected from burning
Used to encourage game birds through new plant growth, burning of peatland can turn carbon sink into carbon source, and is damaging for other wildlife
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Used to encourage game birds through new plant growth, burning of peatland can turn carbon sink into carbon source, and is damaging for other wildlife
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
We took over the giant screen at Farage’s big rally in Birmingham
March 28, 2025 at 9:50 PM
We took over the giant screen at Farage’s big rally in Birmingham
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
I took this photo less than 10 years after the deer fence behind was erected. Before it went up, the land behind was just grass, exactly like the foreground where he sheep are.
*Nothing* was planted here.
"It's not rocket science" is an understatement.
🌍
*Nothing* was planted here.
"It's not rocket science" is an understatement.
🌍
March 29, 2025 at 6:47 AM
I took this photo less than 10 years after the deer fence behind was erected. Before it went up, the land behind was just grass, exactly like the foreground where he sheep are.
*Nothing* was planted here.
"It's not rocket science" is an understatement.
🌍
*Nothing* was planted here.
"It's not rocket science" is an understatement.
🌍
Trees, trees, trees……Really looking forward to being part of @the_arborealists 40th exhibition @sculpturebythelakes The show opens on 22 March. All the work on show is available online at sculpturebythelakes.co.uk
March 20, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Trees, trees, trees……Really looking forward to being part of @the_arborealists 40th exhibition @sculpturebythelakes The show opens on 22 March. All the work on show is available online at sculpturebythelakes.co.uk
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
Delighted to reveal the hard-hitting paperback cover for my book, THE LIE OF THE LAND - an exposé of what the 'custodians of the countryside' have done to nature in Britain.
The paperback's out 8th May - order yours here: lnkfi.re/JhxHno
More upcoming talks here & details below: lnkfi.re/PkfOhd 🧵
The paperback's out 8th May - order yours here: lnkfi.re/JhxHno
More upcoming talks here & details below: lnkfi.re/PkfOhd 🧵
March 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Delighted to reveal the hard-hitting paperback cover for my book, THE LIE OF THE LAND - an exposé of what the 'custodians of the countryside' have done to nature in Britain.
The paperback's out 8th May - order yours here: lnkfi.re/JhxHno
More upcoming talks here & details below: lnkfi.re/PkfOhd 🧵
The paperback's out 8th May - order yours here: lnkfi.re/JhxHno
More upcoming talks here & details below: lnkfi.re/PkfOhd 🧵
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
Back Mills, Montreuil-sur-Mer by Frits Thaulow 1892
Oil on Canvas
(Private Collection)
Oil on Canvas
(Private Collection)
March 8, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Back Mills, Montreuil-sur-Mer by Frits Thaulow 1892
Oil on Canvas
(Private Collection)
Oil on Canvas
(Private Collection)
‘Straight above the spring’ ink, watercolour and charcoal
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The stand of beech trees that marks the spot where the River Stour stays its journey to the sea.
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#watercolour
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The stand of beech trees that marks the spot where the River Stour stays its journey to the sea.
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#watercolour
March 5, 2025 at 10:19 PM
‘Straight above the spring’ ink, watercolour and charcoal
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The stand of beech trees that marks the spot where the River Stour stays its journey to the sea.
.
#watercolour
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The stand of beech trees that marks the spot where the River Stour stays its journey to the sea.
.
#watercolour
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
The most unpatriotic members of any society are the far right. They will always align with foreign interests against the interests of their own nations. They will always undermine national institutions and national values in pursuit of their own interests. When they pose as patriots, they lie.
February 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM
The most unpatriotic members of any society are the far right. They will always align with foreign interests against the interests of their own nations. They will always undermine national institutions and national values in pursuit of their own interests. When they pose as patriots, they lie.
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
Liz Truss called solar farms a “blight on the landscape”, but researchers have found they are actually better for birds than farmland
Solar farms in East Anglia had greater bird diversity & bird abundance than nearby arable land, a study finds
Paper here later www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Solar farms in East Anglia had greater bird diversity & bird abundance than nearby arable land, a study finds
Paper here later www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
February 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Liz Truss called solar farms a “blight on the landscape”, but researchers have found they are actually better for birds than farmland
Solar farms in East Anglia had greater bird diversity & bird abundance than nearby arable land, a study finds
Paper here later www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Solar farms in East Anglia had greater bird diversity & bird abundance than nearby arable land, a study finds
Paper here later www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
‘Sun above the source’ ink, watercolour and charcoal on canvas
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This is where the River Stour oozes from the ground and begins its 61 mile journey to the sea at Mudeford
#watercolour
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This is where the River Stour oozes from the ground and begins its 61 mile journey to the sea at Mudeford
#watercolour
February 12, 2025 at 11:52 AM
‘Sun above the source’ ink, watercolour and charcoal on canvas
.
This is where the River Stour oozes from the ground and begins its 61 mile journey to the sea at Mudeford
#watercolour
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This is where the River Stour oozes from the ground and begins its 61 mile journey to the sea at Mudeford
#watercolour
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
Reposting, because it's so important that people know about this...
#neonicotinoids #cats #dogs #birds #pesticides
#neonicotinoids #cats #dogs #birds #pesticides
"100% of the nests contained fipronil, banned in the UK and EU for agricultural use, and 89% contained imidacloprid, banned in the EU as a plant protection product. Both are still widely used in pet flea treatments..."
#neonics #cats #dogs #birds #pesticides
www.theguardian.com/environment/....
#neonics #cats #dogs #birds #pesticides
www.theguardian.com/environment/....
Songbirds being killed by pesticides found in pet fur flea treatments
Exclusive: Chemical in treatment for pet fleas and ticks is found in nests of blue and great tits, killing chicks
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Reposting, because it's so important that people know about this...
#neonicotinoids #cats #dogs #birds #pesticides
#neonicotinoids #cats #dogs #birds #pesticides
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
We can easily spare a tenth of England for nature without affecting food production!
20% of our land produces just 3% of our food.
Vast swathes of our uplands are owned by about 150 wealthy landowners who use it for shooting grouse, and set fire to our biggest carbon sink, our peat bogs...
20% of our land produces just 3% of our food.
Vast swathes of our uplands are owned by about 150 wealthy landowners who use it for shooting grouse, and set fire to our biggest carbon sink, our peat bogs...
January 31, 2025 at 8:43 AM
We can easily spare a tenth of England for nature without affecting food production!
20% of our land produces just 3% of our food.
Vast swathes of our uplands are owned by about 150 wealthy landowners who use it for shooting grouse, and set fire to our biggest carbon sink, our peat bogs...
20% of our land produces just 3% of our food.
Vast swathes of our uplands are owned by about 150 wealthy landowners who use it for shooting grouse, and set fire to our biggest carbon sink, our peat bogs...
Proud to have this piece selected for the SGFA annual open exhibition at The Mall Galleries 10-14 March #sketchbook
January 27, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Proud to have this piece selected for the SGFA annual open exhibition at The Mall Galleries 10-14 March #sketchbook
Mist in the valley at sunrise as I pass a favourite pot-bellied old oak on Gascoigne’s Lane
#watercolour #painting
#watercolour #painting
January 21, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Mist in the valley at sunrise as I pass a favourite pot-bellied old oak on Gascoigne’s Lane
#watercolour #painting
#watercolour #painting
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
The wholesale extermination of predators on grouse moors needs to stop. Please consider signing this petition in order to speed things up.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Petition: Ban driven grouse shooting
Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery (Wild Justice) believe that driven grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife. People; we think grouse shooting is economically insignifi...
petition.parliament.uk
January 16, 2025 at 6:48 AM
The wholesale extermination of predators on grouse moors needs to stop. Please consider signing this petition in order to speed things up.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
It's 2025 for god's sake. When are these shameful, Victorian attitudes going to change?
This latest victim was one of the reintroduced eagles. All that effort, for this.
#wildlifecrime #raptorresearch #ornithology
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/01/16/w...
This latest victim was one of the reintroduced eagles. All that effort, for this.
#wildlifecrime #raptorresearch #ornithology
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/01/16/w...
White-tailed Eagle shot dead in Ireland – appeal for information
Press release from The National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), 14 January 2025: INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF A WHITE-TAILED EAGLE IN COUNTY WESTMEATH The National Parks and W…
raptorpersecutionuk.org
January 16, 2025 at 10:58 AM
It's 2025 for god's sake. When are these shameful, Victorian attitudes going to change?
This latest victim was one of the reintroduced eagles. All that effort, for this.
#wildlifecrime #raptorresearch #ornithology
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/01/16/w...
This latest victim was one of the reintroduced eagles. All that effort, for this.
#wildlifecrime #raptorresearch #ornithology
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/01/16/w...
Sketching by the river……spent a great day exploring the River Rother in Sussex doing preparatory drawings for an upcoming exhibition #watercolour #pleinair
January 15, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Sketching by the river……spent a great day exploring the River Rother in Sussex doing preparatory drawings for an upcoming exhibition #watercolour #pleinair
Snow on the old drover’s track. This cobbled road was the main route farmers used to walk their cattle up to market.
#watercolour #painting
#watercolour #painting
January 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Snow on the old drover’s track. This cobbled road was the main route farmers used to walk their cattle up to market.
#watercolour #painting
#watercolour #painting
‘Mist in the beech wood’ ink, watercolour and charcoal
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Low sun, foggy morning and rotting leaves. I do love the winter.
#watercolour
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Low sun, foggy morning and rotting leaves. I do love the winter.
#watercolour
January 7, 2025 at 10:48 AM
‘Mist in the beech wood’ ink, watercolour and charcoal
.
Low sun, foggy morning and rotting leaves. I do love the winter.
#watercolour
.
Low sun, foggy morning and rotting leaves. I do love the winter.
#watercolour
Reposted by Gary Cook RI SGFA Arborealist
Happy new year, everyone. I’ve not been on here much lately so allow me to introduce myself again, I’m Lee and I like to paint abandoned, isolated buildings in familiar yet otherworldly settings.
January 6, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Happy new year, everyone. I’ve not been on here much lately so allow me to introduce myself again, I’m Lee and I like to paint abandoned, isolated buildings in familiar yet otherworldly settings.