You may or may not have noticed that there has been a distrinct lack of activity on here for the last two weeks. Chez What Allergy? is undergoing some serious renovation and dust abounds, hence me moving out and also a week long, very stressfull and tiring but rather fantastic features writing course! I might be able to sell some of the amazingly interesting stuff I write about here to magazines and earn some money! Well that makes me very happy. 
Now I’m back at home, house has undergone a deep cleanse and dust eradication exercise and is totally liveable, if a little challenging. The oven is miles (slight exageration) from the sink, and only limited work tops for food preparation, but we’re getting by.
In my absence, however, a very clever lady (Lorraine Cheney of Navitas Design) has been updating my website, making it easier for me to edit and update myself and also making it simpler for you to find cool stuff, read old articles and search for what’s on here. I’ve been writing this blog since 2009 and a lot of interesting stuff is hidden away in old blog posts, so hopefully these changes will make the blog easier to use.
I’d love to hear from my readers. Have you noticed any changes? Is it better? Is it worse? What would make it better? How could What Allergy? be improved? Let’s have, a heated debate!
Yes, I’d noticed you were ‘uncommonly quiet’. “. ) Glad to hear everything is ‘OK’. I like the ‘new look’. But I’m prejudiced toward clean sites, with a lot of ‘white space’, crisp non-serif fonts .. and of course, WordPress. Good choice!
This year has presented a very rough allergy season due to poor air quality and excessive super-heated air, in many locations around the globe.
I wish this was just an outlier anomaly, but I really don’t believe it is. I’ve worked in – or have been connected with – the atmospheric and environmental sciences too long (over 30 years) to be lulled into the sense of ‘cyclical only’ in explaining the current worsening conditions. Prepare for a steadily increasing level of issues, with on poorer air quality taking an increasingly dominant roll, over the coming years.
The time for us to ‘prevent’ or even ‘avoid’ serious impact to the environment – and to ourselves as a result !! – is past. We’re in the foot-hills of a mountains of troubles-to-come journey. It won’t be fun.
No ‘Chicken Little’ syndrome here, just the hard cold facts. We did not listen; still aren’t listening. As a result, we are just beginning to catch a glimpse of the social, physical, mental, and spiritual ‘invoice’ we are going to face. We… and – the next several generations beyond.
YOSAKIME
A sobering message YOSAKIME but I do fear you’re right. Indoor air quality is getting worse as well as outdoor. People live in increasingly smaller, airtight boxes full of carpets, mattresses and furniture that is off gassing throughout their home. They probably have plug-in air fresheners which further muddy the air and like you say, heat the houses too much. They clean their homes with toxic chemicals and this is then flushed into the sewers. Surely there is some hope though? Is it really too late? Surely there is just enough time if we act now! I hope so, but it just seems, like you say, that noone is listening. It’s just all too much like hard work – but it’ll get so much harder as a consequence of our wasted years later. We try to do our bit but it does seem like a drop in the ocean.
Hi Ruth,
The new site is very easy to navigate which means I always spend loads more time on here than I intended. I’m always getting pulled in by another article or reference I may have missed the first time around. Keep up the good work! Amie
Hi Amie. Thanks for such kind comments. I get hooked in myself too – I remind myself about things even I’ve forgotten and I write this stuff! Funny… anyway we’re decorating our bedroom and I seem to remember your not only sell mesquite flour but also hard wood flooring… Do you have a price list you could send me?
Ruth, I’ll email you a price list and some photos this afternoon. Amie