Wednesday thoughts about climate change, yachts, explosions, and a bit of Michael Rosen.

 Wednesday has rolled around again and with it another cycle ride to the market in Uppermill. It’s very pleasant cycling along the Donkey Line bridle path at the moment because it’s nice and dry. We’ve had rain from time to time, amazingly often just during the night, which is convenient but there have been enough dry days for the path to remain dry. This is a change from the soggy surface with occasional patch of muddy quagmire that we  had through the winter and spring months. 

It did seem unseasonably chilly this morning though. I presume this is another aspect of climate change. Climate change has led to sea temperature rises apparently. Just a degree or two higher doesn’t sound much but it seems that this leads to more frequent and harsher summer storms. And it leads to more tornados and waterspouts such as the one wich may have caused the sinking of the super-yacht at the weekend.

People who know about yachts have said that perhaps the super-tall mast may have made the boat more vulnerable, more unstable and therefore liable to tip over in extreme weather conditions. Conspiracy theorists hint that other forces might have been at play, in view of the owner’s recent legal problems. Without examining the boat properly it will be hard to say if anything extra odd happened and at the moment it is  deep under the sea. Will they try to bring it to the surface? I wonder. It could be like one of those scenes in deteective dramas where a car is pulled from a river and reveals lots of unknown, and incriminating, facts.

Nobody reported explosions, however, but they would probably not have head anything with a storm raging. Thinking of explosions, here’s an odd lottle news item:

“Police and army experts have carried out a controlled explosion on a second world war bomb discovered in Newtownards, County Down, more than 80 years after it was dropped from a German plane.

A plume of smoke rose over the Northern Irish town on Tuesday after a loud bang at 3.38pm signalled the destruction of the 500kg (1,100lb) bomb.

More than 400 homes were evacuated from the Rivenwood area after the device was discovered at a building site last Thursday. Munitions experts created a sand-filled structure before triggering the controlled explosion.

Supt Johnston McDowell said ammunition technical officers identified the device as an airdropped SC-500 German bomb that posed a significant risk to public safety and required a complex operation.”

How amazing to find something of that nature, still dangerous, sated such a long time!

Thinking of wars and conflict, here’s another Michael Rosen “conversation” between the King and his Tutur, a rather long one this time:

'The news is not too good, is it, tutor?' said the King.

'No sir,' said the King's tutor.

'What should we do, do you think?' said the King.

'Make some news ourselves,' said the tutor.

'Really?' said the King, 'how can we do that?'

'Well, if I went out and shot someone who I said was a spy,' said the tutor, 'that would be making news.' 

'Yes, yes,' said the King, 'but that would be illegal and you would get arrested.'

'Possibly but not certainly,' said the tutor. 'Even so, I take your point, it's not worth the risk.'

'So what then?' said the King.

'Well, how about if there was an event organised by the people we don't like' said the tutor, 'and I went along and started shouting?'

'That sounds very boring,' said the King.

'Wait a moment, sir,' said the tutor. 'What if, when I started shouting, that made people angry? And they started shouting back, and even threatening me?'

'That wouldn't be very nice at all,' said the King, 'I think you've got this very wrong. Bad idea, tutor.' 

'I don't think so,' said the tutor, 'because, all I would have done is do a bit of shouting and now, all of a sudden, there are hundreds of people picking on me. They start to look like a mob, a baying mob.'

'But no one would know about this baying mob,' said the King, 'it would be a silly idea.'

'Ah, that's where you're wrong,' said the tutor, 'it could be arranged that some of our scribes would be there to see it all, and they would tell the story of how a poor little chap had been set upon by a baying mob. And this would prove just how bad these people are.'

'You've forgotten something though,' said the King, 'the scribes would know that it was you, and when they wrote the story, they would say, 'The King's tutor started all this.'

'If I may say so, sir,' said the tutor, 'what you're saying there is not as clever as you think. Remember, these are our scribes! We make sure that they don't mention that it was the King's tutor who started it. It was just a poor chap who raised his voice a little at some event or other, and then he got picked on.'

'I'm beginning to see where you're going with this,'said the King, 'so in the end, this would be quite good news, because it would make others.  who we don't like, look bad.'

'Exactly,' said the tutor. 

'Oh no,' said the King, 'I've thought of another snag. What if there were people there who recognised you, and started telling the scribes that it was you?'

'Hmmm,' said the tutor, 'that's actually a very good point. However, we can trust it such that even if it became known that it was me, a blanket of silence would fall on everything, such that our good people would not know or understand what had really happened. Either that, or they would be just mildly confused and indifferent to it all anyway.'

'You do very good work, tutor, I must say,' said the King.

'Thank you for saying so, sir,' said the tutor.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!