Stormy times - whose fault is it? A little gentle satire. And serious protesting.

Yesterday afternoon I walked into the village to buy a couple of things from the coop store. It was sunny when I set out. It rained on me as I approached the first millpond. And then I was rewarded with a huge rainbow! Splendid!

Walking back on the path that leads onto the industrial estate near our house I saw a boy running along, frantically shouting, “Luna! Luna!” He was probably about 11 or 12. It’s hard to tell. Some of the junior school children are enormous but the other day I saw children from the local comprehensive waiting for the bus and some of them were so small they didn’t look old enough to be in secondary school. Anyway, this child of indeterminate age was clearly chasing a crazy dog, a small black creature which proceeded to jump up at me excitedly, leaving muddy footprints on my light-coloured trousers. It’s a good job they were destined for a wash today anyway. Perhaps Luna was short for Lunatic! A little further along I came across a worried-looking woman of indeterminate age but old enough to be the grandmother of the child of indeterminate age. We agreed that chasing the dog probably just encouraged her to think it was a game. He caught her and brought her back to safety. 

This morning there was no sunshine but neither was there any rain. The percentage chance of rain forecast for today increases as the day goes on. By 3.00pm it stands at 100%. But I managed my run without getting wet, always a bonus! Apparently there is a storm on the way: the first of the “winter storms” and we!re only a week onto autumn! So it goes!

I read that global warming has contributed to the strength of the storms we have nowadays. One explanation is that storms and in particular hurricanes gather energy as they pass over open stretches of ocean with water heated by global warming. And so Hurricane Ian picked up speed and strength before hitting Florida and in similar fashion Storm Fiona braced herself to hit Canada more strongly than any other storm they have suffered. Scientists have argued about the influence of global warming on storms but the consensus of opinion seems to be leaning towards the worsening storms being largely our own fault … once again! Certainly I don’t remember storms as such in my childhood. Rain and fog  feature in a big way - walking to school with my school scarf wrapped round my mouth to prevent breathing in the fog - but not what ypu could call storms!

And then I went away to Leeds to study at the university and discovered what a real Yorkshire winter can be like!

Out in governmental world the economic storm continues. To help us put things in perspective the estimable Michael Rosen has begun to post extracts from the “DiAry” of a certain Liz Truss. The spelling is especially pleasing. And the punctuation is sometimes interesting. Here are a few examples:

Liz Truss 

My DiAry

Sept 29

Its bean a hard day to day. I've torqued to lots and lots and lots of radiostations and told them that its all going trifficly well. The economy is going to grow and grow and grow cos we've made rich people richer. This economics thing is easy peasy.

Bedtime diAry

by Liz Truss

Sept 30

Catched a bit of BBCQT. Lots and lots of peole being horrid to us. They dont get that when we give rich peole tax cuts etc etc they spend all there extra money on growthy things. They dont pop it into tax heavens an buy2rent towerblocks. o no.

My diAry

Liz Truss

Sept 29-30

Middle of night. Insumnia. Cant stop thinking about the Party big boys ganging up on me. Probs best next stop for me is some lovely little snaps of me on Dover beach in a lifejack saying these immigrants are doing what Adolf Hilter couldn't do.

My DiAry

by Liz Truss

Sept 30

Such a busy busy busy day today. Big meeting with the OBN. Must remember my I'm-the-boss face. Kwazz says we can pay for evrything using benefits - when peole stop getting benefits, they have to go to work. Simple. Economics is so easy peasy, tra-la.

My DiAry

by Liz Truss

Sept 30 in PM's car (oooo, look at me!)

Am doing sums. 67 billion from the Bank of E is awfully big. That's a jolly lot of £ notes. Am worried some peole will say Y not spend that on things that stop peole being poor. Kwazz phones: says we're doing great.

My DiAry

by Liz Truss

Sept 30 

Super muffins at the OBN. Kwazz wispered in the brake: there are too many peole on benefits. I said, mebbee its simpler than that: there are just too many peole. And we both laughed. A lot. Now for the hardwork. How to get rid! We have good laughs.

There it is! 

In more serious vein, here’s a news report of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe cutting her hair in protest at the death of Mahsa Amini. In solidarity with women in Iran who have been doing the same thing, she quietly said the names of women who have suffered because of discrimination against and maltreatment of women, especially in Iran. I saw it on a television news report on Wednesday evening. It was possibly the calmest, saddest act of protest I have ever seen.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well everyone!