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“Do not stare into the Kelly Kettle,
lest the Kelly Kettle stares back into thee”

Long Walks &
Anarcho-Primitivism

Paul Mobbs’ blog on lifestyle change and simplicity, exploring the ecological and psychological dimensions of regularly spending time outdoors


At the root of this discussion is a very simple question: “What if, one day, everything just stopped; could you survive?”. I don’t mean apocalypse; I mean engaging with the very practical reality that long before human civilisation ends, or nears the end, ‘consumerism’ will have collapsed first.

That is what this series will explore: How it is possible to learn to live “when the lights go out”, and to do that very easily and cheaply. How, by spending time developing practical skills outdoors – outside of the restrictions of today’s everyday ‘normality’ – you can learn to move beyond the restrictions of that life, as the inevitable breakdown of ‘normality’ grinds inexorably forward over the next 10 to 20 years.


This site merges ‘Ramblinactivist’ Paul Mobbs’ ‘work’ and ‘relaxation’ blogs to develop a new way of looking at today's multiple, related ecological crises. It proposes that the response of us as individuals is entirely the same no matter what the issue – creating a new simpler, less material lifestyle outside of the common expectations of ‘modern’ society.

Most recent blogposts:

Title image for Long Walks and Anarcho-Primitivism No.8. Long Walks & A/P, Part 8, Full Pink Moon 2023:

‘What’s With the Moon Names?’

The issue here is ‘mechanomorphism’: The tendency for humans in a technological environment to identify their essential being with that of a machine. This idea will take a little time for me to unpack – so please, unplug your remote network connections, disable interrupts, and drop your motor functions into standby mode!

Go directly to the video that accompanies this post.

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‘Radical References’, No.4, Samhain 2022:

Thomas Rainsborough and the 375th Anniversary of The Putney Debates

As British people currently wrestle with the reality that they do not have the power to choose the governing executive – and that their representation is in actuality in name only, and renders little political control – it’s fitting that we celebrate the 375th anniversary of one of the significant events of English history.

Click here for the video of this post

This blog post also contains an audio podcast.

An image of Aldous Huxley and ‘Brave New World’ ‘Radical References’, No.3, Mabon 2022:

Aldous Huxley’s ‘Ultimate Revolution’

In 1962, Aldous Huxley, author of ‘Brave New World’, gave a speech to mark thirty years since its publication. Sixty years after that speech, and Huxley’s prognostication of the populous learning to ‘love their servitude’ continues to evolve.

This blog post also contains an podcast recording of the text. In a small divergence from previous reviews, I have created a video with Huxley’s words. You can also download the background music track here.

A Kelly Kettle being used to brew nettle tea in the countryside Long Walks & A/P, Part 6, New Flower Moon 2022:

‘Kelly Kettles and the Practise of Zero Carbon Cooking Outdoors’

Metal containers for boiling water are ‘ancient’; but what do you think ancient Greek (their word, ‘kotyle’) or Roman people used to heat their pans? Electricity? Kerosine? Compressed petroleum gas? Heating water is foundational to human society – a technology that defines us. How do we maintain that skill in an increasingly uncertain world?

Go directly to the video that accompanies this post.

Dowload PDF version this post.

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