New traditions (Pride Parades) and old traditions (Rushcart processions) rained on. Carbon footprint.

 Well, Granddaughter Number Two didn’t make it to Manchester Pride yesterday after all. She had been ill all night and was feeling no better when morning came round. She contacted the friend she was planning to go with to apologise. Said friend in turn apologised: she had had an anxiety attack and had ended up in hospital. What is going on with the younger generation?

In the event the procession got rained on at some point and the evening events were cancelled because of severe weather - thunderstorms and very heavy rain. So maybe Granddaughter Number Two and friend (now released from hospital) didn’t miss much. As far as I am aware we had no thunderstorms in our bit of the region. 

This morning Granddaughter Number Two, feeling considerably better than yesterday complained on our group chat about the rain as she took their dog out for a walk. (She has been left in charge of the dog while her mother and her younger siblings are away on holiday.) At that point Granddaughter Number One and I told her we had no rain … yet. Not long after that, Granddaughter Number One also complained about the rain and finally it arrived here. Clearly the rain belt was moving it’s way across our bit of Greater Manchester.  

The August Bank Holiday weekend is a bit of a washout it seems. The Morris Men and the Rushcart procession, a local tradition, will have been getting wet, I think. Here’s a note about the rushcart:

“The rushcart ceremony is an English tradition where parishioners process around their parish once a year, bearing rushes. They would end up at the parish church and place the rushes on the floor of the church, to replace worn-out rushes. In modern times the ceremony is practised only in parts of northern England including Lancashire and Cumbria.”

Apparently it all got subsumed into textile mills’ wakes holiday celebrations, which be one reason why the tradition has continued around here where we still have a few working textile mills. 

The errant daughter, on holiday with her partner and younger children sends us photos of sunny skies in Almería - so it goes!

Granddaughter Number One commented that despite the rain it still feels quite warm, too warm in her opinion. I beg to differ. I have given in and put on a warm jumper, both today and yesterday. I’ve even put socks on, having been barefoot in sandals or canvas pumps for what seems like months.  

While we’ve been having a rather dull August, wildfires have continued in other parts of the world. According to this article, two men have been arrested in Greece, suspected of having lit wildfires. I find it hard to imagine what motivates anyone to set fire to a tinder-dry place, just for fun! Haven’t they heard about the problems with carbon?

Mind you, I noticed supplies of logs for wood-burning stoves in our local supermarket the other day. And adverts are popping up for other types of fuel for such stoves, mostly compressed wood-pulp or waste-paper fashioned to look a little like logs. I confess to finding wood-burning stoves very attractive but we need to think beyond that and remember the problems of our carbon footprint! 

 

Note the date on the newspaper cutting. That's how long we've been aware of climate problems.

Loosely connected to that, I was reading about Helen Rebanks - farmer’s wife, mother, writer: 

She is almost spitting over the government’s trade deals with other countries. “The most recent is Mexico, for eggs – from battery hens. Our egg producers are going out of business because feed costs, heating, lighting, energy costs – everything to do with production – has gone up. There are fewer British eggs because supermarkets won’t pay the true cost of production. How are farmers supposed to make a living?”

Do we really transport eggs all the way from Mexico? It beggars belief. Fortunately, the eggs we personally eat are from local hens, delivered by the milkman. 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!