About

Sun shining on wet sand of a beach to indicate impermanence. Worm casts are visible.

Time is Sliding is a podcast that explores and embraces the many aspects of change in our lives.The title is an acceptance that the slipperiness of time for us human animals leads to change in our ourselves and what we do.  This can often be an adaptation to the ongoing change around us. Climate change and the Covid19 pandemic are two major examples of external changes that necessitate change in ourselves. 

Each monthly episode explores aspects of the world that are changing over the precious time that is slippery-sliding away as we hurtle down life’s helter skelter. There will be interviews with extraordinary and ordinary people about changes in themselves, society and the environment on which we all depend.

Photograph of Rob Baylis

Your host for Time is Sliding is Rob Baylis. He’s professionally qualified as a Chartered Environmentalist, a Member of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment and has 27 years experience working in various energy and environmental roles spanning academic research, consultancy and local government in the UK. His career has embraced the energy and environmental aspects of buildings as well as industrial environmental management.

Photo © Issy Baylis, Instagram @isabel_suqi, Vimeo.com/422523215

One of the big changes in Rob’s life was to leave behind a mainstream career in the construction industry to start again in environmental management. An even bigger change was when he became a vegetarian then a vegan 4 years later. When he started on that path in the 1980s, vegetarians were regarded as cranks and vegans were like aliens from outer space. He’s still got pointed ears but, these days, stereotypes of vegans have taken over from vegetarians as the butts of ill-informed & dumbed-down comedy. That’s progress (another change) as it’s only a few steps away from respect.

The Detective logo is a yellow square with a stylised black profile of a man's head, neck and shoulder. He is wearing a deer stalker hat and the image is interwoven with oriental style brush strokes that look similar (but are not the same as) to Chinese characters. 
In the 1980s, Rob wrote and performed songs as ‘The Detective’ and made a brief appearance on BBC TV’s Whistle Test in 1985. Here's a clip: 'Blood on Glass'. His music was distributed by Peeved Records, an independent cassette label. That change theme is here again - cassettes were killed off by CDs but who buys them any more? But then why are people buying vinyl records again? Has something changed to stop the clicks, jumps, scratches and warps of their past?

The Time is Sliding theme tune is ©Rob Baylis and performed by The Detective. It features Chris Maitland on drums, former band-mate Droid, aka Andy Cooke, on keyboards and the rest is Rob. Droid’s current whereabouts are unknown but Chris is probably known best for his drumming in the progressive rock band, Porcupine Tree as well as being the drummer on the Mamma Mia International Tour.

The Time is Sliding logo was created by Issy Baylis, Instagram @isabel_suqi, Vimeo.com/422523215. The Detective logo was designed by Mary Beauchamp. All photographs are ©Rob Baylis except where otherwise credited.