Aly Fielding

@alysonf.bsky.social

148 Followers 75 Following

Makes things.

Small pots of tiny new oak trees in a tray. I think about 8 small seedlings have come up so far. A good start for this year’s lot. The oldest ones are around 5 years now and starting to get much bigger...
It is a bright but snowy and icy day. A hand is outstretched with a small piece of bird food in the palm. A robin flies down and although slightly skittish at first, it lands and takes the food. This robin lives (I think) near the big old pear tree.
A pair of blue trainers against frosty grass and leaves. The sunrise was particularly beautiful during this morning’s run.
Text reads: “Running distance total 623.88MI, 2025.” This represents a lot of early mornings. Summer runs are great, but I really like the winter ones, running under inky, starry skies.
A wooden frame on a white board with moveable type, with the words ‘spark of poetry’ backwards.
A screen with the words: “SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A CONFERENCE AND A VILLAGE FETE (ABOUT PAPER)”
A bumble bee sat on a window frame holding its front leg in the air. Through the glass window pane there’s a patch of green. This picture was taken when I was fixing up the old tool shed and found a nest of bumble bees. What a treasure to find. That summer was spent rescuing tired bees from the shed and popping them on flowers so they could refuel.
A screen on a stage with the word hello in white on a green background.
A chart labelled ‘Running Distance’ with four bars filled in blue for January to April. March is the tallest bar. I managed around 70 miles that month. At the top there’s a total which reads 243.38 miles. This chart represents a lot of very early morning runs in the dark and cold. It’s also been many mornings of seeing the sun rise on a new day, which really is just the best thing.
A gloves hand is outstretched, under the apple trees. The light is falling through the trees to highlight a small piece of food in the palm of the hand. After a short pause, a small robin swoops in and lands on the fingers of the glove. It picks up the food, hops and turns around and flies off. It’s taken a while and a lot of patience to build up trust with this little buddy.
A slide with text: The symbiosis of IA and AI
A large oak tree black in shadow against a blue, grey and white sky at sunrise. This tree is one of a line of oaks marking the edge of the place. They’ve been here a long time.
A pair of blue trainers against green grass, brown autumn leaves and a bit of mud. These trainers got me through an Achilles injury over summer. That one was not fun, but the trainers helped a lot.
Gold lettering on black. The text reads: “St. Bride Foundation Institute. Entrance. Bride Lane.” There is a drawing of a hand pointing to the left.
Three red strawberries with green stalks in a white dish. They were picked this morning in the sunshine. I think it’s going to be a good season this year.
A pair of white running trainers with grey laces, on tarmac. The sun is behind and it’s casting a shadow in front of the trainers.
In the digital era we take such tools for granted, although ironically we often find ourselves using them to go faster, not slower and more thoughtfully. One would think that, with all the time we are able to save, we would spend more of it on reflection. People often speculate about what Charles and Ray, if working today, would have done with all those new tools. Who knows what they would have come up with? What we can feel confident about is the first thing they would have done with the Internet, with 3D printing, the personal computer, mobile phones and everything else they never experienced (but in some cases foresaw): they would have played. And they would have invited others to play. And then, Charles and Ray would have played some more - because play is a form of love for the world and a perfect way to unlock possibilities. After all, as they themselves acknowledged, 'whatever the way, at all times love and discipline have led to a beautiful environment and a good life’.