It was just starting to rain, but only lightly, as I returned from my run earlier this morning. By late morning it was raining properly. I don’t think Granddaughter Number Two and I will be walking to Greenfield this afternoon, as we have done the last two Thursdays. Heavy rain and a moderate breeze is forecast for today! Tomorrow we can expect Storm Éowyn.
Éowyn is the fifth named storm of the year and potentially the most destructive. It’s predicted to be the worst storm since Storm Debbie in September 1961, which wrecked homes, cut power and led to the deaths of 12 people in the Republic of Ireland and six in Northern Ireland. Goodness! I wasn’t aware that storms were already being named back then! But what surprised me most was the statement that Éowyn is the FIFTH named storm of the year. Surely we’re only three weeks into the year. When did these other four storms slip past me unnoticed?
Investigating further I discovered that it's the fifth named storm from the Met Office of THE 2024/25 SEASON, not the calendar year at all! The list of names is announced on September 1 each year, running in alphabetical order. The season started with Ashley, then Bert, followed by Conall, Darragh and now Eowyn.
They’re advising schools in Ireland and parts of Scotland not to open tomorrow as the weather will be so dire.
It could br worse though. Apparently it’s getting very cold in Florida, a place I mistakenly always associate with wall to wall sunshine. And as it gets colder, Iguanas, some of which can be up to 6 feet long, are cold-stunned (ie semi frozen) and start to fall out of the trees where they have been resting(?) / perching (?) / doing whatever iguanas do in trees. A 6 foot long iguana dropping from a tree! That must be like having a full-grown man drop out of a tree. Advice for people in Florida is as follows: “If you do come across a cold-stunned iguana, the advice is to ignore it. Like a lot of us, they get very cranky when they first wake up.”
On the whole, I’m happy to live in a place without such extremes.
It’s cold in Palestine too. (Am I allowed to call it Palestine?) And they have other problems to contend with. Gaza has a ceasefire, which we hope will hold, but the West Bank still under attack. In addition Israeli settlers have been shooting Palestinians, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails into their houses, breaking windows of homes, businesses and vehicles. They’ve been targeting villages to which prisoners released from Israeli prisons under the hostage-exchange arrangements are returning. A protest against that prisoner exchange - here is a link to an article about it.
Here in the UK I saw on social media a reminder of the good things Marcus Rashford has done for the country:
- Started a charity that raised £20m and helped feed 400k children.
- Launched a campaign with Selfridges to help the homeless.
- Learned sign language to judge a poetry even in a deaf school..
There was some fear that government funding for his scheme was to be cut but this article says that funding will continue. Other wealthy footballers (and wealthy not-footballers) should follow his example to bring about change!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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