Ra

Circling effortlessly above the Castle, the graceful bird of prey is unmistakable with its long, outstretched wingspan, feathers fanned out to catch the breeze.

Not so long ago red kites were almost extinct but, due to a determined reintroduction programme, they have made an astonishing comeback in the UK. With their reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail, they are easy to spot and then hear with their distinctive call. They have a seemingly languid approach to life, never appearing to be in a hurry as they scavenge for food- the remains of other wildlife meals. With their astonishing eyesight, they can detect movement from hundreds of meters up and identify possible food items from well over a kilometre distant.

Whatever is happening at Highclere or in the wider world, I always find it intensely relaxing to watch the slow measured flight of these birds, their leisured grace. Sometimes I can even spot them high up in a cedar tree. Unlike us, they use what the world offers for free and take nothing from it.

Throughout industrialisation, humans have used the earth’s resources with an almost carefree enthusiasm, carelessly emitting the consequences, toxic or otherwise, back into the world all in the name of progress or profit or both. This is often entirely at odds with the balanced circularity of the natural world which is increasingly struggling to maintain its equilibrium because we are too careless.

The one thing we all share, and that is free throughout the world, is the wind, the rain and the sun - the natural climate, even if they are becoming ever more extreme as we are constantly reminded of both by observation and science.

In the UK, we spend much of our time watching the rain and looking forward to much needed sunshine. The sun was central to the ancient Egyptian world which lasted more or less successfully for at least 5000 years. According to Egyptian myth, when the sun God Ra became too old and weary to reign on earth, he relinquished his role and went to the skies. Ra was said to travel through the sky on the sun ‘barque’ (ship) providing light to the world.

The sun rises and sets every day even if we cannot all see it. It is a free resource and many of us try to take our own small steps to tread more lightly on this earth by putting in solar panels to utilise this resource. By placing them on the roofs of houses, sheds, outbuildings and along the edge of built-up areas, they allow us to save some of our own energy costs, help to reduce the pull on the national grid and in some cases even add back to the grid.

We have been allowed to include solar panels on our new Viking Pavilion, and I think they look incredibly smart. Would it not be an enormous change for the positive if we were all allowed to add solar panels to many more outbuildings, garages or house roofs without the endless expensive planning contentions and huge bills that are garnered en route to gaining the necessary permissions. Obviously, anything that would provide an vast eyesore should not be automatically permitted but for lesser buildings or additions to what is present I think the rules could and should be relaxed - it should be a matter of course. 

Such small-scale projects around individual people's homes would not merely help them reduce their energy bills but help not use up valuable fossil fuels. It would decrease and mitigate the amount required from the national grid which appears to be permanently stretched. Today’s solar panel cells don’t even need direct sunlight to work – they can still help on a cloudy day which is essential in the UK.

This should be seen as investment in this country, reducing household bills both short term and long term when everyday costs are spiralling. It is called energy resilience but unfortunately, the planning restrictions mean that many can never afford such an easy step.

South facing homes are sought after for the light and emotional positivity offered by the sun - it transforms our mood, but they could also provide so much more. Sometimes I think it would be helpful if we too could find the grace and balance exhibited by animals or birds such as the red kite.