Northern lights. And stuff about children.

 Granddaughters Number One and Number Two were getting rather excited last night because they could see the northern lights from their respective houses - York and Shaw/Oldham. 

I couldn’t see anything from our house but it was some time later when I looked out so maybe the display had faded by then. Possibly the best photo I’ve seen is this one taken by a friend of my daughter from one of the high points around here.

I keep expecting conspiracy theorists to tell us that this celestial display is organised by the various governments of the world to distract us from all the nasty things going on. However, I’m not sure that even the environmental damage we are causing to the planet really affects the sun’s cycle, which I am told influences the aurora borealis. Jere’s a bit of science: Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

There you go. If I remember I’ll look out this evening, assuming the sky stays clear. So far today it’s been bright and mostly sunny, but rather cold!

Phil and I had vaccinations against flu and covid earlier this week, both carried out at the local pharmacy. This morning Phil had occasion to go to the doctor’s surgery for a checkup and found the place full of people waiting for double vaccination and complaining that they were only able to have the flu vaccination as the surgery had not received the covid vaccine. Some of them then went along to pharmacy to try their luck there, with greater success. Getting protection agains covid seems to be very much a matter of pot luck at present. 

Life is not running smoothly at present it seems!

According to this article children starting school this year are still affected by having been isolated during lockdown. They lack communication skills and have difficulty making friends, say various reports. We should consider ourselves fortunate, therefore, to have a grandson in that cohort who chatters away nineteen to the dozen, shares detailed information about bugs and beetles, and seems to make friends wherever he goes. 

When I collected him and his sister from school yesterday and gave him the after-school snack apple I always take for him, a small friend asked if he would share it. “I expect Grandma has another apple in her bag,” he said. “Grandma, can Ethan have an apple?” The problem was that the other apple was for his sister. She is prepared to give things up for her small brother but not necessarily for his friends. She wanted her apple. Maybe I just need a bag of numerous small apples when I do the school run. 

Our children are fortunate. From a recent report I found these facts: 

"Up to 51,000 children in Gaza could be unaccompanied or separated from parents, charity warns. 

About 17,000 children are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from parents and caregivers. The IRC thinks this figure could be three times as high (51,000).

Some children have been found living alone in hospitals

Unaccompanied and separated children face high risks of child labour, exploitation, neglect, starvation, and long-term mental health impacts.

Children in Gaza have now missed one year of education because of the collapse of the education destruction of school buildings caused by Israeli bombardment.”

And so it continues. 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!