The Anonymous Widower

Does Dropping Barometric Pressure Make Your Nose Run?

I’m asking this question as my nose is running and the pressure is dropping for tomorrow’s rain.

Google AI told me this.

Yes, a drop in barometric pressure can make your nose run, as it can cause sensitive nerve endings in your nasal passages to react, leading to swelling of the blood vessels. This can result in congestion, a runny nose, and post-nasal drip.

How it happens: When the atmospheric pressure changes, the pressure in your sinuses no longer matches the pressure outside your body. This difference can trigger a reaction in the nasal passages.

Nasal response: The nasal tissues may swell and sinus drainage ducts can become blocked in an attempt to equalize the pressure. This irritation can lead to symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose.

Other factors: This reaction is often more pronounced when barometric pressure changes are sudden or combined with other weather changes, such as rapid shifts in temperature or humidity.

My left eye is also painful.

I also should note, that a very experiences eye surgeon once told me, that I had the driest eyes he’d ever seen.

October 18, 2025 Posted by | Health | , , , | Leave a comment

Stopping The Irresponsible Parking Of Hire Bikes

This sort of parking of bicycles is becoming a real curse in London.

I have problems outside my house and this morning a hire bike was blocking my entrance for my Ocado delivery.

I believe that as each hire of a bike is known in detail by the hire companies, so they can charge riders, illegal parking of these bikes could be easily enforced.

We would need a law that could be enforced.

Each bike would need to have a clearly-marked serial number and/or QR-Code.

If you see a bike illegally parked, anybody can take a photograph and note the bike’s serial number, which they can then send to a central office by text message, e-mail or even an app.

The central office would then assess if any offence had been committed and if it had, would inform the hire company.

The hire company would charge the hirer, if an offence had been committed and charge them a fee.

The fee could even be split three ways to the hire company, the local authority and the person, who reported the offence.

 

October 18, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | 3 Comments

Iberdrola Looking To Sell 49 Pct Stake In UK Offshore Wind Farm – Report

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Iberdrola has begun exploring the sale of 49 per cent of its East Anglia Two offshore wind farm project in the UK, according to a report by the Spanish media outlet Cinco Días citing unnamed sources.

These four paragraphs give more details.

The renewable energy developer has already engaged Bank of America and BBVA as financial advisors to assist with the potential transaction, Cinco Días writes.

Iberdrola’s interest in selling a nearly half stake in East Anglia Two mirrors previous deals in the East Anglia portfolio, where the company has brought in financial partners in two other phases, East Anglia One and East Anglia Three.

The 714 MW East Anglia One offshore wind farm is owned by Iberdrola’s UK arm ScottishPower Renewables and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG), with Octopus Energy having acquired a 10 per cent stake from GIG this April. East Agnlia One has been in operation since 2021.

In July this year, Iberdrola and UAE clean energy company Masdar announced what the companies said was the largest offshore wind transaction of the decade as they signed an agreement to co-invest in the 1.4 GW East Anglia Three project, currently under construction.

But then being bought and sold is the way of life for an offshore wind farm.

In 2018, I wrote World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant, which contains this extract from the Times says this about the funding of wind farms.

Wind farms throw off “long-term boring, stable cashflows”, Mr. Murphy said, which was perfect to match Aviva policyholders and annuitants, the ultimate backers of the project. Aviva has bought fixed-rate and inflation-linked bonds, issued by the project. While the coupon paid on the 15-year bonds, has not been disclosed, similar risk projects typically pay an interest rate of about 3 per cent pm their bonds. Projects typically are structured at about 30 per cent equity and 70 per cent debt.

Darryl Murphy is Aviva’s head of infrastructure debt. The article also says, that Aviva will have a billion pounds invested in wind farms by the end of the year.

I wonder how long it will be before individual investors can fund their pensions, with a direct investment in a wind farm?

  • The wind farm would surely be a better investment if it had an integrated battery to supply power, when the wind didn’t blow.
  • It would probably also be a safer investment, if it had been generating electricity for some years.

After all, at the present time, you can invest in batteries through companies like Gresham House and Gore Street.

 

October 18, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Finance | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Does B12 Boost Your Eyesight?

This may seem an unusual question to ask, but this morning, when I put my bobble hat on, I forgot to put my glasses back on and went out for breakfast without them.

I have worn glasses for forty years and I had no trouble at all. I even sent a text message to check the time of the next bus.

The difference this morning, compared to most others, was that I had a B12-boosting Marks and Spencer’s Liver and Bacon ready meal last night.

So I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this reply.

Vitamin B12 does not boost eyesight for those with adequate levels, but it can improve vision that has been impaired by a B12 deficiency. A deficiency can damage the optic nerve, leading to blurry vision, and supplementing with B12 can reverse this damage. B12 and other B vitamins can also help prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by lowering homocysteine levels.

Note.

  1. I take a regular B6 tablet to help my homocysteine levels.
  2. I was found to be seriously deficient of B12 at fifty and this led to me being diagnosed with coeliac disease.
  3. I am probably a bit deficient in B12 at the moment, as my regular three-monthly injection is due on the first of November.
  4. My mother went blind from age-related macular degeneration and died of cancer.

I’ve always assumed, that it was my father, who carried the coeliac gene, but perhaps it was my mother?

I asked Google AI, if age-related macular degeneration is related to coeliac disease, and received this reply.

While there is no direct causal link between celiac disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), celiac disease may increase the risk of AMD through two potential mechanisms: malabsorption of nutrients and an autoimmune connection. Malabsorption can lead to lower levels of protective carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are vital for macular health. Additionally, the systemic inflammatory and autoimmune nature of celiac disease has been linked to an increased risk for several other autoimmune conditions, some of which are associated with a higher risk of AMD.

Finally, I asked Google AI if menstrual problems are related to coeliac disease, and received this reply.

Yes, menstrual problems are related to celiac disease, and women with celiac disease have higher frequencies of menstrual disorders such as irregular periods, delayed menstruation, missed periods, and early menopause. These issues can stem from nutrient deficiencies and the immune system’s reaction to gluten, but many symptoms often improve significantly after starting a strict gluten-free diet.

I am drawn towards the conclusion, that my mother was an undiagnosed coeliac.

October 18, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen | , , , , , , | Leave a comment