If you have been living under a musical rock lately you probably aren't aware that recently it was the 30th anniversary of Kraftwerk's 'The Model' reaching number 1 in the UK charts.

I'm aware that not everyone shows the same cultural appreciation of Kraftwerk as I do, but what better time to have an introduction to this unique and intense band as now? I love all bands electronic, but it was Kraftwerk that sparked my obsession. Their ability to sound like a strange computer game whilst looking quite robotic provoked my interest early on.

I'm a bit on the fence in general about Valentines' Day. I don't like feeling obliged to go out for a ludicrously overpriced meal at a table just 4 inches away from the next table with a host of other couples, most of whom aren't speaking to each other and are only out due to the sheer obligation of it all. I'd much rather get some nice food in and spend some of the money you've saved on a nice bottle of wine. With the wife of course.... I probably should have added that sooner. So, with that in mind I've set out some ideas below:

Midwinter is a very revealing time. With most trees and shrubs stripped of their leaves it is easier to see birds, the shape and architecture of the trees and various other things which are obscured at other times of the year.

Often prominent now are marble galls on oaks, especially young and scrub oaks.

As their name suggests marble galls are hard, round and about two centimetres in diameter.

They are brown and have a generally smooth surface. They are very easy to spot on small branches, sometimes singly but often in groups of three, four or more.

So, I might not be the most knowledgeable being on planet earth when it comes to music, in fact I don't even profess to be an nth of that.

However, music is the thing that keeps me going. It's the one indulgence I can rely on to bring me happiness on a bad day, to make me cry, dance, scream and even daydream.

Some girls remember places or moments by what perfume they wear but for me it will always be what soundtrack was the accompaniment.

My blogs will be mostly about music; whether that's new bands, the local scene, music tech or just general musical chatter.

My first subject is the music documentaries:

This week, the news has been inundated with footage of people all around the world celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Today, I saw images of dragon dances and kung fu acts on the streets of London, Ontario, and Madrid.

The first thing that stuck me was how these celebrations seemed far more stereotypically 'Chinese' than celebrating New Year in the Chinese capital has ever been for me!

I've spent my fair share of Spring festivals in China, but i'm yet to see a dragon or lion dance parade through the streets of the city.

"Hello Birmingham, this is Kate Adie reporting from some horrifying war-torn land"...Oh no, wait, that's not right...

This is in fact Nikki Aaron coming to you from Beijing. Differences? Many. Similarities? Also many. For those are not bomb blasts, machines guns and screams of horror upon the streets of China - they're fireworks, firecrackers, and squeals of excitement, as the nation welcomes the almighty Year of the Dragon.

A great many people these days resort to buying wine in supermarkets. With our ever increasingly hectic lifestyles it's a convenient way of going about wine buying, but it's also easy to fall into the trap of buying wines which are reduced in dubious discounts, or to just end up drinking relatively uninspiring wines produced at a price imposed by the supermarkets and made by winemakers who are not exactly inspired to produce their best work.

There is of course another way; that of the online wine store or online wine clubs. I've set out below some that I'd recommend.

Every wine has a time and a place. I'm not particularly into Rosé wine but every now and then on a hot summer day I end up quite fancying a glass. At this time of year however with the wind battering the door and your car windscreen under an inch of ice there is only one option; a big hearty glass of red!

My New Year resolution is to try harder to believe the public statements of government ministers and others to whom environmental regulation and protection is a bane. The trouble is that they do so much which appears to go against their pronouncements that it will be a very difficult resolution to keep.

The Government for instance said that it would be 'the greenest Government ever', and its members continue to claim environmental credentials. This is whilst, amongst other things, denigrating and threatening the planning system, watering down every initiative which might help nature (such as the provision of Marine Conservation Zones) changing the rules on solar power generation and setting up badger culls against all available scientific advice. It has also apparently provided trillions of pounds to the banks' begging bowls, but cut and cut and cut again the infrastructure for nature conservation and environmental protection and enhancement, an infrastructure which only cost a few tens of millions in the first place.

As for house builders and developers, well, they are past masters at presenting a less than balanced view. One of their favourite complaints is that the planning system is too slow, and causes too much delay. Ask any ecological consultant and you will hear tales of developers working hard to comply with whatever regulations affect their project - except those relating to environmental or wildlife protection. When this oversight is revealed, often late in the process, suddenly it's the 'fault of the system' and something must be changed. They are right: their approach to compliance must be changed.

Things became about as extreme as they can get just before Christmas. A spokesperson for house builders blamed the nation's housing shortage on wildlife protection legislation. I had to check that I had not hibernated and woken up on the first of April. This person seemed unaware of the recession, a generation of policies against building council houses, and the extreme difficulty first-time buyers have securing mortgages. These seemingly count for nothing, the problems are apparently all down to people trying to protect our dwindling wildlife.

There is a saying that if you think training is expensive, try costing ignorance. We could have no clearer example of that than the current approaches to the twin economic and environmental crises that face us. Wealth is ultimately created by adding value to natural resources. Until the economists become ecologically literate enough to understand this the problems will multiply, especially if we continue to move money from where it is needed (the natural environment) to where it may be frittered away (so-called economic development).

I would love to get to the end of the year with my resolution intact, but I suspect that it may be broken by the time you are reading this.

Trees Are Not Just For Christmas

One of the favourites of the festive season is the Christmas tree. Whether majestic municipals or delightful domestics we wouldn't be without them. The down side is that when the fun is over most of them are consigned to the chipper in January.

Thank goodness then for organisations like Birmingham Trees for Life. It is the latest in an honourable line of tree-planting bodies in Birmingham, and is doing sterling work making sure that we plant and nurture many more trees in the City. Earlier this month they launched their 'Big Tree Plant' programme. This follows a successful bid to the Government's national tree planting campaign which has resulted in a first year grant of just over £25,000 being awarded. The Big Tree Plant is part of the Government's 'Big Society' initiative, which aims to encourage the involvement of local people in issues and activities in their own communities.

The programme was launched by the Lord Mayor and the event was hosted by the Birmingham Civic Society. (Birmingham Trees for Life is a partnership between the City Council and the Birmingham Civic Society - all trees are planted on public land owned and managed by the Council.)

David Clarke, Chairman of the Birmingham Civic Society, said "We are absolutely delighted to have been selected in the first wave of projects by the Big Tree Plant, and this grant will enable Birmingham Trees for Life to extend its tree planting to even more areas of the city, particularly those with less tree coverage".

A key factor in obtaining the funding was the organisation's excellent track record in this field. Since it was created in 2006, Birmingham Trees for Life has planted almost 15,000 trees all over the city, involving hundreds of local volunteers, school children and business people. The aim now is to plant new trees in every constituency area. To complete all that is planned some matching funds will need to be secured from the City Council and local businesses and individuals. Success will ensure that Birmingham will retain its well-deserved reputation for the abundance and variety of trees in its streets, parks and open spaces. This will be good for people and good for wildlife.

So, enjoy your Christmas tree, but remember that the world in general, and Birmingham in particular, needs trees. You can help to make sure that more are planted and cared for in your neighbourhood. You can even sponsor a tree through the 'Plant a Tree for Life' scheme - for more information go to the website www.btfl.org.uk .

In the meantime have a merry Christmas and enjoy the Christmas trees.